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SCUTTLEBUTT 3407 - Wednesday, August 17, 2011Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Doyle Sails, Atlantis WeatherGear, and Lewmar. SURVIVING TO TELL THE STORY OF RAMBLER 100 It was Monday (Aug. 15), and the Juan K designed Rambler 100 had but 265 miles remaining in the 608 mile Fastnet Race. They had just rounded the infamous Fastnet Rock, and needed to complete a short 7 mile beat before they could turn left and enjoy the hayride home. But then, at 5:45pm UK time, the unthinkable happened: the keel bulb broke off. Here Rambler 100 navigator Peter Isler shares his story from onboard: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In 23 knots of wind, we were headed upwind after rounding Fastnet, and heard the big bang. The boat immediately flipped to 90 degrees, and within 30 seconds it turned turtle. Five people got separated from the boat. They luckily all had life jackets and were able to stay together. The remaining 16 crew were able to stay with the boat, three of which did the dry walk onto the overturned hull. Everyone had their own harrowing story to get up on the hull. We then waited almost three hours, during which time we saw the Farr 100 Leopard go by maddeningly close and the Volvo 70s pass by at a little greater distance. Then a lifeboat came out, which was responding to one of the two personal EPIRBs that Mick Harvey and I had carried in our pockets. But they came maddeningly close but did not see us. After they did a search pattern for about 45 minutes they found us. We then notified the rescue team of the five crew that were separated from the boat, which a second rescue boat then located. Everyone was extremely cold, which included owner George David and his partner Wendy Touton, who was hypothermic and was airlifted for treatment. The remaining twenty of us were then taken to the incredible Baltimore Sailing Club where in very short order the club members had put together a dinner, a stack of dry clothes, and two nice big houses to accommodate us, and the most incredible small town welcome you could ever hope to get. On determining the problem... It was immediately apparent what happened. Despite being in the nav station, I could easily tell that the boat was on its side. It couldn't be anything else but a keel issue. Luckily I had all my gear on, including my lifejacket. I immediately called mayday on the main ship's radio, but I didn't get a response, so I picked up the handheld and started calling. The sails and rig had helped to keep the hull on its side, but during this second call the boat turtled. I am still in the nav station, with a big jump and a swim to go. Luckily, there was an air bubble in the cockpit, so when I exited the hatch I was able to get a final breath before my big swim out from under the boat. I knew I had to get really deep because the boat was going up and down in the waves, and I had to clear the lifelines. I swam for all I was worth, but once I was clear of the lifelines I had ran out of air. All I had to do now was surface, but I was so weighted down with my gear that the life jacket was not pulling me up too fast. I finally saw two dark shapes, and reached for what turned out to be boots. As I did, a hand reached out and Andrew Taylor pulled me up and I grabbed one of the nicest breaths of air I have ever had. Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/11/0816/ Video with skipper Erle Williams: http://tinyurl.com/Fastnet-081611 * (August 16, 2011) - While the multihull record fell last night to Maxi Banque Populaire (FRA), so earlier this morning the monohull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race was also demolished. Surprisingly the new record went not to Mike Slade's 100 foot supermaxi ICAP Leopard (GBR), which had established the record of 1 day, 20 hours, and 18 minutes in 2007, but the smaller Volvo Open 70 Abu Dhabi (UAE), skippered by double Olympic silver medallist, Ian Walker. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/Fastnet-081611a DOYLE EXPANDS! Doyle Sailmakers is pleased to announce the addition of Ulf Tjernberg / DOYLE SWEDEN and Bob Kettenhofen / DOYLE NEWPORT BEACH. Bob Kettenhofen most recently operated as Kettenhofen Marine in Costa Mesa, California. Ulf Tjernberg brings 11 years of sailmaking experience to Doyle, operating as part of Grandsegal in Sweden for the past 3 years. With the addition of Doyle lofts in Sweden and Southern California, Doyle continues to expand its unparalleled, comprehensive service worldwide. To contact your local Doyle loft, call 800-94-DOYLE or visit http://www.doylesails.com HOPING THERE'S A WETASS GENE By Tim Zimmermann, Sailing World "Hey, Dad, are we winning?" my 6-year-old son, Jamie, asked me quietly, his face conspiratorial and hopeful in equal measure. We were sailing a small dinghy called a Topaz in the beautiful harbor of a small fishing village in Ireland called Glandore. I looked around. We were inside boat in a leading group of three headed toward the leeward mark, so it looked pretty good. "We might be," I answered. "But you never know what might happen in a sailboat race." As it turned out, we managed to hang on and crossed the line first. It was his first victory, and also his first race. He was thrilled - in part because I'd told him we could capsize the boat on the way into the harbor if we won a race. I was happy, too. I want him to love sailing, and figure it can't hurt to experience the suspense and excitement of doing well in a sailboat race. Of course, it's not always possible to do well. Or sail in fair winds, or in the sun. So as much as we may try to instill a love of the water in our kids through good times on the water, you also have to hope that they simply have a Wetass gene - that no matter how wet and cold they get, or what sort of bad luck the gods of sailboat racing might try to inflict on them, something inside them makes them want to get out there for more. Parents who sail put a lot of pressure on themselves to introduce their kids to boating, trying to make each experience on the water a perfect combination of fun and excitement. But being on the water is partly about weathering the hard times and figuring stuff out for yourself, and maybe parents should simply stop worrying so much, chuck their kids in a boat whenever they can, and walk away. If there's a Wetass gene, that's the way to cultivate it.-- Read on: http://www.sailingworld.com/blogs/racing/hoping-theres-a-wetass-gene VERSUS IS BAAACK Following the very first America's Cup World Series event last week in Cascais, Portugal, race fans in the United States will now be able to view an America's Cup World Series highlight program for each of the 2011 AC World Series events, beginning August 16, 2011 at 11 p.m. ET on VERSUS. The 50-minute highlight program will feature highlights from each AC World Series event, including the tight action of the AC Match Race Championship, the high-octane AC500 Speed Trial and the winner-takes-all race on the final Sunday that crowns the overall event champion. TV schedule on Versus: ACWS Cascais, August 16 at 11:00 P.M. ET ACWS Plymouth, September 18 at 7:00 P.M. ET ACWS San Diego, November 22 at 5:00 P.M. ET Full report: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=235 TRENDERS All sports are rooted in history. While the sport of sailing has evolved far more than field-type sports, it still remains deeply connected to the people who helped shape it. One of those people is Juliette Clagett McLennan, creator of the Clagett Regatta and a true visionary on the Newport sailing scene. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How did the Clagett Regatta come about? The Clagett was started in 2003 at the suggestion of Newport resident Robie Pierce, who suggested that my daughter, Stephanie, and I start a living memorial for my late father in the form of a Sailing Clinic and Regatta to assist sailors with disabilities. In his late teenage years my dad had viral meningitis which left him temporarily paralyzed. When he recovered he was left with an appreciation of the challenges that folks with disabilities face on a daily basis. This clinic and regatta represents the combination of his love of sailing, and his commitment to help others have the opportunity to "Reach for Success." He lived those 3 words and encouraged others to do the same. Thus the Clagett came about to help those who hope to represent the U.S.A. at the international level of sailing including the Paralympics. The dates of this year's Clinic and Regatta are August 20 - 23rd. It will be sailed out of Sail Newport, Rhode Island's public sailing center. I encourage everyone to look at the Clagett Web site and in particular watch the 2 videos. The videos will give you a strong understanding of what this regatta does and what it means to people. Why Newport? Newport is the Capital of Sailing! This is where my late mother, a world-class sailor in her own right, helped to start a junior sailing program at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club in the 1950s. This is where my father started a living memorial for my mother in the form of a clinic and regatta sailed for The Leiter Trophy that subsequently became U.S Sailing's Jr. Women's National Singlehanded Championship. Newport is my family's sailing home Read on at GoLocalProv: http://www.golocalprov.com/lifestyle/trender-sailing-philanthropist/ DISCOVER: GREAT GEAR FOR A GREAT REGATTA Regattas are where the magic happens. Where you run into people you haven't seen since college, but your friendship picks up right where you left off years ago. Where people who are incredibly passionate about our sport spend all day trying to kick the crap out of each other, and then hang out together in the bar making strange hand gestures. Where the meaning of sportsmanship is brought to life by competitors who play the game right. This is what the NYYC Invitational Cup is all about, and Atlantis is proud to be a sponsor of this September's event in Newport. Check out the gear at http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com Discover Your Atlantis GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS ABOUT PICKUP TRUCKS By Norman Schultz, Trade Only Today A standardized way of determining towing capacity as well as higher mileage demands all seemed to descend on pickup trucks last week, leading us to speculate on the future impact to our boating businesses. First, the apparent good news - The Detroit Free Press reported the Society of Automotive Engineers successfully convinced the major vehicle makers to use a single standard test to determine the towing capacity of its full-size pickup trucks. The standard is expected to be fully adopted by the end of 2013, with some makers likely to apply it sooner. Toyota, for example, says it is already using the new standard for its Tundra. Currently, absent an industry standard, each manufacturer uses whatever criteria they want, often embellishing the maximum towing capacity of their pickups (go figure!) For example, one maker might assume only a 150-pound driver is in the truck. But, realistically, the driver is likely heavier and other passengers are probably in the cab, too. Add to that some extra cargo that could be in the bed and it all means the truck's actual towing capacity is lower. This makes it just about impossible for consumers to compare truck towing performances. While other performance criteria, like engine horsepower, are standard across the auto industry, the fact that towing capacity has never been comparable has put our boat sales teams in awkward positions particularly when asked by a prospect about suitable tow vehicles or whether their current vehicle could tow the boat they might buy. But soon, for the first time, our sales teams will be able to offer customers comparable answers. Now the bad news... read on: http://blog.tradeonlytoday.com/dealer_outlook/index.php/?p=637" SAILING SHORTS * A mostly Canadian fleet of 55 teams competed at the 2011 IRC North American Championship, held in Toronto, Canada on August 11-14, 2011. David Ogden and his crew on the J/35 Buckaroo Banzai pulled off a decisive victory in the IRC 2 fleet as well as the overall title. -- Event website: http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=456 * Eight races in the Techno Class and nine in RS:X were completed in medium to light conditions to determine the U.S. Champion in Techno 293 and the East Coast Champion in the RS:X Olympic Class. Held in North Chatham, MA on August 9-11, the Canadians proved particularly quick in these conditions. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12422 * Michael Coxon, an Australian, has a bit of advice for the world-class sailors who will soon be testing the waters of San Francisco Bay in the buildup to the 34th America's Cup in 2013: respect. That's respect not only for one another but even more for the beastly weather conditions that Coxon overcame in his introduction to the lively venue with crew Trent Barnabas and Aaron Links last year. They return to stand as the defending champions in the 10th 18ft Skiff International Regatta next Sunday through Saturday, Aug. 21-26, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12417 * EUROSAF has launched a brand new website as the base for future improved communications and upon which their development of social media and internet communications will be based. It will also incorporate a gateway to the EUROSAF Race Officials' Academy to be launched later in the year, as well as providing services for EUROSAF events in the future. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12420 * (August 16, 2011) - To reflect the advancement of Olympic class sailing in the U.S. and to meet the increased demand from talented sailors to join the US Sailing Development Team (USSDT), US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) announced a new structure for the 2012 USSDT. The team will have two groups: the Olympic Development Team (ODT), focused on performance in Olympic Class equipment; and the Youth Development Team (YDT), focused on performance in the equipment used in the ISAF Youth World Championship. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/USSTAG-081611 * After much deliberation, Senator Kehoe has decided to hold SB 623 - Copper based Anti Fouling Paints - in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It is now a two-year bill and will not be heard in that committee on August 17; however, the Senator plans on moving the bill next year. Over the last couple of weeks, the Senator has received productive input from state agencies, the Governor's office and other sources. The author desires to use the extra time available during the fall to consider that information and continue working with all stakeholders on the bill. -- http://www.rboc.org/ POST YOUR INDUSTRY UPDATES HERE The Marine Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum was created so companies could get guaranteed exposure by posting their own personnel, product and service updates online. In addition to website traffic, Scuttlebutt editors randomly select updates each week to include in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry News updates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news SMASHING THE RECORD Congratulations to the crew of Banque Populaire on smashing the Rolex Fastnet Race multihull record. The Lewmar-equipped 140 foot trimaran completed the race in 32 hours and 42 minutes, setting a new outright record. To find out how Lewmar can give you the race-winning edge, click on http://www.lewmar.com GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Mike Esposito: The AC folks used the everywhere-but-the-U.S.-friendly km/h for their speed run gimmick, the Kiwis on top at 42.5 km/h. So let's translate that for us metric-repulsed Americans, that works out to a little less than 26.5 mph or almost 23 knots. Of course, we want sailing to sound MORE EXCITING, so let's call that 42,500 meters/hour, or even better, a bit over 139,000 feet/hour (why, that's almost 1.7 million inches/hour!!!). Over the weekend I visited Michigan City, Ind., where some go-fasts were zooming around. Talked to a guy with a twin-hulled (oooh . catamaran!) go-fast powered by marine-adapted big-block V-8s. He had been doing some test runs at 70+ knots (nearly 130 km/h) without putting it to the firewall. I'm just sayin'.. * From Mal Emerson: Congrats to Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand, they performed brilliantly throughout the week as did Spithill and Oracle 4. For as little experience as most of the other teams have on the AC 45, they performed admirably as well. The boats aren't just fast, they are quite maneuverable for multi hulls and very physical to sail. The on board cameras and mics reveal the physical exertion required to sail them well. Good crew work is rewarded and mistakes punished heavily. Starts were rather multihull in nature for the fleet races yet looked quite similar to the monohulls in the match races. This was forced quite well by using a short reaching leg right after the start taking advantage of the fast acceleration these boats are capable of while minimizing the effect of wind shifts before the start. Contrary to popular belief among many mono hull sailors, match racing in the multi's is, well .... match racing. In some ways it is different but every bit as complex and interesting to watch. Minor rule changes and the course boundaries give it the same flavor as the monohulls. All the elements and more are there; verything just happens faster. Though the commentary and some of the graphics have a way to go; the visuals, camera work, audio and most of the production was superb. Particularly informative were the course boundaries and the boat tracks superimposed over the live picture of the race. The boats and format were shown very well indeed. I was entertained to say the least. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12418 COMMENT: I was on vacation last week during the ACWS, but have watched enough of the archived footage to note the production improvement during the event. If you gave up watching after the first day - which was a dismal broadcast - you gave up too soon. There is still significant room for improvement, particularly with the use of onboard audio. And they better pray for clear skies as the helicopter footage is vital. When the choppers are grounded, so is the broadcast. -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt editor IS OUR SPORT TOO EDGY? If your ISP is Adelphia or Roadrunner, and you are a subscriber to the Scuttlebutt e-Newsletter, you may be experiencing an interruption in service. Apparently these carriers are cool with providing info about male enhancement products, but are not so cool about delivering sailing news. Is our sport too edgy? We are working to resolve this problem. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION A co-worker will always return to work from lunch early if no one takes him. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Harken - Kaenon Polarized - Team One Newport - North Sails LaserPerformance - Doyle Sails - Atlantis WeatherGear - Lewmar Summit Yachts - Ullman Sails - The Pirates Lair - JK3 Nautical Enterprises Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
