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SCUTTLEBUTT 1886 - July 22, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus A NEW BOX RULE The Storm Trysail Club (STC) has published its Box Rule for the Storm Trysail 65 class. STC Commodore Rich du Moulin (Larchmont, N.Y.) reiterated that the rule promotes a seaworthy, high-performance boat for both inshore and offshore sailing, with tight enough parameters to minimize obsolescence. The Storm Trysail 65 will deliver the look and style of the very popular Transpac 52 but with added capability as an offshore racer. The rule was developed by a technical committee, headed by yacht designer Bill Tripp and a committee that included Bruce Nelson, Jim Pugh, Alan Andrews, Jim Schmicker and Mark Mills. Priorities for the rule included: -- a boat that will have breakout speeds and provide exhilarating sailing in a size range that the owners group feels is "the right size" for offshore racing. --a very tight rule that virtually eliminated boats that would be very different from each other in a range of conditions. Highlights of the Storm Trysail 65 include a very simple fractional rig with non-overlapping jibs, no runners and a very generous sail area. "We anticipate that the boat will be a very good IRC rater due to its simple rig and very low center of gravity," said Tripp. The yacht also will feature optional masthead free-flying genoas for Class Box Rule racing when sailing offshore. As with the Transpac 52, the class does not have a canting keel option, as the owners felt there was ample speed with the very modern design of the Storm Trysail 65 without having to go to the next level of expense and extreme engineering. According to Chairman Eric Kreuter, there will be a set of strict rules and bylaws to accompany the Storm Trysail 65 Box Rule in the very near future. The Rule’s release is timed to give owners enough time to build for the Spring sailing season of 2006, including the Centennial Newport-Bermuda Race. -- Media Pro Int’l, www.stormtrysail.org A GLORIOUS SUNDAY MORNING FINISH? The possibility arose Thursday that the oldest boat in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii could finish within minutes of the fastest boat Sunday. The 68-year-old yawl Odyssey -- currently nearest to the finish at 529 nautical miles -- was projected to finish at 6:20 a.m. HST Sunday, only 13 minutes ahead of Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, currently 995 miles out but averaging 13.5 knots to Odyssey's 7.2 -- and stretching its lead over Roy Disney's Pyewacket from two to 71 miles Thursday. Odyssey leads all 34 boats that started the 2,225-mile race July 11, four days ahead of 20 Division III and IV boats and six days ahead of Morning Glory and 19 other Division I and II boats. It was also learned Thursday that Odyssey skipper Cecil Rossi plans to scatter the ashes of his former sailing partner, Lorenzo "Plazi" Miller, at the finish line. The Commanders Weather forecast indicated better wind south, less to the north, with lighter winds closer to Hawaii. While Morning Glory sailed a steady course toward the finish, Pyewacket -- now 29 miles south of its German rival -- appeared to be deviating day by day. In fact, Thursday's positions placed it six miles behind the other primary rival, Genuine Risk, although Randall Pittman's 90-footer was in a disadvantageous position to the north. Meanwhile, Doug Baker's Magnitude 80, slightly smaller than those boats, logged a 321-mile day -- second only to Morning Glory's 339 -- to move into second place on projected corrected handicap time in Division 1. Pyewacket and Genuine Risk were fifth and sixth, but all four were still on pace to beat the Transpac record of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds set by Disney's former Pyewacket in 1999. On handicap time, Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 52, Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud, the well-traveled Ragtime and Fred Detwiler's Trader were running 1-2-3-4 among the 75 starters. -- Rich Roberts, http://www.transpacificyc.org/ “IT’S LIKE A DISEASE” Sailing from Port Huron to Mackinac isn't easy. It takes months of preparation, precise planning, some money, and a good dose of luck for a successful race. For the more than 3,000 sailors competing in the Port Huron-to-Mackinac race, which starts Saturday, it is more than a pleasure cruise. "It's like an infection, a disease, you have to keep doing it," said Lance Smotherman of Grosse Pointe, who will crew aboard the 50-foot Insatiable on the longer Southampton course. Insatiable finished third in its class in 2004. "I've done this race 21 times, and every time I have to come back for more," Smotherman said. "It gets into your blood. It's the biggest race, the biggest challenge we have in this state. As soon as the race ends, you feel that pull to think about how you can go after winning it the next year." Nearly 300 boats are entered in this year's race, the 81st overall. -- Joanne C. Gerstner, the Detroit News, http://tinyurl.com/ex9zj SEEN AT THE TRANSPAC START: The new Raider 1200 Cabin Rib was unveiled on the Transpac start line. This new Raider Cabin model from Raider Ribs USA acted as the official media boat, catching all the action of the Transpac start. Built to the highest of standards, cruise at 40 knots with twin 250hp Evinrude E-TEC engines. The luxurious interior has berths sleeping 4-6, full galley, refrigerators in the galley and cockpit, and showers in the interior head and transom. A new standard for Cabin Ribs is now at Raider Ribs USA. Call 1-877-7RAIDER for info, and view the Raider 1200 photos at http://www.raiderboat.com PAUL CAYARD (The Daily Sail subscription website interviewed Paul Cayard about his views on the TP52 circuit. The following excerpt is a byproduct of that discussion.) Rumours have been rife for the last couple of months regarding the prospect of Paul Cayard becoming skipper of the Pirates of the Caribbean boat in the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race. If this does come to pass it will be a superb coup for the race. When we met him in Valencia recently Cayard was unable to confirm or deny his role in the event he won at the helm of EF Language in the 1997-8 race. It is believed the Pirates of the Caribbean campaign will be announcing their skipper in early August; their Farr-design Volvo Open 70, The Black Pearl, to be launched by Green Marine later that month. Cayard is also in partnership with Russell Coutts in a new high profile international grand prix fleet racing circuit, but like Coutts he is unwilling to discuss this until such time as the details are finalized. -- The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com Curmudgeon’s Comment: There’s a story about the Volvo Ocean Race posted on the Business Line website right now that states in part, “Veteran sailor Paul Cayard who won the race in 1997-98 leads Team Pirate.” Hmmmm! - http://tinyurl.com/9qdft VOLVO YOUTH WORLDS As the tension continues to build on the penultimate day of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Busan, Korea, a heavy fog made its way onto the race course. Only the Laser Radial and Mistral fleets were able to complete two races today, while the other fleets completed just one race. Paige Railey continues leading the Laser Radial fleet, but Chinese sailor Xu Lijia is inching closer. After Railey added a seventh place finish and a bullet, compared to Lijia's bullet and a sixth, Railey is now five points ahead of Lijia. Royce Weber in the Laser fleet remains in fifth place overall after a 16th place finish today. On the doublehanded race course, 420 Girls Megan Magill and Briana Provancha remain in second place, but the Brazilians (Basilio/Biekarck) are moving in, trailing by just one point. 420 Boys Adam Roberts and Nick Martin are still in fourth overall, just four points away from the third place. With an 8th place finish today, the brothers TJ and Jerry Tullo are still in seventh overall in the Hobie 16 fleet. France has now assured itself of winning the overall team award - the Volvo Trophy - for the third time three times in the last five years. Great Britain is second in the team rankings followed by Spain, USA and Italy. -- http://worldyouthsailingbusan.com SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Day two of the PTPortugal Match Cup, Stage 1 of the 2005-’06 Swedish Match Tour, brought with it strong winds from the north and a flurry of action on the racecourse. Through almost eight hours, the race committee ran 30 matches and completed the round robins for Group B and the Repechage Round on a 20 by 20 day. The northerly blew 20 knots (with gusts up to 25 knots) and featured instantaneous shifts of up to 20 degrees. The day started with Group B contesting its five-flight round robin. Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN), Gram-Hansen Racing, came out on top with a 4-1 record. Their final win against Bertrand Pacé (FRA), BMW Oracle Racing, put the two in a tie for the lead, but gave Gram-Hansen the tiebreaker. Gram-Hansen and Pacé advanced to the quarterfinals along with Ben Ainslie (NZL), Emirates Team New Zealand. The ‘second chance’ round saw Chris Law (GBR), The Outlaws, win with a 4-1 record to advance along with Michael Dunstan (AUS). The quarterfinals are scheduled for tomorrow with Ainslie, Dunstan, Gram-Hansen and Pacé joining Group A advancers Peter Holmberg (ISV), Alinghi, Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Team Finland, and Peter Gilmour (AUS), Pizza-La Sailing Team. -- Sean McNeill, www.swedishmatchtour.com Group B Round Robin (after 5 of 5 scheduled flights): 1. Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) Gram-Hansen Racing, 4-1 2. Bertrand Pacé (FRA) BMW Oracle Racing, 4-1 3. Ben Ainslie (GBR) Emirates Team New Zealand, 3-2 4. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Musto, 3-2 5. Afonso Domingos (POR), 1-4 6. Manuel Marques (POR), 0-5 Repechage Round Robin (after 5 of 5 scheduled flights): 1. Chris Law (GBR) The Outlaws, 4-1 2. Michael Dunstan (AUS), 3-2 3. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Musto, 3-2 4. Hamish Pepper (NZL) Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia Team, 3-2 5. Afonso Domingos (POR), 2-3 6. Manuel Marques (POR), 0-5 “REALLY DANGEROUS ZONE” Subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Council, Thomas Coville and his 60-foot trimaran Sobedo have set a new solo record between Miami and New York of 3 days, 5 hours and 20 minutes. This is the first single-handed attempt on this passage, which Coville described as “a really dangerous zone for a solo sailor. I spent what where possibly the finest 3 hours at the helm of Sodebo, making between 28 and 34 knots non-stop in total freestyle after two days without sleep, he explained. “It was just intoxicating. Three fabulous hours.” Steve Fossett sailed the same course in 2 days and 5 hours in crewed configuration aboard his 125-foot catamaran. Coville will now prepare the boat for an attempt to break the North Atlantic record. - www.sodebo-voile.com NEWS BRIEFS * On Monday, July 25, the Rolex Swan American Regatta will be featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter Across America, a 50-state-in-50-days summer tour of the popular sports news program. SportsCenter Across America begins July 17 and continues for 50 straight days, highlighting a sporting event in a different state each day through September 4. The SportsCenter Across America will originate from a mobile SportsCenter set located within the Rolex Swan American Regatta Village at the Newport Shipyard, in Newport, R.I. The segment will air on the 6pm, 11pm and 1 am (EST) editions of SportsCenter. -- Rolex Swan American Regatta online: www.nyyc.org * 1992 Olympic silver medalist in sailing Kevin Mahaney, 43, a cancer survivor, is cycling each leg of the 2,241-mile, 21-stage Tour de France one day ahead of the competitors' field to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Tyler Hamilton Foundation. For the past year, he's been training 15 hours per week, with his sights set on completing all 2,241 miles of the race. His daily observations are being posted on the website of the Stamford Advocate. -- http://tinyurl.com/8hz5c * Finland’s Nautor's Swan will establish its first-ever U.S. headquarters in Newport, R.I. Company officials say significant investment is earmarked for growth of the company within the U.S. market. Nautor USA, located at the Newport Shipyard near Goat Island, will be responsible for sales and marketing for North America, collaborating with the two independent Nautor's Swan agents based on the west coast, KKMI in San Francisco, and West Coast Yachts Inc. in Seattle, WA. The U.S. headquarters and operations will be run by Steve Barker, Executive Vice President of Sales and Jack Gierhart, Executive Vice President of Marketing. -- www.nautorswan-usa.com * The Hobie 16 NAs started on Wednesday in Ventura Calif. with racing for the Youth and Women’s Championships. Racing was postponed for most of the first day, but on Thursday there was 10-15 knots. Jason and Charles Hess from Guatemala are dominating the Youth fleet with five bullets. In the Women’s division favorites Annie Nelson (CA) and Kathy Kulkowski (NJ) are leading. They finished second at the Hobie Alter Cup last year and were the highest placing women’s team ever at that event. Nelson is also a past Hobie 16 Women’s World Champion. -- http://www.hca-na.org * Ben Ainslie, Olympic gold medal-winning sailor, received an honorary degree from the University of Exeter. http://tinyurl.com/aryh5 CONTEMPORARY SAMSON CLASSICS When redoing your running rigging, don’t forget Samson’s classics: WarpSpeed White and XLS Extra-T. Traditional boats now have the same great performance of the original lines with a look for the ages – white covers. Designed with Dyneema in the cores and 24 strand covers, these lines carry on Samson’s tradition of outstanding performance; a great choice for the discriminating sailor who values both performance and appearance. Ask your rigger for more information on these gorgeous lines. http://www.samsonrope.com 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. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Edward Trevelyan: Is anyone else frustrated with the lack of current position information for the Transpac? The postion chart on the official website leaves much to be desired. For a premier ocean racing event such as this, I would expect that someone might have fired up the available technology to bring armchair admirals closer to the action. I am particularly interested in the battle of the maxis, which is very close and moving at record-setting pace. I appreciate Scuttlebutt's daily reports and interviews, but it would be nice to also have some real-time coverage as is being done with the other major offshore races. Asking too much? * From Peter Huston: If Larry Ellison's management techniques are so bad, then I'd like to know how it is that he built a company the value of which places him as generally the 10th wealthiest guy on the planet. * From James Stevralia, To reply to Hank Evans, we will see if Larry Ellison even attended the Steinbrenner Sports Management School when the AC is over. If he did and he paid attention he will win with class! * From Chip Johns, President, Vanguard Sailboats, (re Mike Ingham’s letter): The cost drivers for these events are the charter and insurance fees for boats used. Chartering and insuring boats is expensive. Other USSA Junior and Youth events enjoy the benefit of Vanguard Sailboats subsidizing the charter and insurance fees for C420s and Lasers. For instance the Youth Champs costs $600 entry plus $350 charter fee for a C420 or $300 entry and $175 for a Laser or Radial (charter fees shared by USSA and Vanguard) or you can byob and skip the charter fee. This event includes 2 days of a 1st class clinic, food, and housing for 7 days. That is $950 for 2 kids to go to a very high level sports camp for a week. (or if you byob it is $600) Seems like an incredible deal to me. Other USSA junior and youth events such as the Bemis, Smythe, Leiter, and Ida Lewis have similar cost structures and similar benefits. The Sears Cup is held in 3 person boats and there is no sponsor that subsidizes the boat supply * From Doug Wilson: I'm sure US Sailing will defend themselves if they are so inclined; my comment is that these events, like most others, are as good - and expensive - as the organizers make them. As I write this, my child is sailing in the Area C Smythe elimination event. To get there, she paid a $20 regatta fee to the (Chesapeake Bay) YRA eliminations host club (Annapolis YC). $10 of this went directly to CBYRA, who used that money to pay entry fees ($10) for CBYRA reps at the the Area C eliminations at the Corinthian YC of Cape May, NJ. If a CBYRA sailors qualifies for the national finals, CBYRA also pays their entry fee ($215) - and they would be eligible for a grant for other expenses from the CBYRA Fund for Chesapeake Sailors. Admittedly, a Sears campaign is at least three times as expensive - for Area C, that was $60/team for the YRA and $90 for Area C, plus damage deposits on provided J22's - but don't blame US Sailing. Instead, organize your local clubs and YRAs to support youth sailing by working to keep costs down. And if I am not over my word count limit, let me thank US Sailing, sponsors, and regatta organizers for making the Ida Lewis and Leiter Cup Junior Women's Championships perennially two of the best 'value for the cost' regattas I have ever been involved with. * From Bob Overall: In 'Butt 1885, Michael Koster remarks on the lack of kids sailing in Greenwich Bay, and how young people are directed into team sports. Doesn't this all sound like the times we are in? Parents are busy, so we warmly welcome the easy road. To get kids into sailing takes a much higher commitment on the part of the parent than any other sport my kids participate in - both in the cost of equipment and the time at practices and regattas. My son's YMCA basketball league has one practice and one game each week, which burns up a whopping two hours. Add in the $15 for the basketball, the $40 for shoes, and the $80 for the ten-week season, and I haven't got close to what my yacht club bill is each month. However, if we as parents sail, than we as parents have an obligation to bring our kids to the sport. Yes, it is a pain, and the only real solution is in establishing quality junior sailing programs. Finding quality equipment, tuning it properly, and encouraging kids to attend events should all be coming from the programs. All parents want their kids to succeed, but sailing can be daunting, and it is easy to be overwhelmed. If junior sailing programs can manage the playing field, minimize the gap between the haves and the have nots, and get everyone comfortable with the sport, the numbers will grow. * From Bill Gibbs: It seems that those who argue for the "purity" of inflexible single value handicap racing systems, do not understand their inherent inaccuracy in different wind and sea conditions, inaccuracy with dissimilar boats, and have never witnessed the politics of a local PHRF meeting. ORCA (southern California multihull class) has used a golf handicap style for decades, with the goal of getting more people out racing. Refinements include how fast race results are factored in, and upper/ lower caps for nationally rated classes. It avoids the trap of a boat that doesn't get rated fairly. It is not an attempt to provide the ultimate racing solution, just another option, along with one design racing, and box rules. Each serves a different purpose. All can be fun. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Sign in a Podiatrist's office: "Time wounds all heels." |
