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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 695 - November 22, 2000AMERICA'S CUP* Auckland, NZ, November 22, 2000 - An America's Cup yacht is lying on its side in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland this afternoon. The Oracle Racing syndicate has lost the keel off its yacht. The yacht had been used by the AmericaOne syndicate in the last America's Cup campaign. Emergency services are rushing to the aid of the syndicate, which features top New Zealand sailor Chris Dickson and former AmericaOne skipper Paul Cayard. - New Zealand Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/irnstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=31349&newsection= * Wanna buy an America's Cup boat? Now may be your chance. HONEST! It appears that Oracle Racing is selling on of the two Wyland-painted AC boats that they acquired from the Aloha Syndicate. And it's all being done on e-Bay: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=505192937 VENDEE GLOBE - By Philippe Jeantot The top ten boats in the Vendee Globe 2000 are in the middle of the intertropical front - the Doldrums - at around 9 degrees North, which is further North in comparison to the norm. Progressing South is the only objective, but how hard-going can it get when the wind either plays around, disappears or suddenly gusts in. The Doldrums seem to have spread in latitude as well and the boats arriving at 5 degrees North are finding that the weather is actually a lot worse than expected. Last night, several boats, including Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagere), Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB), Thomas Coville (Sodebo) and Thierry Dubois (Solidaires) were practically glued to the spot with an average of under 2 knots speed. These conditions are incredibly draining on the nerves of each skipper and stressful on the hulls of each boat. Hand-steering is requisite as the information going into the autopilot changes constantly. Coville is particularly anxious about his rig: "These boats will suffer more stress in an enormous swell from the uncontrollable movements and lack of wind than when they1re going at 14 knots in a strong breeze." Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations), furthest to the East, has slowed down remarkably little in comparison to the others. Today he experienced a new breeze coming back to push him ahead again in the rankings. Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) touched some fresh wind at sunrise but it1s from the North, not the expected trade winds. Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) in the West is feeling a new Southerly wind and threatening the leading duo as she travels directly South at 8 knots now. However no one dares predict who has made the right course. The most optimistic skippers estimate that they will have a further 100 miles to go before leaving this zone. The worst prediction has been 200 miles. Imagine going at 2 knots for that long - a real test of nerves. Standings: 1 Aquitaine Innovations, Yves Parlier, 2 PRB, Michel Desjoyeaux (+20 miles) 3 Sill Matines La Potagere, Roland Jourdain (+45m) 4 Active Wear, Marc Thiercelin (+45m) 5 Solidaires, Thierry Dubois (+46m) 6 Kingfisher, Ellen MacArthur (+50m) 7 Sodebo Savourons la Vie, Thomas Coville (+57m) 8 EBP - Esprit PME - Gartmore, Josh Hall (+112m) Website: http://www.vendeeglobe.com WHY WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS? "Dear International Crew, Do you have a catalog of your beautiful Christmas cards? Every year I receive the most gorgeous cards and they all have your name on the back. Next year I want to be the one to send them!" Why wait? Let the beauty of the sea be your signature this holiday season when you send your greetings on an International Crew card. For a complimentary catalog of our nautical Christmas cards, gifts, ornaments, gift baskets, and home decor items, E-mail sales@internationalcrew.com, or call toll-free, 888-891-6601, or shop on-line at www.internationalcrew.com THE RACE CHERBOURG, FRANCE, November 21, 2000- The American mega-catamaran Team Adventure, skippered by Cam Lewis, went sailing for the first time today, successfully completing her first day of sea trials. The 110-foot catamaran was launched from her builder's yard in Cherbourg last week. "Fast is fun and we had a thrilling day," said Lewis, the Skipper/CEO of Team Adventure. Lewis reported that even with 30 people aboard, the boat hit speeds close to 30 knots with very little effort. The day was devoted to a marine safety inspection, builder's trials and initial sail trials in chilly but bright autumn conditions. "The inspector from the French maritime safety office came onboard at 0900 to check on all of our equipment," Lewis said. "He passed us without a glitch and took the rest of the day off come to sail with us. After we left the pontoon, Jean Maurel our commissioning skipper from the boatyard, hit the throttles and our twin 100hp diesels powered us swiftly in the huge Cherbourg harbor. Jean put the engines, drive shaft and folding props though their paces, doing stops, turns, 360's and more. All systems worked perfectly and we were able to power upwind at over 6.8 knots into 25 knots of wind." After completing engine trials, the crew hoisted the Halsey Lidgard-built Cuben Fiber mainsail. "This sail is a huge, dark gray, fully-battened handcrafted foil and I am sure it is the best big multihull mainsail ever built," Lewis said. "It hoisted very easily with a team of six grinding from the port cockpit. The next sail up was our staysail, also built of Cuben Fiber, and soon we were blasting down the harbor. "Gilles Ollier, the boat's designer and Jean Vaur, the owner of the building yard, JMV were among the 30 guests and crew onboard. The boat was doing 20 knots plus easily. We jibed out of the harbor and took off reaching at high speed. As the wind increased, we put in two reefs, jibed again and headed upwind. We were all learning a lot and the entire crew did a great job. "We had a great first day. Now it is back to work at the dock for a day, then two days of sailing at the end of the week before the next low pressure system rolls in from the Atlantic on the weekend, with predicted winds of 50-plus knots." Lewis' giant catamaran, the third of three sister ships built to compete in The Race, was launched on Monday, November 13, in Cherbourg after ten months under construction at the JMV Shipyard. Workers stepped her 150-foot high wing mast the same day. They spent the next week on rigging and outfitting work that could only be completed once the boat was in the water. After completing a carefully orchestrated set of sea trials in the English Channel, Team Adventure will set off out into the wintry North Atlantic on the way to the Mediterranean. That voyage of 2,500 miles will qualify the boat and crew as an official entry in The Race. The team has a goal to complete this qualifier before December 12 at the start of the Monaco invitational regatta. - Keith Taylor Team Adventure website: http://www.TeamAdventure.org LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed may be edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Laurence Mead (re ISAF Olympic boat selection) - I live in Asia and I can assure you that many of the boats are not even on the horizon out here (availability and suitability for regular sized people). Surely we should be looking ahead not backwards when it comes to Olympic boats. What really worries me about all the messing about over Olympic boats is that we need to have a long-term goal for making our sport stronger, which appears not to be the case. To do that we need younger sailors shooting for Gold, not the same old faces time and again. There are hundreds of draws that take young people away from sailing these days and surely having a Sydney gold won by a (great sailor!) nearer 50 than 30, in a boat that is older than the President of the IOC himself, and sailed in less than 20 countries (none in Asia at all) can't be a way to make the sport exciting and dynamic. My 13-year-old daughter is only a half committed sailor but the day she sailed a "29er" she was hooked and wants to do it everyday now. The 400 competitor limit may be a problem we have to work with, but if we wanted truly representative Olympics, with world-wide participation and global appeal we would put the Optimist (male and female mixed fleet !!!) in....and I'm serious ! -- From Geoff Lynch (In response to Caitlin Kelly's guest editorial and edited to our 250-word limit) - Come to the UK! While not every boat doing the sort of racing you want has high female/male ratios, more and more do here in the UK, especially those going offshore at the 'Corinthian' level. Advantages: - Women civilize the boat, male machismo is reduced. They have more stamina, and thanks to the 'glass ceiling' effect they try harder. They tend to be tidier. Once they make a commitment, they stick to it, and do not jump ship. If seasick, they still manage to keep working their part of ship. Once part of the team they have incredible team loyalty. Disadvantages: - Just like men they have personalities, but get a bad one and they can be far worse, especially Vs another female. Some will not recognise that having less upper body strength means that as a team player, they MUST not get annoyed when they have to let one of the guys take over Genoa sheeting, especially in heavy weather tacking. No-one aboard can do everything well! My advice to Caitlin is to keep it up, especially learning nav/tactics and rules. Keep a sense of humour. Good skippers need sounding boards who know their stuff re wind shifts, tides, rules, covering, SIs, and can also 'run' the boat if needed. Look for owners who plan their season in advance, and have a crew/race/training program. They are the ones who will take committed crew no matter what gender so they do not have to continually re-plan their schedule. -- From Charles Schmeckle - Your right, you should have left this subject closed. It was worn thin to begin with. Caitlin Kelly did write an excellent article, but her self-imposed analogy should be looked at from the other perspective. When we (owner/skipper) need crew, we don't go looking for specifically a male or female to fill the position, just an individual that can do the job, or someone that comes recommended from another skipper or valued crew. We know that "you" are out there, but why should we take more time to find these specific individuals, when others are willing to come looking for a ride? I say to Ms. Kelly, come down off your horse, and join the rest of the troops on the dock. -- From Dawn Riley - I certainly don't have all of the answers but it seems like Caitlin is doing the right things and hopefully her skill and dedication will be rewarded with a ride at Key West. My only additional suggestion that I give to all people but especially women is 'Sharpen your Elbows'. When I get into a new situation where I have people trying to step in and 'help' (which often throws off my rhythm) I have found that a short elbow jab works very well, of course with a little "opps sorry, I've got it" :-). Bottom line is that sailing is a team sport and often you DO need help but a pre-planned, choreograph or a quick ask for help is much better than an extra hand randomly stuck in the middle of a maneuver. It is unfortunate but if you are the new kid on the boat you need to make sure that your job is done 100% right as "first on" is often also "first off". Visualize the move, protect your vision and execute to perfection ... easy :-). -- From Rick Hatch - In response to Jim Scurlock's letter in 'Butt 694, presumably he's referring to the Portage Bay station clubhouse on Lake Union. The SYC has a second station in the city at the Elliott Bay Marina on Puget Sound, as well as outstations on the British Columbia coast, all of which are on salt water. I trust that will satisfy the requirement. -- From Bruce Harris - Quote from the AC Deed of Gift: "having for its annual regatta on ocean water course on the sea, or on an arm of the sea, or one which combines both, shall always be entitled to the right of sailing a match for this Cup". Seattle Yacht Club has a facility at Shilshole, on Puget Sound, clearly an arm of the sea. Duesseldorf is on the navigable Rhine river, much closer to the sea than Switzerland, home of two potential challenges. Chicago YC was approved as a challenger on an arm of the sea for the Australian Defense. Chicago is a lot further up the St. Lawrence Seaway/Great Lakes than Duesseldorf is up the Rhine. -- From Guy Gurney - Glad to see that Houston YC has discovered the joys of night dinghy racing. When I lived in the UK there was an annual regatta up in Lancashire called the Southport 24 Hours Race which was run along the lines of the Le Mans 24 hour car race, starting at lunchtime on Saturday and finishing on Sunday. It was held on a lake a few hundred yards long with islands in the middle, and when I competed (more than 30 years ago--ouch) about 60 teams competed in two classes, Enterprises and GP 14s, rotating in an anticlockwise direction all night. The illumination was less sophisticated than Houston's, and only one side of the course was lit by floodlights. So the on back side of the islands we were running in almost pitch blackness, the only light provided by flashlights taped to each boat to illuminate the sails. There was plenty of wind, enough to get us planing, and you can imagine the excitement of running into the unknown, surrounded by the hissing sound of the wake of nearby boats that were almost invisible. And the GP14s were using spinnakers... The event was particularly popular among college sailors, and I think the London University (Castaways) team won the year I was racing. The area surrounding the lake was covered with competing teams' tents, and a festive all-night party atmosphere made it just as much fun ashore as on the water. Just like Le Mans. VOLVO OCEAN RACE John Kostecki and the illbruck Challenge Volvo Ocean Race crew sailed from Fremantle, Australia today embarking on a 3,270-mile trek through the Southern Ocean to Auckland, New Zealand as part of their training for next year's around the world race. The team will use the two weeks at sea to test sails and equipment, watch systems and to try out potential new team members. The team is sailing with a new carbon fiber rig, allowed for the first time under race rules. The Southern Ocean training session will culminate with the team competing in the Sydney-Hobart Race starting in Australia December 26. The team has been testing the new rig and sailing out of their Fremantle base camp for several weeks. "We've gone through the paces with the boat and everything feels great," Kostecki said. "We are ready to get out there and face the Southern Ocean. We expect to encounter some challenging conditions, but this is what we're here for. The tougher it is now the more experienced we will be as a team when we face this infamous stretch of ocean next year." The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race starts in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2001 and will take the team through the Southern Ocean to Sydney. - Sailing Online website Full story: http://www.sailing-online.com.au/welcome.cfm CREW AUCTION The contest continues as five crew positions aboard Brad Van Liew's Mission America Open-60 competition yacht are auctioned online. The bidding process will only last a couple more days, when the final crew is determined according to the highest bid for each leg of L'Atlantique Challenge race. In observance of Thanksgiving, and for the convenience of bidders, Mission America has extended the bidding process by 12 hours, for a closing time of 12:00 noon PST on Friday, November 24, 2000. Individuals haves snatched up the "5th crew position" on every leg of the L'Atlantique Challenge Race, a crewed Open-60 event to begin July 8, 2001 in St. Malo, France. The race allows 13 Open-60s to battle it out in a tactical race around the Atlantic Ocean. Bidders can choose to join the team for a short leg on the English Channel, or a 14+ day transatlantic crossing. The identity of bidders is confidential, so participants choose nicknames to identify themselves in the online auction at www.oceanracing.org Current status of bidding at 9:00AM PST, November 21, 2000: Leg 1: "sailbird" $11,000, St. Malo to Wilhelmshaven (about 585 nm-3 days) Leg 2: "hunter" $10,000, Wilhelmshaven to Portsmouth (about 455 nm-2 days Leg 3: "Piruco" $10,100, Portsmouth to Fort Lauderdale (about 4400 nm-23 days) Leg 4 "boatboy" $10,000, Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore (about 900 nm-4 days) Leg 5 "Jean-Michel" $11,000, Baltimore to St. Malo (about 3390 nm-13 days) Winning bidders will be an integral member of Mission America's 5-person crew. Taking on the role of "Professor" to a worldwide audience of students, participants will be responsible for supporting the team on deck and interacting daily with students online through written dispatches and digital photos/video. A curriculum will lead students through a series of lessons relevant to the geography and history of the racecourse, and incorporate the team's tactical decisions with lessons in Math and Science. - Meaghan Van Liew For more information, contact the Mission America team at (310) 306-6686 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION When you need the latest high-tech gear for your boat, you: A) Get in the car, drive to the store, wait for someone to show you a catalog. B) Dig out the "Old Boat Supply" catalog, and call for pricing on obsolete products. C) Visit ?????.com, and learn how to tie some knots or dock your boat. D) Call Performance Yacht Systems at 1-877-3pyacht. Click below for answers. http://www.pyacht.com hardware / rigging / sails / clothing / marine electronics 505 WORLDS Durban, Republic of South Africa (61 boats) - Incredible as it seems, racing could not take place today, due to the wind and see conditions. This is the fourth day in a row we could not race, and leaves both the 505s and the FDs with only one race completed for their world championships. If we include the pre-worlds, we've only been able to race two days out of the eight scheduled days of racing, so far. We can expect to double up races Wednesday and Thursday - assuming we can race - in order to get a good series in. - Ali Meller, VP International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association Web Site: www.mscworlds2000.co.za NO THURSDAY 'BUTT Obviously, there will not be an issue of Scuttlebutt issued on Thanksgiving. However, the plan now is to produce a Friday edition, although it will undoubtedly be distributed MUCH later than has been our custom. Happy turkey day! THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Despite the high cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains? |
