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SCUTTLEBUTT 1747 - January 5, 2005Powered 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 focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. INDUSTRY RESPONSE - Eric Hall I feel compelled to respond to Dr. Jacobs' letter regarding materials and factors of safety. The marine industry has borrowed many of the same composite materials and processes used in the aerospace industry. Today aerospace-quality prepreg carbon fiber and autoclave curing are readily available in sailboat products. Well-designed and processed marine industry laminates are excellent in tension, compression, shear and fatigue and regularly meet or exceed aerospace standards. Regarding fatigue, compare Dr. Jacobs' paper clip to an equal size carbon rod. As he says, the paper clip breaks quickly in fatigue; bending the carbon rod, you will fail in fatigue before it does. Granted, our industry is not as "precise and scientifically based" as the aerospace industry and nor does it claim to be. But we regularly use such powerful tools as Finite Element Analysis and do a surprising amount of testing. Incidentally, the same aerospace industry takes a simpler approach to safety factors than we do: They place limits on G-loads, gust velocities and forward speed, among others. If a dynamic load in a thunderstorm rips the wings off your plane, post crash reports will simply say you exceeded one of the plane's G-load, gust, or flight speed standards. Imagine imposing those kinds of standards on a sailboat. Racing sailors expect rigs and hulls to take any wind and sea condition. Arguably, designers of boats and hardware could set not-to-exceed, wind, sea and G-load standards, and conceivably warn crews. Yet, in elite racing's competitive environment, who would listen? There is a reason for seemingly inconsistent answers to questions about factors of safety. Since there are no universally accepted composite analysis methods in our industry, most of us have our own calculation programs and sets of safety factors. For instance, here at Hall Spars & Rigging, we wrote an esoteric local crippling program to analyze elastic instability in composite tubes. Using this particular software, we design to a factor of safety of 2.0. Why 2.0? As in the aerospace industry, it's a number that reflects our confidence levels in the program's formulae and baseline values derived from our experience and testing. With better mathematics, more experience, and more testing this factor may (or may not) go down. Precise and scientifically based? Not exactly. But 'guesstimation?' Hardly. Call a designer, fitting manufacturer or spar maker. Ask your questions, then take the time to listen. You will get honest, technical, and, if you're patient, satisfactory answers. And, as Dr. Jacobs correctly says, you may very well learn something (and have fun doing it). - Eric Hall VENUE SHOPPING The Sea Cliff Yacht Club, Trustees of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT), and the Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, LA.), the current defender of the trophy, have announced that they are accepting proposals from cities around the world to host the 25th anniversary regatta later this year. Formerly sailed in one-off C Class catamarans, the event is currently raced in the developmental F18HT high-performance catamaran in an effort to make the competition more affordable and accessible to a wide range of sailors. The two clubs are seeking a venue that will enable as many teams to participate as practical, provide media accessibility sought by the teams' sponsors and optimize spectator viewing. Last October John Lovell and Charlie Ogeltree, U.S. Sailing Team Olympic silver medalists in the multihull Tornado class at the Athens Olympic Regatta, successfully defended the trophy they won in 2003 by defeating Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez of Puerto Rico. Instead of hosting a second defense, the Southern Yacht Club agreed to the ICCT Trustees' wishes to open the location of the next event to venues other than just the defender's home waters. Interested venues should send proposals to ICCT Trustees, c/o Sea Cliff Yacht Club, 42 The Boulevard, Sea Cliff, NY 11579, USA. 12 DAYS UNTIL KEY WEST RACE WEEK - WILL YOU BE DRY? The start of the 2005 racing season is just around the corner. If you haven't already outfitted your team with the DryShirt™ and/or the all new DryGuard technology, then you're missing an opportunity to make your team look and feel like the pros. Customize your shirts with your team logo or order them with the logo of SailNet, Racingline, Ocean Racing, H.J. Hoffman, Proctor Masts and Rigging, or Murrays Sports and support your favorite distributor. If interested in being a European distributor, email us at mailto:sailingproshop@aol.com More information on this 2005 'must have' gear at 562-594-8749 or http://www.sailingproshop.com/dryshirt.htm OPENING HER LEAD Ellen MacArthur's weather advisors, Commanders' Weather based in the US, are expecting the winds to veer to the west and become a bit more stable, but as long as the wind directions are SSW and SW, the winds will remain quite variable. This has been the case for the last 36 hours and the unstable conditions have delivered huge variations both in wind speed and direction: "Right now, we've got gusts of over 40 knots, lightening storms all around us and we've had hail storms all day. Conditions are incredibly unstable, the sea conditions are relatively flat but the wind is just all over the place. There is a depression forming to the north and we're getting all the energy that's going into creating that depression which is passing over us, so the last three days have been pretty stressful and very hard work." Wednesday will be the day when winds turn more west and north-west, and Ellen's 75-foot trimaran B&Q may be fortunate enough to have a 24-36 hour period of fast conditions once the NW wind arrives in the area. This will be a massive relief to Ellen, who is suffering from lack of sleep. Through all this Ellen has kept the boatspeed up, mostly around 20 knots, but B&Q's gains over Joyon are due mostly to the trouble he was experiencing on IDEC. On Joyon's 37th day at sea the fitting at the top of the mainsail, to which the halyard is attached, that holds the sail up fractured and broke. He had to drop IDEC's mainsail for five hours to make the repair. MacArthur's lead on the existing record is now 68 hours. - www.teamellen.com RESTART AT CAPE HORN Only 103 miles now separate the top three boats in the Vendee Globe single-handed non-stop round the world race. Mike Golding made the fastest Southern Ocean passage in this Vendée Globe between Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn of 31 days 9 hours. "The Atlantic is impeccable, said leader Jean Le Cam. "I saw a beautiful sunset last night, highlighted by a sighting of dolphins. I didn't think they existed any more! There are light winds but I'm sleeping better now that we're upwind. I've been able to cut the radar and it's another atmosphere altogether. It's complicated. There's a whole mish-mash of weather systems ahead of us and we're midway between a depression and an anticyclone at the moment." Second placed Vincent Riou (PRB) was too tired to express his enthusiasm of escaping the South but his words said it all. "The Indian is a rotten part of the world, but that's never been a secret." More than 2800 miles further back, Australian Nick Moloney (Skandia) was feeling understandably low today, still picking his way through the Pacific as the leaders round the celebrated Cape. "It's obviously frustrating to see the leaders already passing Cape Horn." Leaders at 1900 GMT January 4: 1. Bonduelle, Jean Le Cam, 6781 miles to finish 2. PRB, Vincent Riou, 53 miles to leader 3. Ecover, Mike Golding, 103 mtl 4. VMI, Sébastien Josse, 948 mtl 5. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, 1267 mtl 6. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick 1914 mtl 7. Skandia, Nick Moloney, 2856 mtl 8. Arcelor Dunkerque, Joé Seeten, 3423 mtl 9. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 3820 mtl 10. Hellomoto, Conrad Humphreys, 3855 mtl Complete standings: www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ KEY WEST 2005 WEATHER WORKSHOP Get your head in the game early with Peter Isler, host Bill Biewenga, Commanders' Weather & OPC meteorologists. Ramp up now for Key West 2005. Study the trends and options for the races ahead. Dig into research and discuss the expected weather with the pros from the comfort of your own computer. The online discussions will be archived for later reference for your strategy sessions with your team. The award winning WxLIVE! online interactive weather seminar is convenient to your schedule. Join us this Saturday for the January 8, 2005 online event. More details at http://www.weather4sailors.com TECHNOLOGY The age of computer-aided navigation in sailboat racing began with the 12-meter Courageous in the 1974 America's Cup. Thirty years later, former Stars & Stripes navigator Peter Isler of San Diego and Whitbread-winning navigator Nick White have produced a software package called "Expedition" that provides tactical, performance and navigation support as well as weather analysis. Isler is cognizant of the argument that sailing already has too much technology. "There is a question of where you draw the line," said Isler, whose shift from being a skipper to a navigator got a boost from his being at the forefront of the computer revolution in sailing. "Because of my racing background, I quickly embraced the new tools as a way to race the boat better," he said. "The art of navigation has changed tremendously. It'd be impossible to go back to where it was. There is just so much information and technology available. "I enjoy being able to go on the Internet and using the public information." Isler said he drew a line when Australia's Peter Gilmour recently pushed to relax the America's Cup rules and allow information to be received from off the boat. "I feel strongly about strict America's Cup rules," he said. "Using public information is one thing. It's not fair to have private consultations while you are racing. It's a question of where you draw the line. The outside help rule has been significantly relaxed in sailing. I'm split." - Excerpts from a story by Bill Center in the San Diego Union, full story: www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050104-9999-1s4boatcol.html NEWS BRIEFS * Brad Funk won his third straight Vanguard 15 Midwinters at the US Sailing Center Martin County. Funk and his crew Anna Tunnicliffe, both two time all American's at Old Dominion University, scored 37 points in the 9 race series sailed in 10 to 15 knot easterly breezes in the Indian River, Jensen Beach ,Florida. Tim Fallon with Karen Renzutti came in second in the 60-boat fleet, followed by Andrew Nadler and Augusta Nadler with 63 points. Complete results: www.usscmc.org/regattas/V15FleetMidFinal2005.txt * In addition to the revised Racing Rules of Sailing, ISAF issued the following supplement to the RRS which also went into effect on 1 January 2005 - Rule 3 - Replace rule 3(c) with: where the matter is not one to be determined under the rules, not to resort to any court of law or any tribunal until all internal remedies provided by the ISAF or by the Court of Arbitration for Sport have been exhausted. - www.sailing.org * The Boxing Day tsunami which has left more than 150,000 people dead around the countries of the Indian Ocean has left many yachtsmen in the area surprisingly unscathed. Of 150 Sunsail customers at the company's base on the eastern side of Phuket every single one of them has been repatriated unharmed and all the company boats are undamaged. Not so lucky were the crews of the 10 boats of the Blue Water Rally who were moored on the western side of Phi Phi Don, Thailand. Although none were killed or seriously injured they went through some dramatic experiences. - Dick Durham, Yachting Monthly, full story: http://tinyurl.com/4nvrs * NeilPryde Windsurfing has issued a statement regarding the NeilPryde RS:X as the class for the Olympic Windsurfing event: "We wish to make it clear that the Olympic Windsurfing Class is strictly controlled and run by the ISAF. NeilPryde Ltd., is simply the manufacturer and supplier of equipment, which has been designed in accordance with ISAF/ Olympic performance guidelines." There's more at: www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6fFhtuA * Seven boats have now finished Leg Two of the Global Challenge round the world race in Wellington, NZ, and two others very close. Standings at our distribution time: 1. Spirit of Sark; 2. BP Explorer; 3. BG Spirit; 4. Samsung; 5. Vaio; 6. Me To You; 7. Team SAIC La Jolla; 8. Team Save the Children; 9. Barclays Adventurer; 10. Pindar; 11. Team Stelmar; Retired: Imagine It. Done. - www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/ SOUTHERN SPARS SERVICE - RIGGING AT KEY WEST RACE WEEK Southern Spars Service (formerly Aramid Rigging) is onsite at Key West for all of your rigging needs starting January 13th. For advance orders contact Brian Fisher at 401-683-6966. Key West onsite contact 401-418-2424. The black rigging trailer will be in the lot across from Race Headquarters at 908 Caroline Street. 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 Peter Huston: Perhaps Davey Jones ought to unload some of his buried treasure into the coffers of ISAF so they can fund an appropriate inquiry into the causes that led to the failures of Skandia and Konica Minolta. Banning canting keel boats from racing makes zero sense for the sport - there is plenty of evidence via programs like Wild Oats, Pyewacket and several others that canting keel boats are safe, functional, and very fun offshore. What is likely needed is an international design and safety check standard for canting keel systems, something that can be applied uniformly by race organizers anywhere. Eventually, race liability insurance carriers will no doubt require this. If appropriate ISAF officials would like to know exactly where the engineering talent is within the aerospace industry to help perform this analysis and set these standards, I'd be happy to provide the necessary introduction. Curmudgeon's Comment: It should be noted that while Skandia has a canting keel, Konica Minolta does not. * From Dave Few: Paul Jacobs comments are thought provoking and I recognize we are not designing elevators with their required 8:1 safety factors or even aircraft with their much less 1.5 to 2.0 based on yield or ultimate and for fatigue sensitive elements to finite defined and tested duty cycles. The design of the top end boats is pushing the structural considerations to the extreme and there will be failures. One of my favorite designers, Carl Schumacher was a Naval Architect and was also a UCB Structural Engineer and I never heard of any of his boats breaking up. As a retired Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer I would like to see some reasonable standards applied even as the old scantlings of Nevin's and Herrreshoff's rules were when wood was the primary building material. When the NAVY F-14 was in development, back in the early 70's it had to survive about a 28ft, as I recall, drop test which I had occasion to witness when at the Grumman factory on Long Island, very brutal it was, so dropping off a big wave should be in the design criteria or no insurance. Obviously the $ rich maxi crowd could opt to ignore them but the next few levels down would, I think be well served. Perhaps such standards, including the critical adhesives used and processes employed already exist, ABYC?, but if so they are not well publicized for the buyer to peruse. * From Richard Bryson: Couldn't help but think, could US Sailing provide a real service by creating a simple (web based) program that classes could use to do everything in John Burnham's 'One-Design Fleet Building' outline. US Sailing would also host the web pages for local classes. Simplify the management and more people will do it. Maybe some of the industry giants would advertise so the whole thing could be free, easily searchable etc. * From Leah Fanstone: I would just like to highly commend the people who did the website for the recent Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was very nice to be able to go on-line at any time during the day or night and have absolute "up to date" details on how the boats were doing in the race. Never before have I been able to get such fantastic details and such current news on what is going on out there. It is very important for us relatives on the other side of the world to be able to have this access and once again - Well done Sydney Hobart organizers for providing us with that through your excellent website! * From Clint Marshall: Len Hubbard's letter in Scuttlebutt 1746 identifies an issue that is critical to our membership at the Biddeford Pool Yacht Club, in southern Maine. We are searching for a new Program Director and find that too many of the likely candidates have backgrounds in college sailing and elsewhere that focus on racing. Our sailing program's mission reads: "The Biddeford Pool Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program is a high quality program teaching ... the basics of boat handling skills, seamanship, and sportsmanship. The program strives to develop competence and confidence in our sailors in a safe and fun environment. The success of our program is measured not in races won but through the legacy of the love of sailing." The objective of developing lifelong sailors, not just racers, has led us to develop a sailing program where all children take a set of core courses and then have the option of pursuing either a track focusing on racing (80% racing, 20% seamanship/recreational) or one focusing on recreational sailing (with modest exposure to racing). For many children, racing is the hook that leads to a lifelong love of sailing; but for others, the competition is a "turn-off" that gets in the way of their joy in being out on the water. We try to meet both of these needs in a program that stays true to the vision of our Club's founders - "to teach future generations safe sailing with an emphasis on seamanship." * From Tom Coleman: Since Tom Ehman's original spark lit this terrific bonfire of a thread on junior sailing, there have been some great comments, questions and insights, but also misconceptions, from many angles. I've kept my mouth shut until now, but as that famous yachtsman, Popeye, once said "That's all I can stands and I can't stands no more!" Mr. Hubbard stated "there is no longer a place for the child that wants to sail, but does not have the right "killer instinct" for racing." I am sure that if he was more familiar with an actual Optimist regatta (or most any youth regatta), he'd offer up an apology to all those young sailors, coaches, parents and background personnel who work so hard to participate in and put on excellent events; events that are getting bigger every year! I personally know most, if not every young Opti sailor who has placed in the top ten in major regattas over the past few years and I can tell you that "killer instinct" is one of the last words I'd use to describe them. Sure, there is the occasional jerky kid, but the vast majority are highly intelligent, highly ambitious, physically fit, adventurous, exceedingly brave, well mannered, caring, fun-loving and motivated sportsmen. Many do come from families with a big boat or crewed one-design background. And yes, Mr. Hubbard, there certainly is more need for seamanship to be taught. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own. |
