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SCUTTLEBUTT 1779 - February 18, 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. ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE Super maxi yachts will have the potential to be significantly faster in this year's 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race because, while their maximum overall length has been locked in at 30 metres, there will no longer be a rating based speed limit. Existing and new super maxis will be able to carry the largest sail area considered practical and safe by their designers, something that has been restricted for many years under rules for the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Prominent Sydney-based, New Zealand yachtsman Neville Crichton is already building a new, maximum-sized Reichel/Pugh-designed super maxi for the 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, scheduled for launching in June. Other yacht owners in Australia and New Zealand are also considering new, faster boats. The Board of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia confirmed the decisions made early last year that the overall maximum length of competing yachts will continue at 30 metres (98 feet) but the rating speed limit will be removed for the first time for many years. The Board also confirmed that 'the Overall Winner will be the boat that wins IRC overall', as it was for the 2004 race. - ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j67Fht?`?&format=popup ORANGE II Early this morning GMT the longitude of 146°49 east will be behind them and Orange II and her crew will be officially entering the Pacific Ocean. So it is farewell to the Indian with all the complications it added to their intended course, causing them to zigzag across, and now it's hello to the Pacific with what should be a neater swell and a steadier course. Will the maxi-catamaran be able to step up the speed as they hope? From the yacht, Bruno Peyron told his shore team, "The conditions for sailing are better. We gybed and are sailing in the right direction to the waves. We sent up a bit more canvas, and can return to some normal sailing. From tomorrow, we'll be nearing home. It's amazing to tell yourself that. Thinking we've been halfway around the world in 24 days. I certainly wasn't expecting that. The boat is in good condition, as are the men, so for the moment, it's looking very good!"- Sail World, full story, http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=16435 Friday at 02:20 GMT, the distance covered in the previous 24 hours was 589nm, with 11,846.6 nm to go. Orange II is 2,026 ahead of the Jules Verne record, and 2,160 ahead of the absolute record held by Cheyenne. - http://www.maxicatamaran-orange.com A collection of photos have been gathered to provide a glimpse of Orange II and life onboard during their record attempt: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/orange-rtw COVER CHARGE Hey, sailor, got an extra $13 million or so burning a hole in your pocket and want to be in the America's Cup? Sausalito Challenge, based across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, is offering one of its 17 crew positions to the most qualified person willing to pay a "participation fee" of at least 10 million euros. Sausalito Challenge has received a handful of inquiries about the "celebrity crew" position, as it's called on the syndicate's Web site. Sailing manager John Sweeney said the Popeye wannabes include a rapper, a sheik and an apparel company looking to place one of its athlete endorsers - a soccer player - in a high-profile position. Sweeney won't name names until after the March 15 application deadline. "I think people understand that if you're not a billionaire, you have to be very creative," said Sweeney, a professional sailor who's a mere multimillionaire after having sold a billboard company he owned with his business partner, Tina Kleinjan, who's the CEO of Sausalito Challenge. "If you look at the teams in the cup, everyone has a guy who, if he's not a billionaire, he's at least worth $100 million. We don't have that. We have to be creative." Sweeney said Sausalito Challenge can survive without the 10 million euros ($13 million) the "celebrity crew" would bring, but that much cash would represent one-sixth of its budget of 60 million euros ($78 million). "If he gets it, it's the best thing that's happened to the America's Cup," said four-time winner Dennis Conner, who has said he might be priced out of the next regatta. "I think it would be a grand marketing coup." - Bernie Wilson, AP Sports Writer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, full story, http://tinyurl.com/7xbcv SMASHING SUCCESS IN JAMAICA Congratulations to Tom and Dotty Hill and the crew of their R/P 75 Titan XII for smashing the course record in the 2005 Montego Bay Race by almost 13 hours and winning the IRC division. Congratulations also to Stuart Hebb and crew on his Aerodyne 38 Thin Ice, the 2005 Pineapple Cup Overall Winner. What do these 2 winning yachts and 3 others in the top 8 (Sjambok 3rd, Ptarmigan 4th, and Trader 8th) have in common? Ockam Instruments' superior Tryad processing and Matryx display technology for that distinct competitive advantage. Ockam. We have solutions for everyone. Contact mailto:lat@ockam.com ORYX QUEST 2005 (Thursday, February 17th) All the boats in the Oryx Quest 2005 are still banging their way upwind in the southeast trades being generated by the large area of high pressure that blocks their way south. Says Geronimo skipper Olivier de Kersauson, "The weather conditions are hard and tiring, both physically and psychologically, and it's pretty uncomfortable at the moment. The swell is heavy, the boat is banging about, and we can't do anything without hanging on to something. On deck, the crew are back in polar fleeces. It's like being in a permanent shower. You can't helm without goggles on." On Cheyenne navigator Wouter Verbraak described life on board. "We have been sailing under three reefs and storm jib when conditions were the worst. We just have to slow the boat down to keep it in one piece." To add to their misery the crew on Cheyenne had to stop the boat completely for an hour yesterday to fix a block on the daggerboard. It was nothing serious, but not good for speed and accounted for the sudden rapid gains made by Daedalus during the day yesterday. It's not clear what the forecast holds for the yachts over the next 36 hours. It's anticipated that the center of the high will now move to the east allowing the boats to skirt around the western edge as they make their way south. Geronimo continues to hold a slight lead over Doha 2006, while 300 miles astern of the leaders, Daedalus claims a similar position over Cheyenne. - Event website, http://www.oryxquest.com 2005 STAR WORLDS Race 5 began in 8-10 knots in full sun on the River Plate. First around the first mark were the Portuguese Domingos/ Santos followed by Grael/ Ferreira, Rohart/ Rambeau and in 4th position the defending champions Loof/ Ekstrom. By the second weather mark, Domingos/ Santos and Grael/ Ferreira held position while Percy/ Mitchell crept in to round in 3rd position, Rohart/ Rambeau in fourth and the French team of Presti/ Saliou in 5th, after rallying from 15th position at the first mark. Very exciting finish of this important 5th race, where after the strong Portuguese Team had lead the entire race, they were passed on the last leg by the experienced Iain Percy-Steve Mitchell (GBR) who took line honors. Xavier Rohard-Pascal Rambeau (FRA) ended 2nd, and this position gives them enormous possibilities to become World Champions. So far positions are as follows before the discard Race that will happen tomorrow after Race 6: 1. Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau (FRA) 6-1-3-2-2, 14 points 2. Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira (BRA) 1-6-8-1-4, 20 3. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom (SWE), 2-4-6-6-7, 25 4. Philippe Presti /Jean-Phillipe Saliou (FRA) 5-9-4-3-6, 27 5. Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada (BRA) 10-8-1-5-13, 37 7. Mark Reynolds/Phil Trinter (USA) 7-3-11-16-16, 53 10. George Szabo/Brian Fatih (USA) 9-11-13-17-9, 59 12. Eric Doyle/Brian Sharp (USA) 13-16-12-15-15, 71 16. Iain Percy/Steve Mitchell (GBR) DNF/53-2-2-13-1, 71 28. Brian Cramer/Iain Greensmith (CAN) 26-19-24-DNF/53-25, 147 Star class website: http://www.starclass.org/artman/publish/article_167.shtml NEWS BRIEFS * Auckland, New Zealand- After two "general recalls" caused by an entire fleet of over-eager sailors, Race 5 of the International 14 Worlds got under way in about 10 knot westerlies and bright sunny conditions. Seemingly within moments of the start gun there was a big shift to the left, and that trend was to continue for the whole race. Claiming second today, and now able to claim a drop race, Australians Lindsay Irwin/ Andrew Perry have legged out an eight point advantage with one race to go. - Full results, http://www.takapunaboating.org.nz/SMLogo/SW170205.htm * (February 17, 2005) Sailing World's latest college rankings have Brown and Charleston keeping hold of the top spots in the coed and women's rankings, respectively, as college sailing kicks off the second half of the 2004-05 season. Brown is also third in the women's rankings with Ivy rivals Yale--third in the coed, second in the women's--and Harvard--fourth and fifth--close behind. Complete rankings at http://tinyurl.com/6vh7x PAY ATTENTION Contrary to expectations the wind was backing, the barometer falling, and humidity rising. We'd seen scenarios like this at the North U Weather for Sailors Seminar, and knew it was time pick a new destination. We altered course, and trimmed to it. The North U Cruising Seminar taught us that, and how to take advantage of the shift as the wind backed. When the squall roared through we were anchored and secure, and glad we'd paid attention at North U. North U offers Weather, Cruising and Racing Seminars and $25 discounts for Scuttlebutt readers. Call 800-347-2457 or visit http://wwwNorthU.com PRESIDENT'S DAY Originally designated to honor the birthday of the first president of the United States, the third Monday in February soon became an official national holiday to honor the February birthdays of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as well as all the other men who have served as president. While the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President's Day." Anyway, the Curmudgeon gets holidays too, so there will be no issue of Scuttlebutt on Monday, February 21st. Look for the next issue of Scuttlebutt to return on Tuesday. 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 Ken Guyer: Great article on the renovation of North Cove Yacht Harbor in Lower Manhattan by its new skipper, Dennis Conner. After the '92 Cup in San Diego, a few of us from Team DC spent the summer in Battery Park City, sailing Stars & Stripes (USA-11) out of North Cove. It was one of the best summers I ever had. A fine mix of sailing yachts and power yachts filled the cove everyday. A veritable who's who of yachting with a background of the World Financial Center and the twin towers of the World Trade Center. My first visit back to North Cove was a little more than a week after 9/11. The place we called home for the summer of '92 was devastated. Going back each year since and staying in Battery Park City, my wife and I were disappointed not to see North Cove return to its glory days. It is great news that Dennis has taken the lead for its resurrection. Mark it on your charts as a destination this summer. * From Mark Mattison: Enough with the moaning and groaning about golf balls polluting the world's oceans. An international maritime agreement in 1991 prohibited vessels from dumping non-degradable waste, including the range balls. Since 2001, water-soluble golf balls, made from compressed rawhide, have been available for ships, yachts, oil rig platforms, waterside resorts and even US Navy fantails. They cost about 80 cents each, are a little smaller and heavier than regulation and supposedly fly about three quarters as far. They dissolve within 96 hours. Biodegradable corn resin tees are also available. What a great floating driving range Michael Fay's 1988 America's Cup Challenger would make! * From Tim Robinson: Hey Curmudgeon, I'm all for green seas and to minimize the messes we humans make everywhere, but wasn't the end result of Michael Campbell's golf shot that it dropped in the chase boat, not in the Hauraki Gulf? Enough of this thread, please. Curmudgeon's Comment: I also think we have taken this as far as we can. This thread is dead. * From Scott Truesdell: Ken Appleby dug up the old issue of watchkeeping on solo voyages. Good for him. This issue has been brought up over and over again for decades. I thought modern collision-avoidance systems had laid this whining to rest. I possit that the chances of a collision at sea are an order of magnitude less on B&Q than any vessel Ken Appleby has piloted. * From Christian Fevrier: Captain Appleby should sweep in front of his own door first! He should be more concerned by the number of collisions at sea and accidents occuring between big commercial ships than those provoked by yachtwomen and yachtmen racing singlehanded. If my memory serves me correctly, that rule was created by the IMO in the 70s at a time when the number of stupid collisions of commercial ships in daylight was becoming ridiculous. And they still happen today ! Sailing yachts were not the main concern of the rulers. Rule 5 (lookout) said every "vessel", and clearly implies commercial ships. Having sailed across the Atlantic several times, I was afraid to discover that many commercial ships have sometimes nobody in watch at the passerelle and sail directly on you in daylight. In spite of several calls on the VHF. The international list of ships having rammed a fully crewed yacht or a fisherman boat is quite long. All modern singlehanded sailors are perfectly equipped with instruments (radar alarms, etc) which give them indication of the presence of another ship. IMO rule 18.a also requests, "a power-driven vessel underway shall keep out of the way of a sailing vessel" to avoid collision. I guess Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, also a ship Captain, who spent 313 days at sea on his slow sloop Suhaili in 1968-69, would totally desagree with Captain Appleby's comment. * From Hamish Goddard: I'm sure I wouldn't be the first to say in response to Captain Appleby that wouldn't it be nice if the merchant navy kept as good a lookout for yachts as yachts do for the merchant navy. * From Peter Huston: If your Buffalo wings taste like chicken, then you obviously are eating the fast food version, and not those that come from the city for which they are named - Buffalo, NY. Besides, at the restaurant of their birth - The Anchor Bar - like all other places that serve them around here, they are called, just simply, "Wings". And if you can taste anything but the sauce, then you aren't eating them the way they were designed, which is with so much spicy hot sauce they can melt epoxy barrier coat. Now if you want a real brain twister, consider the concept of the somewhat less popular fast food serving of "Chicken Fingers". * From Jeremy McGeary, Senior editor, Cruising World: Here in Rhode Island we are bombarded daily (by the Providence Journal) with updates on the war for/against proliferating LNG terminals. I'm against their being built in Fall River or Providence because both sites are in built-up areas and getting ships to them would require expensive and inconvenient security arrangements -- especially the Fall River proposal. I first read about the Long Island Sound proposal in Soundings (where was the Journal?) and thought it made sense. We need the gas in New England but we don't need the risk -- or the costly inconvenience of reducing the risk. The Broadwater proposal reads to me like it's a fixture about the size of two Panamax container ships rafted together. At a distance of 9 miles, it'll be barely visible from shore and would occupy no more of the horizon than a ship -- a common sight in those waters. The relatively sheltered waters of the Sound would ensure the plant could be operated in all but an extreme storm, and the damage inflicted by a major accident/incident would be limited to whatever was floating or flying in the vicinity -- not several square miles of densely populated city. Seems to me like a reasonable compromise. Of course, to satisfy the Nimbys, I could give up my gas-fired central heating and burn trees instead. * From Tim Dunton: I echo Tony Newberry's comments regarding LNG Tankers, having also spent many years as an engineer on them. With regard to the terrorism issue I would recall an incident many years ago where the IRA attempted to blow up an LNG terminal close to London in the UK. A bomb was detonated against one of the massive storage tanks (larger than those on a ship). Essentially the escaping LNG at -160 deg C put any fire out and eventually created an ice ball and sealed the tank off. There was a vapor cloud, but it dispersed before an ignition source could be found. To get a large quantity of LNG into an explosive condition is actually quite hard. When assessing the risk of these types of situations it is much better to deal in facts rather than alarmist rhetoric from those who really don't know. Curmudgeon's Comment: Agreed, and rather than risk any (more) misinformation, we will close out the week with the closing of this thread too. * From Adrian Morgan: Shosholoza, Cheyenne, Vendee Globe yachts, indeed most of the high-profile racing boats, crewed and solo, seem to make a habit of hitting whales, presumably with fatal consequences, or at least causing severe headaches to the latter. I can't help but feel sorry for the poor cetaceans out there, trying to make a living, moseying along minding their own business, all the while with an ear cocked for the swoosh of rapidly approaching yachts, hell bent on breaking some spurious record or other. If clubbing seals caused an outcry then striking whales about the head with large lumps of lead can't be right. Was the Save the Whale campaign in vain? Maybe we should track and fit all whales with transponders? * From John Drayton: I've missed the last few Scuttlebutts, but let me see if I have all my sailing news and issues straight: America's Cup boats need to steer around whales; their tenders should stop hitting golf balls into the water (as should cruise ships); LPG cargo ships should stay off shore; Sir Francis Drake sailed on the Pelican, Magellan never did really sail around the world; and finally, we have a new group, Grow Boating, who is going to help US Sailing with sailing advocacy. All this and sailing results too -- the Curmudgeon's keeping busy. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The joy of life is made up of obscure and seemingly mundane victories that give us our own small satisfactions. |
