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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 781 - March 27, 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 and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome. ON THE WIND IN 2025 As the fleet of one-design Eagles hit the starting line, bow sensors light up a display on the race committee boat showing that three competitors have jumped the gun. The over-early buzzers sound their alarm until the three return to start properly. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet of 40-footers sprints up the course toward a header, six-tenths of a mile away, indicated by the wind-reading machine in the cockpit. From a sensor on the mast, the machine sends a laser signal upwind to measure the oncoming direction and speed of dust particles, thereby allowing the crew to know in advance what the wind will do. Using a handheld remote in the cockpit, the tactician can vary the range of the signal. These 40-footers sail upwind at 12 knots and tack through a 50-degree true wind angle. Courses are longer than they were in 2000 because the boats cover so much distance in a short period of time. This performance is, in part, a combination of an advanced, spreader-less mast foil and the canard keel configuration developed during the 2012 America's Cup--now standard on all grand-prix one-designs. * The trend toward one-design racing, which grew out of frustration over handicap systems in the late 20th century, has continued unabated. Typically in club-level racing, race organizers now adjust handicaps within the one-design fleets to factor in personal performance, creating a widespread system of individual handicapping. All professional racing, however, takes place in open, level classes that use box rules to allow for development. In 2025, most yacht clubs own their own one-design fleets, and members can check out boats on an hourly basis. With the price of gas now well over $5.00 per gallon, sailing is in vogue. Young people, enthusiastic about competition in a natural environment, have taken up sailing in a big way, and you'll be glad to know that personal watercraft, which marred the waterways at the turn of the century, have been outlawed in most harbors. Sailboats are faster, less fragile, and more fun. Thanks to continued development of teaching aids, such as the simulators, sailors' skills have improved dramatically. Yet one thing remains unchanged--the passion to enjoy the freedom of using the wind to cross harbors, bays, and oceans. Gary Jobson, Sailing World magazine, www.sailingworld.com Full story: http://jobson.softstone.net/ THE RACE Team Legato showed a 120-mile lead over the quickly repaired Warta
Polpharma yesterday, with a little more than 3,000 miles to go. It is
entirely significant that both of these are older boats, and the three
giant cats now finished in Marseilles were all purpose-built for this
event. It's a feather in Gilles Ollier's cap that he designed all three.
But considering the number of crew injuries in this fleet-including spinal
complaints-you'd have to figure that The Race has not only raised the game
for speed, it's lowered the physical threshold to something akin to bull
riding. Oh well, nobody calls it yachting anymore. - Sail magazine website, HIRING IMS LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON leweck@earthlink.net * From: Donal McClement, Chairman of the Race Committee, Ford Cork Week.
cby@eircom.net We receive about a 25 to 30% return rate and over the years we have had numerous very useful comments and suggestions on how to improve the product we offer the entrant. These suggestions have covered all aspects of the event from the provision of additional changing facilities to ideas on how to improve the types of racecourses that we lay during the week. I have no doubt that this feedback has helped us to continue to improve the regatta and maybe attract some more US sailors to our shores in 2002 when the dates are 13th to 19th July. * From: Ken Morrison KLMorrison@compuserve.com 2002 TRANSATLANTIC CHALLENGE Atlantic's nearly century-old record has never been beaten by a yacht starting in an officially sanctioned race. The Transatlantic Challenge will be sailed under the auspices of the International Sailing Federation's World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). The WSSRC will recognize as a new racing record any Transatlantic Challenge entrant's time that beats Atlantic's. Electronic timing will be used; although, a WSSRC observer will be on site at the Lizard if it is clear that the record of Atlantic will be broken. Among other new developments, all pre-race and social activities will occur at Harbour Court, the on-the-water clubhouse of the NYYC in Newport, R.I. As many as 30 superyachts, from 85 to 200 feet, are expected to gather in Newport. The fleet will be assigned to three divisions, using the following guidelines: Classic Division - Design date or design concept of 1950 or earlier, heavy displacement, gaff or classic rig; Spirit of Tradition Division - Design or significantly modified design date of 1951 or later, moderate-to-heavy displacement, moderate draft and moderate sail area-to-displacement; Performance Cruising Division - Modern design, moderate to-light-displacement, deep draft, moveable water ballast, composite hull construction, high sail area-to-displacement. All divisions will be handicapped under a modified NYYC Cruising Rule, as they were in 1997 when the inaugural event, also sponsored by Rolex, hosted 16 superyachts from 85 to 183 feet. As previously announced, the 2002 event will include an extension of the race beyond the Lizard to the Needles, off the western end of England's Isle of Wight. Recently discovered historic records indicate that the Needles had been the 1905 race's original finish line until it was shortened to the Lizard. Atlantic continued in all-out racing mode to the Needles to post an elapsed time of 13 days, 10 hours and 15 minutes, which officials also will compare with the time of the first yacht to complete the extended course (approximately 3,200 nautical miles). Rolex Steel or Gold Submariners, as well as trophies, will be awarded to winners. - Michael Levitt, www.nyyc.org THE BASICS OF DOING THE BOW Jibes in heavy air are usually the most difficult jibes to pull off, and they can also be the most photogenic. The boat barely needs to turn and the spinnaker barely rotates, but the boom and the spinnaker pole need to switch sides, both of which can happen almost effortlessly or with great difficulty. Often, all of this can occur at once, setting up a domino effect where bad things happen one after the other. The secret here is to perform the maneuver while the boat is moving fast, which often means while surfing down a wave. When the boat is going fast in this fashion, the apparent wind is reduced, which in turn reduces the loads on the boat, sails, and equipment. It's ultimately up to the helmsman to pick the spot, and call for the jibe, but this is a maneuver where the bow person truly earns his or her keep. As the boom gets thrown across, the spinnaker pole should be unloaded and therefore easily detached from the mast, snapped onto the new guy, and then back on the mast. This maneuver for the bow person is really no different than the moderate-air jibe. If you've perfected that, the heavy-air jibe is the same, just faster. The difficult part usually comes at the end of the jibe, when the bow crew needs to get the pole back on the mast, but the load on the pole surges almost exponentially. Be patient, and hopefully if the boat's heading is dead-downwind and the spinnaker is squared, the pole won't be needed immediately. If you don't get the pole reattached before it loads up, just hold on to it and wait for the next wave so that you can get the pole back on the mast when the sail isn't so loaded up. If a more pressing situation develops for some reason, ask loudly and clearly for help. Usually it just takes an adrenaline-fired burst in the heat of the moment and an extra hand from the person behind you to complete this job. - Rich Bowen, SailNet website, http://www.sailnet.com/ CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENT SAILBOAT RACING WITH GREG FISHER FREE STUFF US SAILING SNIPE WINTER CIRCUIT The final results are posted at http://snipe.org/circuit2001/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Peter Gilmour THE CURMUDGEON'S OXYMORONS |
