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SCUTTLEBUTT 1936 -- October 3, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.THE ACTS OF THE AMERICA'S CUP Trapani, 2nd October, 2005 - There was more sparkling action at the Trapani Louis Vuitton Acts on Sunday and the America's Cup Park was again filled to capacity as tens of thousands came down to enjoy the action, on a day with 7 to 12 knot Southerlies caressing the race courses off Trapani. K-Challenge had an excellent day, earning two more wins, taking the French to five points from seven starts; that is the most victories the team has earned in a Louis Vuitton Act this year. Alinghi had to battle back from a broken mainsail halyard lock moments after the start to overhaul United Internet Team Germany. The Germans were several hundred metres ahead by the time Alinghi fixed the problem and had the mainsail re-hoisted to the top of the mast. But the Swiss were able to turn on the afterburners to run down the Germans before the first lap of the course was complete, thus keeping a perfect record for the season intact. Racing in Act 8 continues through Tuesday, with many deciding matches filling the program. We have become familiar with the top four (Alinghi, BMW Oracle Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Luna Rossa Challenge), who have yet to verse each other than a match between Luna Rossa Challenge and Alinghi (winner), and another between Emirates Team New Zealand (winner) and BMW Oracle Racing. As for the teams sitting in fifth and sixth in the rankings, K-Challenge and Victory Challenge respectively, they will finally meet Monday. Complete details at http://www.americascup.com QUOTE - UNQUOTE "The Acts have absolutely been great. My personal opinion is that they have been the best thing for the America's Cup. As a sponsored team, I hope we are providing really good value to our sponsors. The Cup has taken a beating in the US press lately and to me, anyone who doesn't see this as a positive and good for sailing is pretty narrow minded. Other than the Olympics, it is the highest level of our sport and there's a great showcase of talent in the sailors, the machinery, the hardware, the sails, the rigs just the whole thing from top to bottom. It has very much of a Formula One feel to it. You have all the boats lined up, it's now accessible to the public, they can walk by and check out our compounds and the things we are doing. How could that not be good for sailing?" -- Terry Hutchinson, Emirates Team New Zealand tactician SAIL SHAPE (Russell Coutts talks about sail shape in a posting on his website, which is now available in English, French, German and Italian.) On Lexus (the TP52) we did a lot of work with the sails and improved our boatspeed enormously during the year. By the end I believe our sails were amongst the best in the fleet yet this will no doubt still be an area of future development. The downwind sails are quite different because the speeds of the boats are faster than what we have all become accustomed to having been forced to sail under IMS and other crazy lead fuelled rules for years! It is so important to have an inventory that fits together well and covers the wind range properly. As you improve the shapes and subsequent sizes of the downwind sails the inventory changes and the cross over are always being modified. In the last series we had several races in 8 knots or less and the upwind code zeros were being used upwind. Next year there will be a lot of development with the masts in order to achieve more efficient sheeting angles with these sails. I wish the class would allow G0s in the short races also. As well as that, in my opinion they should move to dual backstays which would allow the boats to be tacked more efficiently, and diminish the wear on the mainsail leaches. I really enjoyed sailing with Mark Reynolds and Peter Isler. It takes a while to establish a combination but by the end of the year I believe we knew each other better and had eliminated a lot of the mistakes we were making early in the season. In summary, I did not get off the start line consistently enough and we did not manage our approaches into the windward mark well enough, giving away a lot of points. I also think our boatspeed in light winds was not good enough and that always makes it tough on the afterguard. I also believe acceleration out of tacks and downspeed manoeuvres will become more important as the fleet size grows and I do not believe this was a strong point of our performance. That being said, we will make some changes to our boat which should make us better prepared for the 2006 season. -- http://www.russellcoutts.net/ THE MELGES 32 CONTINUES TO IMPRESS THE SAILING PUBLIC "The Melges 32 has exceeded my expectations," says new owner Beck Swanson. Swanson and his Melges 32 team has set the east coast on fire this season with their new boat's performance. Best of all, the Melges 32 is easy to sail yet has breathtaking speed, putting the spark of excitement into the sport of sailboat racing. Easy to trailer too, with the mast being raised and lowered without needing a crane, and the boat launched by yacht club hoist or ramp. Race to the Melges website to further review the Melges 32 and its current pricing. -- http://www.melges.com TWO NEW WEBSITES Visitors to the all new Volvo Ocean Race site will practically feel they are on the boats as daily news stories, images, interviews and audio reports will bring readers closer to the action than ever before. The new website has been redesigned with a magazine feel and a host of expert writers, along with the race web team, will bring the race to a range of audiences. Available as a free download next month from the website, Virtual Spectator is a 3D package that offers the audience a unique view of the race. With Virtual Spectator downloaded to your desktop you can follow every decision the teams make as they clash head to head to be the first into each port. Virtual Spectator has been enhanced with increased detailing which now includes landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and Table Mountain as well as a full set of stars and constellations in their correct positions when night falls. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org/ Also, the Team ABN Amro syndicate in the Volvo Ocean Race has launched a new website. The site now has a strong team look and feel, is easier to navigate. -- http://www.abnamro.com/team SEA LIONS 'Lectronic Latitude has posted two photos by Michael Scalise that show why sea lions have become such a big problem in Newport Harbor. In the first photo, you will see that so many of them have climbed on the back of this CSK catamaran that she's in danger of sinking. The second photo is of a wood ketch that did sink from the weight of sea lions. But wrecking big boats isn't the only problem they are causing. They can be extremely noisy - so much so that sleepless residents of waterfront homes have been begging the authorities to do something. -- http://tinyurl.com/bepaz LANDMARK DAY Last Wednesday was a landmark day for the Spirit of South Carolina tall ship project. The very first plank was held in place and lagged (or screwed) to the enormous Live Oak frames as a deluge of rain began flooding the shipyard. Following that, 199 more planks will be lagged into place over the next several months, forming the hull, or outer skin, of this great 140-foot wooden ship. "Rain or shine, come hell or high water, we are building this ship," said Brad Van Liew, Executive Director of the SC Maritime Heritage Foundation. The Spirit of South Carolina is a project of the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation, whose mission is to offer a unique educational platform for students in the Palmetto State, with an emphasis on responsibility and teamwork as essential attributes necessary to foster future leaders, while unearthing South Carolina's maritime past. This vessel -- modeled after a traditional pilot schooner -- will be used as a mobile classroom, voyaging to sea with a custom designed curriculum. Theoretical lessons from the classroom, such as geometry, will prove practical when used to learn navigation. Beyond teaching youth to sail the Spirit of South Carolina will also teach students life skills. -- http://www.scmaritime.org "MAN OVERBOARD!" The first seconds are always critical. A victim may be unconscious, traumatized, hypothermic…unable to help in his/her own recovery. Automatic water activated SeaMarshall personal rescue beacons can mean the difference between a successful recovery and tragedy. For information on SeaMarshall marine beacons and homing receivers, contact Chip Barber: mailto:admin@chbarber.com; http://www.chbarber.com SONAR WORLDS Cowes, UK -- After a postponement to allow the strong westerly to moderate, the Sonar World Championship fleet went afloat for their ninth and final race. Defending World Champion Steve Shepstone (USA), sailing with Tom Kinney, Peter Wilson and Michael Loeb, finished third in that race to score a four point regatta win over Paul Bowen's Billy and retain his title. Six American boats went to Cowes for this championship and they left having taken five of the top six places. Final Results: 1. Nefarious, USA Steve Shepstone, 18 points 2. Billy. GBR. Paul Bowen, 22 3. Fast Forward, USA, Peter Galloway, 25 4. Spring, USA, David Franzel, 36 5. Troll, USA, Greg Anthony, 49 6. For Sale, USA Skip Shumway, 52 Full results: http://www.cowes.co.uk/cb/zone?p=index;cat_id=118;cp=0-118 TEAM RACING (October 1, 2005) - With eight of the original 16 teams eliminated from contention, the competition format moved to the "first-to-three wins" for the final day of racing for the 2005 Grey Goose ISAF Team Racing World Championship. The results of the quarterfinals eventually set the stage for a showdown between the two superpowers of team racing - Great Britain (GBR 1 and 2) and the USA (USA 1 and 2). The USA cleaned up in both pairings, with win-loss records of 3-0 over the Great Britain teams, a result likely attributed to having spent considerable time training and competing in Vanguard 15s, the boat that was supplied for this championship. In the finals, USA 1 (aka Team Whishbone), the defending champions, with Tim Fallon (N. Falmouth, MA), Karen Renzulli (Needham, MA), Mark Ivey (Hungtington Beach, CA), Matt Lindblad (Newport, RI), Tim Wadlow (Beverly, MA), and Ery Largay (Osterville, MA), beat the USA 2 team (aka Silver Panda) of Patrick Hogan (Newport Beach, CA), Carlos Lenz (Clearwater, FL), Pete Levesque (Portland, ME, Liz Hall (Tiverton, RI), Colin Merrick (Portsmouth, RI) and Amanda Callahan (Canton, MA) by a 3-1 margin. Complete results at http://nyyc.org/popup.cfm?content=viewthenews&thenewsid=515 NEWS BRIEFS * America's Cup aficionados who were not able to get to Trapani will enjoy Andy Green's running commentary that can be accessed from www.americascup.com -- Live Radio. Interestingly, more than 22,000 people poured into the America's Cup Park in Trapani on the first day of racing. The giant screen, featuring live video and audio commentary from the race course allows those ashore to keep up with the action on the water. * US Sailing has released the 2005 edition of its Race Management Handbook which provides guidance on how to properly organize and run sailing races. The new 296-page handbook brings its content into conformity with the current Racing Rules of Sailing. Some new material has been added, outdated material removed, and some familiar concepts refined. Detailed chapters include "Organizing the Event", "Insurance and Legal Issues", "Risk Management," "Competition Formats," Course Configuration," "Notices of Race," "Sailing Instructions," Race Committee Equipment," "Race Day," "Setting The Course," "The Start," "The Race," and "Scoring and Handicapping." The book can be purchased online: http://store.ussailing.org * Scuttlebutt boat owners looking to up-size in the near future should check out a new German Frers design -- the Barcos Deportivos 100'. It has two guest cabins plus the master cabin, and requires only four crew members. -- http://www.barcosdeportivos.com/ing/bd100.swf * The US Mini Class Association, in cooperation with the Mini Class Canada, is hosting their first class meeting at the US Boat Show in Annapolis, MD from 6:30-8:30 PM, October 7, 2005, at the Euromarine Trading exhibit, Tent 57. Anyone interested in furthering the development and racing, or anyone who is just curious about these boats is welcome to attend. * On October 1st, 2005, 105 boats sailed in the Sail for Hope Regatta in Newport, Rhode Island, raising $107,128.00 for the American Red Cross. Sail for Hope donations will pay for food, clothing, shelter and medicine for the victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The highest fundraising boat of the regatta was Xenophon, which saw Jeff Rabuffo and his team donating over $10,000 for the effort. Brewer Yacht Yard was the largest corporate pledge, combining contributions from Brewer Staff and a corporate match totaling over $30,000. More information and overall scores are available at http://www.sailnewport.org * Two OCS starts on the final day of the 2005 Championship of Champions proved to be too much for event leader and Sunfish Champion Eduardo Cordero, opening the door for Mike Ingham, 2005 Thistle National Champion from Rochester Canoe Club in Rochester NY to win the title. Sailing with Ingham was wife Delia and E. Baker. The event was sailed in Flying Scots and hosted by Bayview YC, which held 19 races for the series. The 2006 C of C will be held in Y-Flyers and hosted by the Grande Maumelle Sailing Club outside of Little Rock Arkansas. -- http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC SHOPPERS WANTED While not exactly eBay, the Classified ad postings on the Scuttlebutt website offer an assortment of gear, jobs, and items wanted. View the current offerings on the official bulletin board of Scuttlebutt Sailing Club. Ads are free too. Check it all out at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/classifieds 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 neither 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. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Deneen B. Demourkas: I had to laugh when reading Ian Walkers comments and comparisons between racing the TP52 and the Farr 40. I just want to know how much he was paid to make such bizarre statements? Sure I'm a little biased, I love racing the Farr 40 because the racing is tight, the level of competition is high and the owners and teams are all great people with whom we like to hang out with when we're not racing. And of course when you have 37 boats on the line at a World Championship (Italy 2003 and 31 boats in 2004) the guy in last place at the first weather mark is pretty far back there but it's not because of a big difference in speed. It's because of 40 feet a pop times 37. While a TP52 is not in my future for several reasons, I'm sure they are great boats to sail as anyone who's had a chance will tell you however, please don't patronize me by telling me that this box rule gives you closer racing than One Design. * From Talbot Wilson: I am another American in the media center at America's Cup in Sicily and agree with Jan Pehrson that we have a lot to learn from the Europeans. The city not only turned out for the opening night, but I heard yesterday that children have two weeks off from school for the event. They went to school two weeks early to earn the time off. The first day of racing was from 12kts with steady direction to 10-6 knots with a 40 degrees shift in the 2nd matches. Races were fairly close to shore for spectators and there was a sizable spectator fleet for a week day. At night the AC village was packed with families... Grandmothers to babies, and all in between. This was the real general public turning out to enjoy the venue and the vicarious experience of sailing. People were able to watch a big screen video of the day's racing, enter grinding contests, sail radio controlled models of the AC boats with actual graphics copied on each, and enjoy some delicious tasting of Sicilian wine and food. The Louis Vuitton Acts are events for the people. Contrary to some American journalists' views, the America's Cup is alive and well in Europe. The shame is that no American city was able to host one of the 2005 acts in home waters. * From Duncan Bates: In the last posting regarding the Sonar Worlds in Cowes, please can you note the following error. The boat Billy is privately owned by Mr. Brian Harding, ex-paralympic sailor, who is concerned at the association with Sonar Yachts. For the record, he has no involvement whatsoever with this company. * From John Rather: I believe the Rolex female sailor of the year should be obvious: Sally Barkow. No American sailor has been more dominant in their class on an international scale than Barkow over the past year, starting with the OCR and culminating in both a Women's Yngling Worlds Championship and the Rolex championship. She is an ambassador to the world of what an American sportsman should be and embodies humble hard work and the recognition of her duty to represent her country favorably wherever she goes. What I do not understand is why Barkow didn't make the "short list" for ISAF female sailor of the year. She has dominated the International Yngling fleet this summer. If the Olympics were held tomorrow, Barkow would be the favorite. I suspect ISAF was unwilling to name more than one American to the "short list" and favored the young and talented Railey. There is no doubt Railey is an impressive sailor and her accomplishments of being the favorite in the Radial Olympic event before entering college are something not even Barkow can brag about. However, Railey does not have the international dosier over the past 9 months Barkow does; in fact, no female sailor does. It is to me a no-brainer Barkow will be this year's female Rolex Yachtswoman of the year. If only the ISAF had not, once again, shown itself unable to accurately assess talent by leaving her off their "short list." * From Candace Porter: The promotion of the sport of sailing includes a display of skill, an enthusiasm for the sport itself and a grace and presence that encourages others to participate. It is this last aspect that singles the true champions from all the other exceptional sailors. From childhood on, Sally Barkow has known the concept of giving back to the sport, gracefully acknowledging those who have supported her and accepting her abilities with humility. As a young adult, she returns each summer to her roots and coaches extensively in the Midwest region. Ask the moms who attended her clinic on "what I need to know", the young, budding next generation of fine sailors who respond to her fine teaching and young instructors who listen to her explain why they should be the finest role models our youth deserve. Long before she became Sally Barkow, Olympic hopeful, I knew I had met one of the finest individuals my family or children would encounter. It is her innate ability to share knowledge and command respect by her example which makes her worthy of commendation. Add her exceptional sailing skill and you will have met one of the nation's best enthusiasts in the sport. You can guess who gets my vote for Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. * From Thomas H. Smith, Commodore, Chelsea Yacht Club: Consider a cruise ship foundering in the Atlantic with 500 paying passengers. Now consider a race around the world, and a boat in trouble in the southern oceans with a crew of 10. How about a single handed long distance sail as a qualifier for the Mini Transat? How about a novice who takes his family out in the Atlantic despite repeated Coast Guard warnings? How about a converted Ford truck from Cuba bound the US with a family looking for a better life? The first law of the sea is to come to the aid anyone in trouble unless it imperils your own safety. There is a long sliding gray scale in the above scenarios, and I for one do not see how you can draw a line at any point on that scale and say yes or no to a particular rescue based on how much it would cost, or who would pay. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere." -- Billy Crystal |
