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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 853 - July 10 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
TRANSPAC Philippe Kahn, a, French-born software developer from Santa Cruz, Calif., Monday won it on his second try when he sailed his 75-foot ultralight sloop Pegasus past the finish line off Diamond Head after 8 days 2 hours 34 minutes 3 seconds. Pegasus was an hour and three minutes ahead of Disney's Pyewacket to climax an epochal three-way battle across 2,225 nautical miles from Los Angeles that also included Bob McNulty's boat Chance. Kahn, 49, has been sailing competitively for little more than two years. He surfaced as a major player on the world scene in this event two years ago when he finished fifth in Division 1 in a second-hand boat. This time he had his own boat built with the express purpose of winning Transpac and recruited some of his adopted country's best sailors to help him sail it. The least experienced sailors aboard were Kahn and his 11-year-old son Samuel - nickname "Shark" - who is believed to be the youngest person ever to participate in a Transpac. The 12-person crew included world-class household names such as Mark Rudiger, navigator extraordinaire; Jeff Madrigali, bowman Curtis Blewett, Morgan Larson and Zan Drejes, who won the event's Don Vaughan award as best crewmen on the winning boat with Pyewacket in '99. Disney said, "It was kind of long and slow, but it was three boats glued together. The only time we were out of sight was today." Disney said that in breeze above 20 knots Pyewacket seemed faster, but Robbie Haines, his sailing manager, said, "When we were alongside we could see they were faster. They had a faster boat and did a nice job sailing it. It was great sailing - a 2,300-mile match race. It also was more tactical and less navigational than most Transpacs. One time Pegasus broke away but quickly lost distance and rejoined the other two. "Everywhere we went they went, too," Haines said. The time didn't approach Pyewacket's record of 7:11:41:27 set in the windier previous race in 1999, but it was well under the legendary Merlin's former record of 8 1/2 days that stood for 20 years. Chance, a boat similar to Pegasus, posted the race's third fastest elapsed time, about 1 1/2 hours behind Pyewacket. That's as far apart as the trio ever was after settling into a tense tactical game from the start. All that remained was to determine whether Pegasus would score an uncommon Transpac sweep: best elapsed time, first in class and first overall on corrected time. That hasn't been done since 1993, and the strongest threat to Pegasus is Seth Radow's Bull, a Sydney 40 leading in Division III. If Bull can finish by shortly after Hawaiian sunrise Wednesday, it will beat Pegasus on handicap time, but it needs to maintain its current speed of just under 10 knots over the last 350 miles. - Rich Roberts Class leaders: Division 2: Grand Illusion (Santa Cruz 70), James McDowell (240 miles to go); Division 3: Cantata (Andrews 53), Brent Vaughan (252 mi): Division 4: Bull (Sydney 40 OD-T), Seth Radow (259 mi) Aloha A: Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach (finished) Aloha B: Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff (finished) - www.transpacificyc.org
ABOUT THE WINNER The "sleds" are a very strong and competitive class in California, and Pegasus built by McConaghy in Sydney, Australia is a sister ship to Chance launched late last year. Both are a development of the successful Reichel Pugh sleds Zephyrus and Pyewacket. Weight saving has been of paramount concern throughout the construction of this yacht. Pegasus leads the way in this regard, from the state of the art pre preg carbon skins and nomex core construction, carbon componentry throughout, aluminium fastenings and minimal fitout. SP Technologies UK provided structural engineering for Pegasus and composite materials were supplied by SP Systems in Mona Vale, Sydney. The yacht is entirely constructed from pre-preg carbon fiber with a nomex honeycomb core. Many of the custom made components on Pegasus are also made from pre-preg carbon, such as ultralightweight steering pedestals and wheels built by McConaghy's. Mainstay Marine and Barrenjoey Marine Electrical provided the complex yet effective and lightweight electronics package fitted to Pegasus. This includes a communication station to port and starboard computer linked to the central navigation pod capable of running weather, navigation and email communications simultaneously. - www.boatingoz.com.au/news01/010327.htm
PROVEN SUCCESS...
NEW RULES CAUSE PROBLEMS DOWN UNDER The comments section of local websites and letters to the editor of yachting magazines have been running hot over issues such as "card carrying" membership of a yacht club for all regular racing sailors, and a proposed hefty fee for yacht owners whose boats carry advertising, and in the past week, problems with new regulations on liferafts, a rule in the wake of the Coroner's report into the tragic 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race. The AYF's Racing Rules of Sailing 2001-2004 that irked the punters was the proposed Advertising Licence System for racing yachts, slipped in by the AYF as part of the International Sailing Federation new Advertising Code. Following strong pressure by yacht clubs and yacht owners, the AYF has agreed to suspend the licence fee, which initially could have cost yacht owners between $100 and $850 a year (based on a yacht's length overall) if they carried any form of advertising on their boat's hull, boom or sails. There will now be no charge for craft competing under Category C of the ISAF Advertising Code in Australia this year, allowing advertising on hulls, spars and sails. The decision follows a Special General Meeting of the AYF Federal Assembly last Friday at which each State and Territory Yachting Association (MYA) was represented. The MYAs agreed that, to avoid the need for revenue from the Advertising License System, membership fees they paid to the AYF should be increased in 2002-2003 to ensure the Federation's on-going viability. Yet another change to the Racing Rules of Sailing that came into effect in Australia on July 1 with some problems obviously unforeseen by the bureaucrats of sailing was that requiring that all sailors who compete regularly must be a member of a yacht club. Most sailors fully agree with the concept that everyone who participates should make a financial contribution to the sport, but again there was no consultation at a grass roots level. Many yacht club memberships are currently closed, or they have a waiting list of a year or two, or their fees are really too expensive for the average crew member. It became a matter of sailors looking for a "club of convenience" with a moderate membership fee, yet still providing an essential membership of their State yachting authority. The Yachting Association of New South Wales, headed by ISAF Vice President David Kellett, has taken a practical approach by establishing a Crew Club, with membership at $40 a year for a silver card that includes an insurance coverage and other benefits. So everything seems back on course for smooth sailing Down Under. - Peter Campbell
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Blake Middleton (re the statement that Coutts, the only man to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the America's Cup): Coutts is not the only one. Buddy Melges has won the America's Cup, Olympic Gold, Olympic Bronze, etc etc * From Larry Suter: Buddy Melges won the 1972 Soling Gold and America's Cup with Bill Koch's A/3 effort, the first Olympic Gold/America's Cup dual winner. * From Richard Slater: Now here is someone who loves his sport! No crap, just pure enjoyment. I sit here at work and read his web site and reports on the race and can almost feel the salt spray on my face. Not only does Philippe just do it, he takes us with him ! I think it's great that I can go to his calendar on the web page and see his schedule, this way I know when I will be sailing with the Pegasus crew on their future adventures!! * From Mark Gaudio: I wholeheartedly agree with Bruce C. in Butt # 852... There needs to be a re-work of the penalties awarded to the DNF, DNS, OCS, etc. In fact there needs to be a re-work of the new starting sequence as well, mostly due to the fact that almost every club is administrating it differently. * From Gail M. Turluck: The problem with scoring DNF as number of starters +1 is demonstrated in a huge fleet. At a Sunfish Worlds a few years ago in the outflow of Hurricane Bonnie, one race had approximately 40 of 100 boats start but retire. This was a regatta with a throwout race. Those people crossed the starting line, went in, and were given a score of 61. For the majority who sailed the race and earned their finish, not only were they were physically exhuasted, but they then had to face the fact that the quitters in the majority got to discard an earned finish in other races in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. This is an inequity that is unfair and I'm confident that is why the scoring system was changed. Perhaps there should be some kind of premium for starting, but the "old" way was unfair. In Bruce Cattanach's hypothetical situation ('Butt 852), Yacht A could have sought redress.
FOR THE RECORD
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * July 18-22: Lightning European Championship and International Masters Championship, Circolo Velico Marsala/ Marsala Italy www.lightningclass.org * July 24-29: Lightning World Championship, Circolo Velico Marsala/ Marsala Italy www.lightningclass.org * August 7-10: Lightning Women's, Juniors' and Masters' North American Championships, Malletts Bay Boat Club/Colchester VT www.lightningclass.org * August 11-17: Lightning North American Championship, Malletts Bay Boat Club/Colchester VT www.lightningclass.org
QUOTE / UNQUOTE "The amount I've learned over the last five months has been incredible. It is the same challenges in dinghies but at a different scale and it takes time to get used to it. I'm almost starting from scratch. The only things I've been able to take with me from Lasers is the fitness, the ability to read the wind and the competitiveness and mental attitude which you need in any sport." - Ben Ainslie www.madforsailing.com
TRENDS
TRAVELING FIRST CLASS Among those making the 3,100 nautical-mile voyage for the 150th Anniversary of the America's Cup are twelve America's Cup 12-Meters, including Columbia (1958), Intrepid (1967 and '70) and Freedom (1980) - America's Cup winners. Then there are such historically significant yachts as Ticonderoga, Black Knight, Nirvana and Marilee. Divers will secure the yachts directly above cradles on the submerged deck of Super Servant 3. Next, the ship will be pumped out and slowly rise from the waters of Narragansett Bay, lifting the yachts safely out of the water. Finally, the cradles, holding the yachts, are welded and strapped into place on deck. - Michael Levitt, www.yacht-transport.com.
MARBLEHEAD TO HALIFAX OCEAN RACE Early predictions of 20- to 30-knots breezes had big-boat racers salivating at the prospect of breaking the course record of 33 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds, but an anticipated cold front weakened, bringing lighter-than-expected air. This made a record run unlikely. Still, the boats crossed the line smartly, their red, yellow, green, blue and Day-Glo pink spinnakers adding welcome color to an otherwise gray day. Wind speed was expected to increase to 10 to 15 knots and the favorable south-southwesterly wind direction should last until at least Monday night. After that, however, a cold front will likely pass over the Gulf of Maine, bringing lighter air in its wake. The trick, competing sailors agreed, was to stay ahead of the front. If conditions hold, the first boats should finish some time on Tuesday, with the rest of the fleet completing the course by late on Wednesday. - Keith Taylor, www.bostonyc.org or www.rnsys.com.
SWAN AMERICAN REGATTA Daily reports, photos and results: www.swanregattas.com
EDS ATLANTIC CHALLENGE Kingfisher took an early lead and after just ten miles of racing they had pushed out a decent gap over the chasing pack of Sill, Gartmore and Ecover. Ahead of the sailors lie some of the trickiest sailing conditions with strong currents and busy shipping lanes, and to complicate matters, an ominous weather forecast. Ken Campbell of Commanders Weather, the experts who advise the competitors on weather conditions issued the following warning: "There will be gale force southwesterly winds to over 40 knots as the fleet passes through the Strait of Dover. Seas will build to 10-15 feet. Tuesday night and Wednesday be a very rough period from Dover westward to Portsmouth and the fleet will do well to keep the boats from being damaged as they tack through strong headwinds and high seas." - Meaghan Van Liew, www.eds.com
THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUMS |
