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SCUTTLEBUTT 1234 - January 7, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, 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. RADICAL Team New Zealand took the word radical to new extremes on Tuesday with the unveiling of their two racing yachts, NZL81 and NZL82. Both are sporting a hull appendage attached to the stern, affectionately named 'hula' by the Team New Zealand boys. But unlike earlier graphics of the appendage, when it was brought under media scrutiny in mid-December, it is so close to the hull even a credit card would have trouble slipping through. "We've tested this idea and found it to be a bit faster. Faster enough for us to unveil twice," said principal designer Mike Drummond. The second-skin is not the only new innovation found on the New Zealand yachts, the list includes double rigging, longer bulbs than the two challengers, trim tabs running down the strut of the keel and different winglet positioning. "We've investigated them everywhere and this is our last known position," joked Drummond. The two yachts have different bulbs, one had an extremely long and skinny cigar-like bulb and the other a slighter shorter bullet-like shape, with no-one ready to announce which was NZL81 and which was NZL82. Both have winglets coming out from the bottom middle of the bulb, parallel to the ground. "Our bulb is very long and smaller in height which means a lower centre of gravity and therefore more stability. The trade-off is extra wetted surface and extra drag in light airs," explained Drummond. - Fiona McIlroy, NZoom website, full story: http://americascup.nzoom.com/americascup_detail/0,2523,160088-296-297,00.html PHOTOS: You can find photos of the "TNZ Hula" on Scuttlebutt, or check out the Cup News website for three big and revealing photos of the underbody of the two TNZ defenders: http://cupviews.com/ CONVENTIONAL The Swiss challenger for the America's Cup will not be sailing with a false hull, a so-called "Kiwi clip-on". There has been speculation that Cup defenders Team New Zealand have developed a radical hull appendage for the stern of their boats to effectively increase waterline length and, therefore, potential speed. Rumours have been rife around the Viaduct Harbour that the innovation was being adopted by challengers Alinghi and Oracle BMW. But this morning's unveiling of Swiss challenger SUI-64 revealed no such secret weapon. * Alinghi design co-ordinator Grant Simmer revealed that subtle changes to the appendages in May last year, after some testing, had made SUI-64 faster than it had been when it was launched in November 2001. He said the boat could undergo more changes after the challenger finals. Simmer believed SUI-64 was up to 90 seconds faster around the race course after the improvements in May. "The improvement you can get just tuning the boat over time can be dramatic," he said. * Oracle BMW's yacht for the Louis Vuitton Cup finals uses a conventional design without the "false hull" that the team was rumoured to have been testing. The San Francisco-based challengers dropped the covers from the keel of USA-76 at 11am today, two hours after rivals Team Alinghi had unveiled their boat, SUI-64. The most obvious difference between the boats was that USA-76 had keel winglets toward the rear of the keel bulb, while SUI-64 had them in the middle. Neither of the challengers will be using the radical third appendage that Team New Zealand is rumoured to have developed to increase their boats' effective waterline length and potential speed. Oracle's head of design, New Zealander Bruce Farr, said the team had ended up with a "heavily refined, fairly conventional boat". USA-76 was narrower than most of the other boats, including Alinghi, that had entered the competition. "Oracle has a more detailed keel and hull arrangement than Alinghi," Farr said. He doubted the position of the winglets would be a significant factor in a boat's performance. - New Zealand Herald, full stories, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ THE OCKAM ADVANTAGE Ockam's Tryad system combines the cabling weight advantage of the Ockam bus with further weight savings in multiplex interfaces and high performance switching power supply in the T1 CPU. And Ockam places no limits on where or how cabling is run, with no "warranty voiding" limitations on cable lengths. When putting together your Ockam system, you'll be able to pick from a much wider selection of sensor brands and types to interface with the system. Selections are made based on the right balance between performance and price. For more, visit http://www.ockam.com NEWS BRIEFS * It's not too late to nominate someone for the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards, or for US Sailing's Sportsmanship Award: http://www.ussailing.org/awards/ * Ellen MacArthur and the 13 crew on Kingfisher2 have been putting the 110 foot catamaran through her paces over the past three days in preparation for their attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy Round the World record. "With storms filing across the Atlantic, finding the right balance between not breaking the boat, but testing her properly before we set off around the world, is quite hard," Mac Arthur said. The boat right now is quite light - once 65 days of food, fuel and spares are added, she could be 1.5 tons heavier at the start of the trip. www.kingfisherchallenges.com/ 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 Jane and Tony Griffin: The crew of Luna Barba are very sad to hear the news. We knew Linda when she was organizing a women's entry for the Transpac. Her dream and passion was briefly interrupted by a relapse and she was unable to sail the race. Undaunted and with her remarkable vigour she cheered her team (and ours) from the shore and then flew to Hawaii with Roy Disney, himself shore bound, to welcome her crew. Linda had a great strength and a truly engaging optimism. We are all the better for having known her. Our thoughts are with her, her family and her many friends the world over. * From George Bailey: I wonder whom the NZ police are counting as Blackheart members? I cannot imagine that they have 3000 actual members, though perhaps they do. Sounds more like they have 3000 people who are subscribed to their newsletter. Me, for example. Being subscribed to their newsletter does not constitute being a member of their organization nor having any sympathies with it. KEN READ SPEAKS (Last month, Tom Meade did an interview in the Providence Journal with Stars & Stripes helmsman Ken Read about the Team Dennis Conner campaign. Here are some of Read's comments.) "My opinion is that we had three things that didn't go our way. First, our first brand new mast fell down the second day we used it and it set our program back a month in Long Beach. After that happened, "Protect the assets" was the phrase that was used. And it really defines a large difference between ourselves and the big-budget teams. "We didn't have a quiver of masts, boats, parts and pieces all in the boat shed to be used in case of a breakage. We had what we sailed with and that was about it. Second, we had some keel issues that we didn't catch until the actual racing started. We had to change the shape and profile quite a lot and that eliminated more valuable training time that we could have used. "Finally, we split our program into two parts: speed testing and race training. Our plan was to speed test in California and then to race every day once we got to Auckland for the month of September. Then 77 sank on our last day of speed testing in California, and our September racing program went out the window. We really have been playing catch-up since, trying to get race-tough during the actual trials rather than in planned practice. There is no doubt that I could have been better on the starting line, or that we could have been more efficient as a sailing team. We ran out of the practice time that we needed to get better. "The boat was getting faster all the time. We had just put a new keel on 77 and it tested a bit better, so if OneWorld had been thrown out we would have been improved, sailing against Prada. We weren't far off the pace. We weren't very maneuverable, which showed up on the start line at times. We were quick downwind in a lot of wind. All in all, I would say that we were the fifth fastest boat by the time we were eliminated, but gaining in speed every day." - From a story by Tome Meade in the Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/ ALWAYS THE BEST. Camet International has the outstanding reputation of always being the best, in design, quality and service. The Camet sailing shorts are the leaders in technology, and comfort. They are made out of a Breathable, fast drying Supplex, and reinforced with a Cordura seat patch, to insert an optional foam pad. Camet has a variety of models of shorts pants and colors. Ask your dealers for the Camet products or visit the Camet website at: http://www.camet.com PERSPECTIVE (In a story written by Sean McNeill for the LVC website, John Kostecki freely shared his thoughts about some of the issues associated with the present Cup Series. Here's a brief excerpt.) Kostecki also has been disappointed by all the legal issues dominating the headlines. From cheating accusations against OneWorld Challenge to public squabbling between challenger and defender, the America's Cup, as an event, has taken another broadside swipe by pundits who say it's just a rich man's game. "This time around, with the different protests and allegations, it's not making our sport look good," Kostecki says. "For a person that's very involved with the sport, I'm embarrassed. I feel the America's Cup has so much potential to be such a great event and (the contentiousness) kind of spoils it a bit." The most controversial issue regards OneWorld Challenge, which came under intense scrutiny one month ago when two challengers, Team Dennis Conner and Prada, reopened "Reeves-gate", the story of design secrets for sale. The two teams' actions forced the America's Cup Arbitration Panel to make a hasty trip to Auckland for two days of hearings. The panel had previously penalised OneWorld one point for six violations of the America's Cup Protocol in a decision handed down last August. The panel found OneWorld in contravention of the protocol again, but that decision, like the earlier one, came from OneWorld's admission that it possessed information that it shouldn't have. Despite the penalties, Kostecki feels OneWorld is the most honest team on syndicate row. "Every syndicate has done whatever they have done. I think it's pretty common," Kostecki says. "They just kind of got caught in a bad position. They ended up admitting something maybe they shouldn't have. That's where they got penalised. "I see them as being one of the cleanest campaigns on the block. Unfortunately they're getting penalised for it," Kostecki says. - Full story: http://www.louisvuittoncup.yahoo.com/story1592.html HOW ORACLE CAN DEFEAT ALINGHI (Gary Jobson explains what it will take to derail the Russell Coutts express in the LVC finals in a story published on the Sailing World website. Here's a brief excerpt.) The combination of Farr and Oracle skipper Chris Dickson has worked together in the past (1987, 1995). Dickson has a good technical mind and will be open to ideas from the design team. By defeating OneWorld quickly (4-0), Dickson and crew now have nearly three weeks to prepare. They will have to practice every day. Starting technique and clever sailing strategy have made the difference in the racing so far. The whole team must be tuned to a fine edge, because Alinghi has sailed flawlessly. The teams should encourage CORM, the regatta's manager, to raise the wind limit to 25 knots. Oracle seems to do well in a stronger breeze, plus both teams need to be ready for Team New Zealand. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will run races up to this wind level. Oracle needs to settle down its rotation in the cockpit. Peter Holmberg has been outstanding as the starting helmsman. Dickson likes to steer, but also tends to look around. The team needs to make a decision, practice in that mode, and stick to it through the racing. - http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_article_AC.php?articleID=1557 FOR THE RECORD Macquarie Innovation, the new craft put forward by Lindsay Cunningham, Simon McKeon, & Tim Daddo to better their world speed sail record set in their Yellow Pages Endeavour back in 1993 is on track to smash its 50 knot target. Extract from Macquire Innovation Website - January 2003: "Our final World Sailing Speed Record Attempt for 2002 is now complete. It finished with a best run of 43.26 knots in an average of 15 - 17 knots of wind. Unfortunately, the light wind regime that had plagued us during our February 2002 campaign, continued to create problems during our November 2002 trials. In fact, only six 500m runs were completed for the entire 28 day period, evidence of the unusually poor conditions for that time of year. However, we departed Sandy Point feeling very confident that Macquarie Innovation is now ready to become the first boat in history to sail beyond 50 knots. http://www.macquarie.com.au/speedsailing/updates.htm AROUND ALONE It's a case of the rich getting richer as the first two yachts make their way up the Tasman. Aboard the leading Class 1 boat Bobst Group Armor lux, Bernard Stamm seems to have an almost uncanny sense of the weather. It may be luck, I would rather think it's good instincts, but Stamm seems to always place himself in the right place at the right time. In Class 2 Brad van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America is silently eating up the miles. With the excitement in Class 1 dominating the news, Brad's progress has gone relatively unnoticed, but he has set a scorching pace matching that of Stamm mile for mile. - Brian Hancock STANDINGS 2200 UTC January 5 CLASS 1: 1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm, 366 miles from finish; 2. Solidaires, Thierry Dubois, 487 miles behind leader; 3. Hexagon, Graham Dalton, 720 mbl, 4. Tiscali, Simone Bianchetti, 806 mbl; 5. Pindar, Emma Richards, 1082 mbl; 6. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 1178 mbl. CLASS 2: 1. Tommy Hilfiger, Brad Van Liew, 1643 miles from finish; 2. Everest Horizontal, Tim Kent, 673 mbl. 3. Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield, 906 mbl; 4. Spirit of yukoh, Kojiro Shiraishi, 1063 mbl, BTC Velocity, Alan Paris, 1656 mbl. - www.aroundalone.com ROSE BOWL REGATTA Sixty eight Teams (19 College and 49 High School) arrived in Long Beach, CA for the annual Rose Bowl Regatta at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and hosted by the USC Varsity Sailing Team. Beautiful sunny skies and temperatures approaching 80 degrees made the beach front venues enjoyable for all. Light air filling in mid-day and dying in the mid to late afternoons limited the regatta to 5 races in each division. Races were sailed in light 2-6 knot breeze that was comparatively steady. Over 300 people attended the dinner and college sailing forum on Saturday evening. Stanford University won the event with a team of Dave Phillips 04, Sonja Bebber 04, Brian Haines 06, Lucy Horton 05. Final Results: 1. Stanford, 31; 2. USC, 41; 3. Dartmouth, 46; 4. St. Mary's, 55; 5. UC Santa Barbara, 60. Complete results: www.highgschoolsailingusa.org BYTE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Jeremy Koo Win Ken (MAS) is the new Byte World Champion. With no result outside the top 10, Jeremy remained consistent in the 11 race series, including taking two bullets. 57 competitors from 7 countries competed in the Byte World Championships at the National Sailing Centre in Singapore. Final results: 1. Jeremy Koo Wui Ken, MAS, 27; 2. Tiffany Koo Yee Chin, MAS, 41; 3. Thanakorn Khajitsri, THA, 47; 11. Robert Dale, CAN, 95; 21. Jeffrey D N Sloan, USA, 178. 29. Blake Warner, USA, 214. http://www.sailing.org.sg/byteworlds/results.htm THE CURMUDGEON'S DEFINITIONS Handkerchief: Cold Storage |
