|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1989 -- December 16, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.SPITHILL CONTINUES DOMINATION Key Largo, Fla., Dec. 15, 2006 The not-so-Italian Luna Rossa sailing team captained by Australia's James Spithill continued its domination of the 2005 Corum Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo today, despite two first-to-finish guns claimed by rival Pegasus 505 sailed by Newport Beach's David Ullman. With two races remaining in tomorrow's final of the six-day series Spithill's Italian entry from the Yacht Club d'Italiano in Genoa, Italy, enjoys a 20-point advantage over second-placed Ullman. The two lead boats turned in blistering performances in the opening race yesterday in a 16 to 18-knot southeasterly breeze that chopped up the shallow water north of John Pennekamp Reef into two to three-foot waves. Ullman, the engaging sailmaker whose list of championship victories fills pages, has never won a Melges 24 World championship. Now the third boat in the Pegasus Team of father-and-son Philippe and Shark Kahn from San Francisco, Calif., the time Ullman has invested in sail development and tuning for the team was apparent in today's racing. Pegasus 505 broke clear of the 99-boat fleet on the first weather leg as several collisions and gear breakdowns took their toll. Spithill, the helmsman for Genoa's Luna Rossa America's Cup challengers was pushing hard behind Ullman but could never get within striking distance of the Californian boat. Ullman finished the first race one and a half minutes ahead of Spithill and two and a half minutes ahead John Bertrand, from Annapolis, Md., at the helm of Fusion M. Conditions moderated in the second race to five to eight knots of breeze and small choppy waves. Disaster struck for Spithill before the last downwind run as the top of his billowing white spinnaker exploded right after hoisting. The Luna Rossa crew struggled to retrieve the sail and hoist another, as boat after boat sped by. Quick crew work saw a new sail up and drawing to keep Spithill in the top group of seven boats. Ullman won again lifting him from yesterday's third overall placing but still 20 points behind Spithill who finished the last race in sixth place. Bertrand had another good race to add a second place to his record for the week. - Keith Taylor Results after ten races (with one dropped race - 99 boats): 1. James Spithill, Luna Rossa, Italy, 43 points; 2. David Ullman, Pegasus 505, Newport Beach, Calif., 63; 3. Gabriele Benussi, Marrachech Express, Italy, 75; 4. Morgan Reeser, Mfatic, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 82; 5. Brian Porter, Full Throttle, Winnetka, Ill., 91; 6. Gabrio Zandona, Joe Fly, Italy, 97; 7. François Brenac, Partner & Partners, France, 107; 8. Shark Kahn, Pegasus 492, San Francisco, Calif., 113; 9. John Bertrand, Fusion M, Annapolis, Maryland, 118; 10. Flavio Favini, Blu Moon, Italy, 138. New photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/m24worlds/index5.asp Full results: http://www.2005corumm24worlds.com/teamphotos/Overall.htm WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES Two years ago, the 98-foot New Zealand maxi Konica Minolta was the gun boat of the Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race, her only rival Melbourne maxi Skandia. Skandia featured the latest in canting keels and electronic winches, while the more traditional fixed keel Konica Minolta relied on manpower and water ballast, yet no-one could tell which was the faster technology. The two boats literally match raced each other all the way to Hobart, with neither able to establish dominance. In 2004 Konica Minolta was again one of the gun boats in the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet and was in the lead when she fell off a huge wave and was forced to retire off the Tasmanian coast with structural damage. Today, Konica Minolta was back out on the track against the latest canting keeled maxis, in the first day of the 2005 Rolex Trophy - Rating Series. This time her rivals are Alfa Romeo, launched six months ago, and the weeks old Wild Oats XI. This time, by the end of the first leg, a short two and three quarter nautical mile beat to windward in light winds and flat seas, it was already becoming shockingly clear just what a quantum leap in boat speed the last 12 months of technological development has produced. Konica Minolta rounded the first mark almost six minutes behind front runner Alfa Romeo. By the end of the brief three leg course, after an hour and a quarter of racing, the gap had widened to eleven minutes. Make no mistake, Konica Minolta is still a supremely fast yacht. But these new boats seem to have a whole extra gear. At the big end ocean racing has entered a new era. Of course the price that Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI have had to pay for their blinding speed is complexity. By comparison, Konica Minolta is a model of simplicity. In the flat waters off Sydney today complexity won hands down. How will it go in Bass Strait? In the duel between the world's newest and fastest 30m maxi yachts Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI, Alfa Romeo took the honours, but her dominance may not continue. "It's early days yet…there is nothing in it," said Alfa Romeo's tactician Michael Coxon. "We won today because we probably know our boat better and we know how to get that vital little extra bit out of her," Coxon added, pointing out that they had been racing the Reichel/Pugh 98-footer since August whereas the nearly identical Wild Oats XI had had only one race before today. "They will pick up quickly; there are a lot of smart guys aboard Wild Oats XI." -- www.rolexsydneyhobart.com FORUMS UPDATE The Scuttlebutt Forums contest regarding the "Newbie looking for Key West info" thread has concluded, and the voters chose to give Scuttlebutt caps to Nice Ass. Coach and TsunamiMike, with the grand prize of a SLAM Sailing Vest going to Hypotenuse. There are now plenty of good Key West tips (some of them even relevant to sailing), along with many other threads to view and comment on. Also, look for next week's Forums contest regarding the Melges 24 Worlds. View all the Forums at http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?forum=5 CRUISING IN THE FAST LANE When we go cruising, we like to cruise fast. So we were happy to hear that Bob DeMattia and his new Farr 56, Northern Winds, handily won Cruising Class A in the 2005 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) with a full inventory of Doyle sails. Would you like to cruise in the fast lane, too? Call Doyle for fast, better-engineered cruising sails. 1-800-94-DOYLE; the Northern Winds story is at: http://www.doylesails.com/news.htm SIGH OF RELIEF Bouwe Bekking, skipper of the Spanish entry movistar, last night breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his boat enter Cape Town waters onboard a huge Wallenius Wilhelmsen freighter MV Toronto. What a month is has been for movistar. She was forced to return to port after suffering structural damage during a storm on the first night of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06. Since then the team has been working around the clock to get the boat repaired in time to make the in-port race in Cape Town on the 26 December. With the work finally complete and the deadline looming, movistar was manoeuvred onboard the freighter on the 2 December at Puerto Real, Cadiz. Twelve days and 5,100 nautical miles later, she arrived in Cape Town. At 20 30 local time Wednesday evening, the team started the mammoth operation of unloading and moving her to a new home at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Bekking and his team will do a thorough inspection of the boat prior to the in-port race and the leg restart into the Southern Ocean on the January 2. "Most of the work was completed before we left but today we have taken the hydraulic canting rams out and are checking them because we have the same ones as Ericsson and it has not been possible to check them sooner as we have been on the freight ship," said Bekking. "The plan is now to get out sailing. We will head out to sea looking for some waves and big breeze to really test the boat." -- www.volvooceanrace.org ANOTHER HAPPY CAMPER Paul Cayard reported that after being at sea for a couple of days, everything was working well on the newly-repaired VO70 Pirates of the Caribbean. "The first day we had the strongest winds, up to 26 knots and we got the boat going 27 knots. While well short of the speeds we were going that first night on leg 1, everything seemed solid. Next, we slammed our way upwind all night, tacking a few ties and restacking the boat each time to simulate real race conditions for the loads and for our on training. "Stacking" is a chore where we take everything that is on deck and below and move it from one side to the other with the goal of getting the weight as far outboard as possible to add to the stability of the boat. This requires all 10 of us working hard for about 10 minutes to lift 100 kg sails, 25 kg food bags, spares, et. and shift them to the other side." They also practiced some in line (without tacking) headsail changes. "We have gone to Hanks for attaching the headsails to the headstay rather than the twin foil device for safety in the high wind speed conditions. This takes changes a bit slower as you have to hank on the new sail and un-hank the old one. The advantage of this system is that it is safer; you have less chance of loosing a man or sail overboard. The down side is that you sail without a headsail for the period of time that it takes to make the change. So we worked on some technique to minimize the time required. "Next we worked on our snuffer. The "snuffer" is a neat little gadget that allows us to lower a spinnaker and pack it into a "sock at the same time. If you simply drop the sail into the boat like you would on a day racer with plenty of hands available, it would take us a good 30 minutes of hard work for three people to pack the sail and have it ready to re-deploy. As you can imagine, there is a bit of technique to getting this gadget to work correctly and reliably in all wind strengths and this is something we are still working on perfecting. Apart from the training that we need to do, we feel more confident in the boat now and the repairs that have been made. The Pearl feels solid and ready to go" Cayard concluded. CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LASER RADIAL YOUTH WORLDS Fortaleza, Brazil -- After winning all eight races in the qualification series, Blair McLay, from New Zealand, is very close to attaining the championship title of World Laser Radial Youth. But to be the champion, he has a great challenge ahead: Portuguese, Frederico Melo, is just 2 points behind and has also won the two regattas of his fleet. This Friday, with the beginning of the final phase, they will compete in the Gold Fleet regatta for the first time. The top North American is Kyle Rogachenko in Ninth place. - Complete results: http://www.2005laserworlds.com.br/results_youth.html NEWS BRIEFS * A one hour television show Extreme Sailing Hawaii will air Sunday December 18, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on the Water Channel, located on the Dish Network channel 216. The show covers three Division 1 boats racing the Waikiki Offshore Series in Hawaii July 31 to August 5, 2005: Beecom, R/P 72, Pegasus, TP52 and Braveheart, TP52. The show was filmed in HDTV and has helicopter, on the water and on-board footage of the fleet racing in 30 knots of winds and 12-14-foot seas. * Victoria Clipper has taken a good slice out of the Durban Clipper's lead the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race over the past 24 hours. Wednesday's Daily Update reported there was 31 miles between the lead boat and Victoria, today we have only seven miles between first and second place. With less than 240 miles to go to the Leg 3 finish in Fremantle, Australia, westernaustralia.com remains in third place, 110 miles behind the leader. -- Event website: http://www.clipper-ventures.co.uk/2006/ * The CupInfo website (www.cupinfo.com/) reported the America's Cup Challenger's Commission latest meeting, just concluded in San Francisco, addressed a number of issues, some procedural and some offering a glimpse into the give-and-take between stakeholders. Sliding keels and centerboards are definitely out, more advertising on the boats is likely on the way, questions about the permitted number of sails and downwind "pumping" and other regattas rules are being clarified. Particularly notable is that the challengers spurned an offer by Alinghi to exchange GPS data between opponents during match races. . For details: http://www.challengercommission.com/ * Now that US Sailing has announced that Sally Barkow, Paige Railey, and Anna Tunnicliffe are the nominees for the 2005 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award, we are polling the 'buttheads on who they think will win. Click on the link to vote and provide comments: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/05/1215 * Nice big northerly winds greeted the sailors in Port Phillip Bay as the third day of Sail Melbourne's Formula Windsurfing World Championship got underway at Elwood Sailing Club in Victoria, Australia. Two further races were sailed by early afternoon with Allison Shreeve (AUS) maintaining her lead after five races, whilst Wojtek Brzozowski (POL) takes over the open top spot. North Americans Seth Besse (USA), Jimmy Diaz (ISV) Devon Boulon (ISV) currently stand at sixth, seventh and eighth in the Open championship. -- http://www.sailmelbourne.com.au/events/2 * Correction - A recent announcement for US-IRC Gulf Stream Series incorrectly stated that there were two Caribbean events in the series. However, with the addition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta (March 3-5) there are now three events in the series -- the other two being the Rolex International Regatta in St. Thomas (March 24-26) and the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival (March 27-April 2). The US-IRC Gulf Stream Series Notice of Series is available at http://www.us-irc.org/ HERE, THERE, & EVERYWHERE Coast to coast, border to border, and around the world: whether patrolling our waters, officiating regattas, or coaching our children, Ribcraft RIBs prove themselves day in and day out. Whether you're looking for a coach boat, a racing tender, or a boat to cruise around in when not sailing, now's the time to see for yourself what safety professionals and yacht clubs already know. As you begin making plans for the 2006 sailing season, be sure to visit the Ribcraft website to see how a Ribcraft RIB will work for you. Taking orders today for spring delivery. http://www.ribcraftusa.com/sailing 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. 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. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Peter Huston: When I was Race Administrator for Balboa YC, there was a young sailor fresh out of college, who had just been part of the #1 ranked team - Nick Scandone. Nick had the typical southern California laid back attitude - and he wanted to go to the Olympics. Several bright and thoughtful club members, led by Past Commodore John Cazier, figured out a way to support Nick and several other prospective Olympians. Nick worked his butt off, won the '91 470 NA's in conditions that would have tested the patience of Job. He didn't win the Trials, but he learned a lot. And a lot of us learned a lot watching Nick practice and prepare for the Olympics. But there is nothing that almost any one of us could practice or prepare for like Nick has to every day when he wakes up now. Several years ago he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. He could wallow in misery and self-pity every day - but instead, he focuses on the positive, and works toward making the US Olympic team in the 2.4 meter class - and wins that World Championship this year. Next time you think you are having a bad day, think about Nick's day, and look at his accomplishment this year. Whether he gets the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award or not, Nick Scandone is a champion for the ages. We should all aspire to emulate the gracious dignity with which he pursues life, still with that constant grin on his face. * From Grant Chyz (re Rolex Yachtsman of the Year short list): Mike Ingham took fifth place at the J/24 Nationals, not first. Chris Snow sailing Bogus won the regatta. See http://www.j24nationals.org/results.htm * From Peter O. Allen, Sr.: I wonder if any other old racing boat has inspired the number of knowledgeable letters to 'Butt as Finnisterre. It's a huge compliment to Carlton Mitchell, his skilled and dedicated crew, and to Sparkman & Stephens that this magical yacht was such a huge success. And it's an amazing statement that an exact replica of Finnisterre is currently under construction in Brazil. Congratulations to all involved - then and now. * From Donald Brewster: Take a look at the Finisterre crew pictures for the Bermuda Race and you'll see one of the most important factors in her success: a solid bunch, any of whom capable of mounting a winning effort and none a burden when the going got tough - big names who still acted with modesty: truly the "dream team." * From Ken Guyer (re Alex Stout in Butt 1988 answers Mike Dale's lamenting the loss of nationalism in the America's Cup by saying, "the sports changed, get over it"): Not so easy Alex, and it's not the sport we are talking about, it's a historic event within the sport. The single event that brings our sport to not only the sailors, but the general public. An event that has pitted designer and sailor from one country against designer and sailor from another. The oldest sporting trophy there is. Steeped in traditional national battles that have made a major impact on the history of yacht racing. Why did Alan Bond pursue so doggedly the right to claim the Cup for Australia? Why was the loss of the Cup such big sporting news in 1983? Who can forget the greatest comeback in our sport when Dennis and his team of Americans fought to return the Cup to our shores in 1987? When in our sport did ma and pa from Podunk, Arkansas stay up till early morning watching a yacht race on TV taking place on the other side of the world, and for no other reason than to cheer on the National Team? Yes, the event is moving into another chapter in its history. I'm still not sure it's good for the America's Cup to get rid of the nationalism. It was a reason for those who were not involved in the sport to become involved. It's something that cannot be dismissed with a simple "get over it". Lance Armstrong was cheered by all nations as a courageous comeback athlete. He's cheered by this nation as an American hero. * From Alfred Poor (re the observation that one sign that you've (finally) grown up is if you keep more food than beer in the refrigerator): We have no beer in our kitchen refrigerator. We have a whole separate refrigerator in the "pantry" to hold the beer. (And the frozen mugs and glasses.) It may not be a sign of growing up, but isn't there some maturity in knowing your priorities? Working on the second half of my first century, and still wondering what I'll be if I grow up… Curmudgeon's Comment: Have a good weekend, Alfred. CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL Banging a corner is like kissing your cousin. It seems like a good idea at the time but it is always wrong Special thanks to Doyle Sails and Ribcraft RIBs. |
