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SCUTTLEBUTT 3394 - Friday, July 29, 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: Interlux and APS. SPANISH CASTLE TO WHITE NIGHT Spanish Castle to White Night is Mark Chisnell's account of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. This extract of the book tells what happened when the leaders rounded the northern tip of Taiwan, in the horrific leg four battle to get to Qingdao: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, those at the front of the fleet, several hundred miles further north, reached lighter winds off the east coast of Taiwan. But it wasn't over yet; the Dragon Kings had one final test before they would let them escape the Kuroshio. A heaving swell was the clue. There was breeze somewhere, and it turned out that it was just around the corner from the northern tip of Taiwan. Telefonica Blue hit it first, and Jonathan Swain could only reflect afterwards on how fortunate they had been that it was daylight and they could see the change coming. Within minutes they were sailing under just the storm jib again, with the mainsail lashed to the boom. Behind them in second place, Ericsson 3 wasn't quite so fortunate. They had already had to repair their mainsail once, and when this second storm hit, the sail split again. All hands were called on deck to take it down and get it below to where the sailmakers were setting up the sewing machine. Bowman Martin Krite was sitting on the boom to wrestle the sail free of the mast when the word came up from below, "We're taking on water." Those are words no one ever wants to hear on a yacht, but particularly a yacht already hard pressed in a storm. Immediately, they turned downwind and while the others secured the mainsail, the watch captain, New Zealand veteran Richard Mason, went below to have a look. When he opened the door to the forward watertight compartment, a grim tide spilled out. Ten days of rubbish had been stored in the bow in plastic trash bags that had now burst. A filthy, knee-deep morass of food wrappings, baby wipes and other human detritus flowed aft. Mason and the boat captain, Jens Dolmer, pushed their way into the pitch-black stink of the forward compartment to try and locate the hull fissure. Disgusting as they were, the smell and the instant squalor weren't the problem. The rest of the crew had to bale the water out, but there was no chance of the pumps working for more than a few seconds at a time, because all the rubbish swilling around would have instantly clogged the filters. Martin Krite and his mates set to with the buckets, but it was a losing battle. The water came in a lot faster than they could bale it out. The emergency grab-bags were hauled out of the lockers, along with the survival suits. Then, inspiration: they tore the plastic mesh holdall that the kitchen utensils were stored in off the bulkhead and put the pump inside it. It worked; safe from the trash, the pumps started to help the men with buckets hold back the sea, until finally they found the hole. It looked to have been punched upwards from the outside, as though they had crashed into something hard floating in the water. Mason stuck his boot into the gap and slowed the flow right down, while Krite and the others kept baling. Eventually, the water came under control. The lid was cut off the engine box and, when the water was almost gone, a section was stuck over the hole with waterproof glue. But a short examination told them they weren't safe yet. A large area of the carbon-fibre hull panel was cracked, and had separated from the layer underneath. The hull was flexing about 15 centimetres as they surged over the waves... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race begins October 29th. To relive the last edition of the race, 'Spanish Castle to White Night' is now available in an eBook - available at all good eBook retailers, and for the Kindle at Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/kindle-072811 ADD THIS PROGRAM TO YOUR QUEUE A new weekly (video) magazine program 'America's Cup Uncovered' is designed to connect viewers with the people, places and stories that are the backbone of the America's Cup. Featuring behind-the-scenes sneak-peeks, athlete profiles and up-close action on and off the water, 'America's Cup Uncovered' will take an in-depth look at the 34th edition over the next two years, offering an exclusive window into one of the most prestigious events in sport. With more than 90 weekly programs planned, the first episode will feature a variety of segments that will set the stage for future 'America's Cup Uncovered' episodes: - The show begins with a focus on the complete reinvention of the America's Cup, as the sport drives towards the future. - Viewers will be introduced to the new home of the America's Cup - San Francisco - and how the natural amphitheater of the San Francisco Bay is setting the stage for the Cup's transformation. - Up close and personal with James Spithill (Australia) of ORACLE Racing, the youngest skipper to ever win the Cup, and what a typical "day at the office" entails, with eyes always set on defending his team's win. - A preview of Cascais, the site of the inaugural America's Cup World Series, which is the new professional circuit bringing the America's Cup experience to port cities around the globe. - And finally, a visit to the past, with a visit to Auckland, New Zealand, where locals recall their Cup experience and how the oldest trophy in international sport helped rebuild and modernize their city's waterfront. Each episode is 30-minutes in duration, and available from 08:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 15:00 GMT on Saturdays, each week. Each episode is available online for seven days, until the next episode is aired each Saturday, and from select international broadcasters, including... read on: http://tinyurl.com/AC-072811 MORE: Streaming video of the America's Cup World Series events in Cascais, Portugal (Aug. 6-14), Plymouth, UK (Sept 10-18) and San Diego, USA (Nov 12-20) will be available online at the America's Cup website. Exact times for the Cascais event to be announced next week. -- http://www.americascup.com/en/Discover/Race-Format/The-AC-World/ INTERLUX ON YOUTUBE For yacht paint product info and application how-to's, tune into the Interlux Yacht Paint Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/interluxyachtpaint DATA USAGE MAY DETERMINE WINNER As a former Volvo Ocean Race navigator, Marcel van Triest knows that getting the weather wrong means blowing your chances of victory. The Dutchman will supply a smarter, more streamlined system for the teams during the 2011-12 edition, when weather data analysis could provide the best hope of a competitive edge. The 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race is shaping up to be an almighty tussle, with the key challengers prepared to battle it out with top-tier crews in latest-generation Volvo Open 70s. If the race is as close as most observers expect, it will only put more pressure on the navigators to get the most out of the weather data being made available. In 2008-09, race organisers sent all competitors the same GRIB file every six hours. This was both a heavy file to download and a package too big to be used in its entirety. This time around, Van Triest is offering the Volvo Ocean Race a different weather solution. An experienced sailor - he took part in the race five times - he has developed a way for the navigators to access and download GRIB files that will give teams forecasts where they actually want them, the way they want them. "What we provide is an interface between the end user and the data so that it's easy and reliable to get access to those large data sets," he explains. "That's why we're here now, supplying that in a closed environment to the competitors. They all have access to the same data but they can decide how much they want, one week, three days, I want this area, that area... "As far as the data availability is concerned, the competitive edge is not really there any more. So the competitive edge is now found in the way people use the data and interpret it." So why is the data so important to the Volvo Ocean Race? "Racing is a continuous quest to find the next bit of wind, which we need to move the boats," Van Triest explains. "The most stressful moment for a navigator is not when the conditions are strong and the adrenaline is going. The most stressful time is when there is no wind and you don't know where the other guys are. You'll be completely paranoid that they have found a bit of wind and it will be hard to get back." With the race gearing up to be so tight, Van Triest expects a cautious approach from the leading challengers at the start of the race, with more aggressive tactics to come later on. If the boats remain on equal terms, with no significant breakages and with equally competitive crews, it will be all about the best use of the data. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-072811 ADMIT IT...WE'VE ALL DONE IT! Once upon a time there was a famous sea captain. This captain was very successful at what he did; for years he guided merchant ships all over the world. Never did stormy seas or pirates get the best of him. He was admired by his crew and fellow captains. However, there was one thing different about this captain. Every morning he went through a strange ritual. He would lock himself in his captain's quarters and open a small safe. In the safe was an envelope with a piece of paper inside. He would stare at the paper for a minute, and then lock it back up. After, he would go about his daily duties. For years this went on, and his crew became very curious. Was it a treasure map? Was it a letter from a long lost love? Everyone speculated about the contents of the strange envelope. One day the captain died at sea. After laying the captain's body to rest, the first mate led the entire crew into the captains' quarters. He opened the safe, got the envelope, opened it and. The first mate turned pale and showed the paper to the others. Four words were on the paper, two on two lines: Port Left, Starboard Right Courtesy of Boats on TV: http://boatsontv.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/sailing-jargon/ SCUTTLEBUTT ARCHIVES Since 1998, every Scuttlebutt newsletter has been archived on the Scuttlebutt website. If you missed an issue, or are looking for an old news item, you can find it in the Scuttlebutt Archives. A Google search tool on the website is there to assist. Here is the link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archivedMonth.asp?year=2011 A WORLD TITLE - A PINK STICKER Buzios, Brazil (July 28, 2011) - The Chilean team of Tito Gonzalez sailing with his son, Diego and Cristian Herman mathematically clinched the 2011 International Lightning Class Association (ILCA) World Championship today with a day to spare. In winds building from 14 to 20 knots, Team Gonzalez rolled through the 30 boat fleet with two bullets, capping a series with seven out of eight top three finishes. With the Championship to conclude Friday with one final race, the focus now turns toward second place with three team in contention. The Brazilian team of Claus Biekarck, Gunner Ficker and Marcelo Batista da Silva currently sit in second with 22 points, Americans David Starck with his wife Jody and Ian Jones are in third with 24 points and Thomas Sumner, Felipe Brito and Fillipe Gil from Brazil are in 4th with 25 points. The past two weeks, teams from eight different counties have been competing in the ILCA South American, International Masters' and World Championships. Many of the teams have chosen to bear a small pink sticker on their transom. This gesture is in remembrance of Olivia Constants, a talented young lady who lost her life a few weeks ago in a tragic sailing accident in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. -- Full story: http://www.lightningclass.org/racing/results/2011/worldsreportday5.asp #1 HANDS ON RULE TO MAXIMIZE YOUR GAME Wear gloves that fit. Measure the circumference of your hand to pick your size. Folks with long fingers, you might have to cut the fingertips off. Do it. Your life will be so much better when your grip is as good as Gold when you tail line, hoist that sail, bring the spinnaker over in a gybe - if there's extra room in the palm, you'll feel the line give. APS favorites include Gill's Pro Gloves and Atlas Grip Gloves. You'll find size charts for these and more at APS, The World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors. Get a Grip! -- http://bit.ly/APSgloves FINDINGS ANNOUNCED FOR FATAL ACCIDENT (July 27, 2011) - A police investigation into a sailboat accident that killed a 73-year-old man and his middle-aged son last spring during a group outing on San Diego Bay concluded that the vessel capsized because it was overloaded and improperly maintained and equipped, authorities reported Wednesday. The safe occupancy limit of the 26-foot 1988 MacGregor-model boat was exceeded by the 10 people aboard when it tipped over on the evening of March 27, according to the San Diego Harbor Police Department. All the passengers, some of them with disabilities, wound up in the water. Passing boaters helped pull the other victims, including three children, from the 55-degree water. Seven were injured, at least one seriously. The pilot of the sailboat during the ill-fated outing was George Saidah, founder of Heart of Sailing, a Bloomington, Ind.-based nonprofit agency that offers boating experiences to special-needs children and adults as education and recreational therapy. -- KUSI, full story: http://tinyurl.com/KUSI-072811 PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include blatant favoritism, retro fashion, good old days, international affairs, technology, and daysailing. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0729/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK One of sailing's best spectator events have returned! On August 3-4, 2011, St. Francis Yacht Club will once again host the Laser Heavy Weather Slalom. The course is short, two parallel rows, four buoys each, starting in front of the club and heading upwind along the shoreline for only about 200 yards. In short, all the action is easily seen, with 32 elite Laser sailors competing in a double elimination series for the honor of joining the small pantheon of luminaries who can say they have won this event. And because it's in San Francisco, the wind will blow, so disaster is certain to be on display. This week we have two classic videos from past events, and this year's event is being videotaped for a future Video of the Week. Click here for this week's video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/11/0729/ BONUS: This week's "World on Water" Global Sailing News Report includes the Audi MedCup TP 52's Sardinia Cup in Cagliari Italy, Abu Dhabi's "Azzam" their 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race, Farr Volvo Open 70, the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek in Thailand, 2011 Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series from Malcesine, Italy, 2011 Panerai British Classic Week from Cowes, Isle Of Wight, England. Join Sarah McAvenna for this week's sailing report on http://www.boatson.tv from 1200 BST Friday July 29.11 SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.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 Michael Martin, America's Cup Project Director: There were a number of errors in the Bay Citizen story titled 'Defending Against The Spread Of The Scourge' that was carried in Scuttlebutt 3393. Contrary to the content and tone of that article, planning and the environmental review process for the 34th America's Cup are proceeding normally, and as planned. Below is a point-by-point summary of the article's errors: 1) AC is not "stalled" -- it is proceeding per plan and on time. 2) Regulators have not refused to issue permits. 3) The RWQCB permit application was not rejected. 4) The incomplete application letter asked for four items to be submitted to consider the application complete. The four items are: a) the address of the ACEA, b) indication of the type of 404 permit being sought and a copy of the 404 federal permit application, c) additional information on compensatory mitigation measures d) a check for $817. No additional information regarding invasive species was requested by the RWQCB to consider the application complete. BACKGROUND: Michael works for the Office of Economic and Workforce Development for the City and County of San Francisco, and is the project director for the City on AC34. * From John Yeigh: I mistakenly thought it was your April Fools issue when reading that a regulator (in Scuttlebutt 3393) is requiring additional risk mitigations from spectator boats potentially spreading seaweed. Maybe the additional risk mitigation should include locking up all the local sea creatures in jail so that they also do not contribute to the spread of undesired seaweed organisms. No wonder governments cannot balance budgets. * From John Sweeney: Regarding the thread on 'RRS 32 - Abandoning After The Start' as pertains to Mr Overton's original point, I have had multiple levels of experience which I consider relevant to the topic (experience with contract law, as a certified PRO who needed to abandon a race for RC error, and as a sole finisher having been on the losing end of a decision to abandon). I offer this thought: 32.1(c) should, in lieu of extenuating circumstance (space ships, poor sportsmanship, etc.), supersede 32.1(e). Which is to say, if conditions might allow or have allowed one or more boats to finish a race then it has been fairly sailed and results should stand. Reacting to weather and luck are parts of the game and participation comes with accepting each. * From Tom Donlan: The idea that a jury cannot decide to hold a hearing even though a protest flag was not flown is the real problem in his tale. The jury should be empowered to search for justice (or the closest thing possible) in any situation that comes to its attention. The intent of flying a flag is to notify protested yachts that they may have broken a rule, not to create an arbitrary hurdle for protesting yachts. The boats that would have been protested for sailing the wrong course were not any worse off because the protesting boats did not fly flags. If a race officer can abandon a whole race--apparently without a hearing in this case--surely a jury should be empowered to dispense with procedural requirements to hold a hearing. -- Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12303#12303 CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The first 90 percent of the task takes 90 percent of the time. The last 10 percent takes the other 90 percent. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Harken - Hall Spars & Rigging - North Sails Melges Performance Sailboats - Southern Spars - The Pirates Lair Quantum Sails - J Boats - New England Ropes - Ullman Sails - Interlux - APS Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
