|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1258 - February 10, 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. VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2005-2006 There are big changes in store for the Volvo Ocean Race. For openers, the 2005-2006 race will be contested in brand new, state of the art, 70-foot monohulls. This open design will have a canting keel, a choice of one or two centerboards, and a choice of one or two rudders. Above all, it will be very fast and exciting to sail. Glenn Bourke, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said the prescribed rule will remain relatively open, presenting a challenge and test for designers. The new Volvo Ocean 70 will be an easier boat to sail, with fewer sails to handle and better living conditions for the crew. The race rules will favor imagination, creativity and sailing skills, and not an environment where the biggest purse necessarily gives a bigger edge. Each boat will have certain common features: the canting keel and bulb, standardized carbon fiber mast and a reduction in the number of sails from 38 to 20, with approximately nine sails measured in per leg. Organizers of the Volvo Ocean Race aim to constrain costs to eliminate those areas where traditionally huge expenditures have made fractional competitive differences. Recognizing the importance of sophisticated media coverage, the new race boats will be required to have a dedicated on-board media center separate from the navigational equipment. The latest mini-cams will be installed on each boat to provide even more spectacular coverage of this great and challenging event. Crew numbers will be reduced and women will be encouraged by new crew limits. An all-male crew will be limited to nine, a mixed crew, provided it consists of at least five women, will be increased to 10 and an all-female team may have up to 11 crew members. Another new feature for the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 will be the inclusion of six in-port races, with points counting towards the overall result. These inshore regattas will provide an exciting atmosphere for the public, who will have the opportunity to see, first hand, these spectacular race boats in action with their world-class crews, and feel a real involvement with the event. Crew limits for in-port racing will be extended to allow for one extra crewmember, perhaps the team manager, a 'star' sailor, a fleet racing specialist or a local expert. In addition three, non-participating, crewmembers will be invited to race on each boat, comprising a syndicate nominee (who could be the owner), a member of the media and a Volvo representative. In port racing will allow better access for the public, more opportunity for media coverage, and ultimately greater added value to syndicates and sponsors. It will also require the complete set of skills from the crew, not only the ability in long ocean racing legs, but also in the dynamic arena of nip and tuck fleet racing. This edition of the event will also use a new system of scoring. On the long ocean legs, scoring gates will be included, where half points can be collected, with the same system for the in-port racing, accounting for 20% of the total points on offer. This event will continue to use a high scoring system i.e. in a 12-boat competition, 12 points will be awarded to the winner of each leg, the overall winner being the team with the most points at the end of the race. All legs will count with no discards allowed. There will be point-scoring gates at: Fernando de Noronha (leg 1), Kerguelen Island, Eclipse Island, Cape Horn, Fernando de Noronha (leg 4) and The Lizard. There will be fewer stopover ports and, with faster boats, the race will be shortened to finish within an eight-month timescale. To ensure the best conditions in the Southern Ocean, the event will start in early November 2005, from the Mediterranean. The race-track will continue to follow the traditional clipper route around the world, with stopovers in Cape Town/South Africa, Australasia (the exact venue to be confirmed once the America's Cup schedule is known), Rio de Janeiro/Brazil, Baltimore/Annapolis/USA, Southampton/UK, Goteborg/ Sweden and a finish at a Baltic port. Pit stops, which will also be scoring gates, will be held in Australasia and North America and there will be in-port racing during each stopover. During the race itself, on-shore weather routing by meteorological experts will not be allowed. The Volvo Ocean Race will test the sailors' skills and not that of an on-shore team. Weather packages will be provided to the fleet daily and at regular intervals from the state-of-the art race HQ in the UK. Volvo also introduced a new ocean-racing event, to be held in 2007. The Volvo Pacific Ocean Race, will be sailed in the new Volvo 70s and will visit Asian ports, including China and Japan, crossing the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco and San Diego in the USA. - Lizzie Green, www.volvooceanrace.com GOT STUFF? Scuttlebutt has seen how Star and Etchells sailors have enjoyed the benefit of handy trailer-mounted storage boxes. The convenience of the boat trailer or dry storage yard box keeps your stuff where you need it - with your boat. Sturdy fiberglass construction insures dry, secure storage for your sails and hardware. Boxes are 13'4" in length. Mr. Wax has boxes in stock and affordable to ship anywhere in America. Check them out at http://www.mrwax.com/mainfram/Storagebox/storagebox.htm AROUND ALONE 2006 Clipper Ventures Plc announced this past weekend that the 7th edition of the Around Alone Race will be very different. It will start from the USA in late August, 2006 and be sailed in IMOCA Open 50s & 60s. These faster boats will shorten the race by two months. Negotiations are underway with a respected and high profile Race Director to be appointed for 2006 Around Alone prior to the completion of the current race. An independent panel of experienced solo sailors and other stakeholders under the leadership of David Stubley of Fast Track, a sports marketing company, will be formed to advise the race management. Three skippers have already agreed to join the advisory board: Mike Golding, a previous competitor in the race, with Bernard Stamm and Brad Van Liew, both current skippers in this race. Fast Track has been commissioned to generate sponsorship and media partners for the 2006 event. There will also be a substantial cash prize fund. www.aroundalone.com REACTION (The coverage of the Around Alone press conference on the website of the Daily Sail indicated that not everyone agreed that proposed changes would have a positive impact on the event … as the following excerpt points out.) The second highlight of the press conference was when Bob Fisher mentioned the possibility of prize money being introduced. "Prize money is what you'd really like isn't it, gentlemen?" to which Solidaires skipper Thierry Dubois shot him down in flames in finest Gallic fashion "No! Sorry - we are not racing for prize money..." Dubois was in fighting form at the press conference. "For me one thing is clear. If you have Route du Rhum and Around Alone at the same time it won't change. I can't see the Route du Rhum changing their dates and I can't see Around Alone changing their dates because you have to start to sail around the world in the autumn, so you have to race at the same time as the Route du Rhum. "I am the only Frenchman here and that is the reality," he continued, making a jib at Bernard Stamm who is technically Swiss, but lives in Brittany. "Most of the 60 footers prefer to race the Route du Rhum because it is a short time, less cost and a lot of media. I can't see that changing in the future." - James Boyd, the Daily Sail website, http://thedailysail.com/ US SAILING OLYMPIC PRE-TRIALS YNGLING - Key Biscayne Yacht Club, Final results (21 boats): 1. Swett / Purdy/ Touchette (USA) 15; 2. Swanson / Sertl/ Kratzig (USA) 19; 3. Allison/ Leech/ Icyda (USA) 27; 4. Cronin/ Filter/ Hallawell (USA) 30; 5. Azon/ Garcia/ Tutzo (ESP) 36. Complete results: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/2004Trials/YnglingPTresults.htm FINN - Lauderdale Yacht Club, Final results (31 boats): 1. Jonas Christian (DEN) 17; 2. Chris Cook, (CAN) 18; 3. Gregory Skidmore (USA) 25; 4. Eric Oetgen (USA) 40; 5. Darrell Peck (USA) 42. complete results: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/2004Trials/FinnPTresults.htm JULES VERNE TROPHY * GERONIMO passed Tasmania at around 07:00 GMT Sunday morning on her 30th day at sea. The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran continues to maintain good speed, despite the difficult sea conditions that still prevent her from taking a more southerly route. Nevertheless, Olivier de Kersauson and his crew continue to clock up the miles (459 nautical miles on day 29, at an average speed of 19.13 knots point-to-point), but at 45° South. The trimaran is currently in the Tasman Sea, that part of the Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand - http://www.grandsrecords.com * KINGFISHER2 is directly between the tracks made by Geronimo (to the east) and Orange (further west). The South Atlantic weather system is still complicated, but the way forward seems to becoming more evident. For now, Ellen and her crew must keep west and press on south. Kingfisher2 Day 10 Summary (http://www.teamkingfisher.com): - 8 hours 58 minutes behind Orange - 30 hours 19 minutes behind Geronimo - Day 10 (24 hour run): Kingfisher2-433 nm, Orange-530 nm, 463-Geronimo nm - Distance to go: Kingfisher2-20958 nm, Orange-20815 nm, Geronimo-20473 nm ALINGHI Tomorrow, Team Alinghi will reveal the latest configuration of SUI 64, the America's Cup Class yacht that they will sail in the America's Cup, having previously sailed SUI 64 to victory in the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals. The Alinghi base opens to the public at 7:45 and the Unveiling Ceremony begins at 8:00. Those who miss the event can re-live the Unveiling Day by watching the webcast on the site, www.alinghi.com TNZ Team New Zealand has selected its newest yacht, NZL-82, for the best-of-nine America's Cup series against Alinghi which begins this Saturday. Skipper Dean Barker said he would have been happy to race either NZL-82 or NZL-81. "They're a little different, but they're both very good boats," he said. "I think that's always been a strength of this team, having two very good boats. You have to have two good boats to have good racing." * Both boats carry the hula, Team New Zealand's innovative hull appendage that adds length at the waterline. The gates to the Team New Zealand base in the American Express Viaduct Harbour will open at 8.45am. The public will be able to see the boat in its naked glory before it leaves the dock around 10.30am. - NZ Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3100359&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup&thesecondsubsection=teamnz THE HULA * The Hula is by no means a slam-dunk. A slight gap between the contraption and the hull increases drag, which could be especially harmful in light air. Under the Cup measurement rules, the Hula allows for a slight increase in sail area, which Team New Zealand hopes will make up for the extra drag. But no one really knows. "The Hula is not a golden bullet," (TNZ skipper Dean) Barker said, trying to dampen expectations. "It's not going to make us minutes quicker around the course. It has its upside and downsides." - - Warren St. John, NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/09/sports/othersports/09BOAT.html * There are questions as to how the black boat will fare in light conditions and upwind against Alinghi's SUI64. "You need to get that in perspective. It is just one aspect of the design, there are pluses and minuses in different conditions," said Tom Schnackenberg (Team New Zealand's syndicate head). "We think it is a gain but the design problem is you always give something to get something. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ A SPORT FOR LIFE This week a group of elite sailors will face off on the Hauraki Gulf. However, long before reaching this pinnacle they were, almost to a person, young dinghy sailors. This is where our kids have to start - not because they are all going to be AC sailors but because they will learn the essence of our sport and, hopefully, make it a sport for life. On the PS2000 website, you can see what today's kids are sailing because dinghies are all we build - Optis, Club 420s, Bytes, 29ers and Megabytes. http://www.ps2000.ca AROUND ALONE 2003 Tauranga, New Zealand - 9th February 03. The Leg 4 restart of Around Alone 2002-03 from Tauranga, New Zealand for the remaining 11 racing yachts was breathtaking, with at least 300 craft - jet skis, kayaks, yachts and motor boats - on the water and 5 helicopters overhead. New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark fired the start gun from the naval vessel Moa and for the fourth time in a row it was Canadian Derek Hatfield sailing Spirit of Canada who crossed the line first in the fresh 10 - 15 knot North Westerly breeze. STANDINGS 2200 UTC February 9 CLASS 1: 1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm, 7344.1miles from finish; 2. Solidaires, Thierry Dubois, 2 miles behind leader; 3. Hexagon, Graham Dalton, 3 mbl, 4. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 4 mbl; 5. Tiscali, Simone Bianchetti, 7 mbl; 6. Pindar, Emma Richards, 15 mbl. CLASS 2: 1. Tommy Hilfiger, Brad Van Liew, 7355 miles from finish; 2. BTC Velocity, Alan Paris, 30 mbl; 3. Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield, 34 mbl; 4. Spirit of yukoh, Kojiro Shiraishi, 37 mbl,. Everest Horizontal, Tim Kent, 41 mbl.- www.aroundalone.com SUMMARIZING THE FEELINGS OF MANY "On Saturday, something truly refreshing will take place: sailing, which after all, is what all those hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the Cup are supposed to have gone to." - Warren St. John, NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/09/sports/othersports/09BOAT.html 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 Mason Woodworth: Those saying there is no entertainment in Auckland at the moment, have missed the recently completed 2003 ISAF Team Racing World Championship. I am an avid match racer and technology junkie, but when it comes to exciting, on the edge of your seat action in sailing, team racing is where it is at. A little education, and soon the sport becomes an exciting spectacle to the average spectator. Thrills, spills, offense, defense, team play and 339 races conducted over the last 6 days in all manor of wind conditions. All races were very close to shore and pitted one country against another making for a great viewing and cheering opportunity! Too bad there wasn't more coverage * From Richard Handley: I read with interest the explanations coming out of both the Coutts / Butterworth camp and the old trustees of TNZ. While a great deal of what's being written confuses me, I wonder if other 'buttheads have come to the same conclusion that I have... TNZ seems to be as much a business enterprise as Oracle and Alinghi. So judge what went on as business negotiations. It was therefore simply a disagreement between potential business partners. Where I come from if two groups can't work together in a upfront and respectful partnership then they shouldn't work together at all. The result is, believe whatever side of the story you want but know that the right outcome was achieved for both groups by not working together! * From J. Dirk Schwenk: I shouldn't be wasting my time reading the entirety of the TNZ story on the Coutts/Butterworth transition, but somehow I did. On the very last page, after a lot of talk about preliminary understandings, one arrives at the crux of the issue. TNZ says that the proposed transition deal was "eminently fair to both parties" But: "The former Board requested only that the new Board and management team assume responsibility for repayment of the $5.4 million owing to the sponsors and agree to donations of $2 million being made to charities for whose benefit the assets were ultimately held." And, of course, sign up for any outstanding tax liability that might remain. Given the size of the budgets involved, perhaps 7.5 Million isn't that big a deal, but it would certainly make me want to consider other options. * From Chip Pitcairn: Re: Peter Gilmour's comments. I'm afraid I don't relate to (cheer for) American boats, I root for American sailors, and often for sailors of other countries. It's not the hulls but the teams and sailors I identify with. My enjoyment and interest in the Cup is diminished by the country jumping of current sailors. I know that historically even in the J Boat days paid hands were an international group and I don't wish to restrict anyone's ability to sail in the Americas Cup, but it is a "competition among nations". I believe a rule such as the Olympics where in order to change nationalities, in addition to other requirements, an athlete must sit out one competition to be eligible. The same rule should apply to designers as well. This would provide some continuity from regatta to regatta. Maybe in the future we can avoid another " intramural" Americas Cup. * From Gene Muller: I agree that the Kiwi hula could be nothing but a ruse. I suspect that the effective extension of the hull beyond the transom will adversely effect the maneuverability of the black boat, giving the starting dance advantage to the challenger. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the hula removed for the cup races because it doesn't look as if the challenger will take the bait. * From Jon Rogers: The Coronado Yacht Club Jr. Program was saddened when Fred Kirschner passed away. He was not only our staunchest supporter both financially and in the Board Room, he helped to create our Jr. sail training program in 1966 that produced, among many good sailors, Robbie Haines and Rod Davis. He was very instrumental in supporting the 501(c)(3) Coronado Maritime Foundation. His leadership of our successful Lipton Cup campaigns were noteworthy as they included Jr. sailors in training and during the championship. He financially supported or flat out funded so many sailors and projects at CorYC that the list would be too large to post here. One example was his support of the Coronado High School Sailing Team that was "re-invigorated" by CorYC 7 years ago. His support helped to make it possible to acquire the FJ's and safety boats needed to "get the snowball rolling". The team has won the Mallory National Championship 2 years in a row, they now own 12 FJ's, have 24 sailors on the 2003 team and employ 3 coaches. I know Fred was proud of CHSST's accomplishments and the "team spirit" that has galvanized the sailing community in Coronado. We will miss him. * From Pedro Lucca: I have some doubts about the TNZ Hula performance. Some people can explain me how the hula works in the tacks, a series of tacks or in a tack-duel, when regaining speed is so important? . Also in the case os waves from the sides. I have not so great knowings to analize it, but I think that they can be some of the tweak points of that devise. Perhaps the kiwis will not use it. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION If you believe that 'clothes make the man,' it hard to also agree,'Don't judge a book by its cover.' |
