SCUTTLEBUTT No. 691 - November 16, 2000

EVERYWHERE

They are absolutely everywhere. They're in Norway, Japan, Spain, the UK and Canada. There are two each in Australia and Mexico. Italy has three and there are 10 in the USA. That's 22 in all, and every one of these Ullman sail lofts will give a quote on a new sail to show you just how affordable improved performance can be for your boats:

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VENDEE GLOBE
The season's high pressure system is in place, creating 15 - 20 knot Northwesterly winds along the coasts of Portugal and North Africa. Better known as the Alizes or Trade winds, they should carry the Vendee Globe fleet down to the Doldrums and to around 6 North.

We are able to confirm the top rankings at the first obligatory waypoint of the Vendee Globe 2000 for the 22 international skippers currently in this 2500 mile solo, non stop, around the world race. Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) won the gybing battle to become the race's new leader as he was the first boat to cross through this invisible rectangle situated just North of Gran Canaria. He was followed by the de-throned Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) some 2 and a half hours later. Despite damaging her Code 5 badly in an unexpected gust, British competitor, and the youngest skipper in the course, Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) managed to pull ahead and cross the gateway in third place just 20 minutes ahead of veteran Vendee Globe skipper Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear).

In the gybing game, Patrick de Radigues was not the lucky one. After choosing to hug the Portugese coast and benefit from a stable wind, he gybed and caught his foot in a sheet. In his own words from a telephone conversation Patrick recounts the sorry tale: "I slipped and cracked my head on a winch. I lost consciousness, and when I awoke, I had two lifeguards at my side, and my boat was washed up on the beach. There was a lot of blood streaming from my head and the pain was throbbing relentlessly. At the time I just wanted to save my boat from any irreparable damage. A crane is already on its way to lift the boat onto a lorry. Then I will go to hospital and get my head scanned for injury. Obviously I am devastated to know that having received outside assistance I cannot continue in the race, despite coming back up the fleet. My boat has a ripped mainsail and broken helm."

The 22 international skippers still on the course are split into 3 groups, which reflect well the varying potential of these boats & their skippers. In the leading pack, the 12 boats grouped within a 70-mile range include new generation boats and skippers, and veteran round the world sailors alike. A second group includes new boats as well as the older yachts. And in the final group are those skippers whose intent is to get round without breaking their boats. Ranked far behind but in good humour, they are enjoying living out the adventure that every sailor dreams of.

Standings: 1 Michel Desjoyeaux, PRB at 13h36 UT 2. Yves Parlier, AQUITAINE INNOVATIONS at 16h15 UT, 3. Ellen MacArthur, KINGFISHER at 16h50 UT, 4. Marc Thiercelin ACTIVE WEAR at 17h10 UT.

Race website: http://www.vendeeglobe.com

LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net)
Letters selected to be printed may be edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.

-- From Blake Middleton - I agree with Larry Suter that compared to fleet racing, a majority of the time (there are obviously exceptions), match racing is fairly boring to watch, and relatively boring to participate in except at the highest levels.

One of the few reasons I get excited at all about the America's Cup is that I know a number of the sailors involved on various teams. Otherwise, it still has practically nothing to do with the sport of sailing as enjoyed by the majority of non-professional sailors in the world today. No matter how much money the 'B's sink into the A-Cup this time around, it is still likely to be a bore to most of the public (including the sailing public) unless a few more boats happen to sink live on ESPN. Perhaps a Match Racing A-Cup would thrive if the boats became true one-designs and/or if it were to be won by a Bay Area team and be hosted the following time around inside the incredible public sailing stadium that is San Francisco Bay? Perhaps not. Regardless, I love the idea of a dozen or so IACC yachts fleet racing for the Cup!

By the way (re: the new Women's Olympic class)... we've got a big Yngling fleet here on Lake Minnetonka (MN). If any of you want to try one out, we'll be happy to get you a ride!

-- From Dobbs Davis - I was shocked to learn of the ISAF decision not just to eliminate match race sailing as a discipline in the Olympic Games, but the switch to a 3-person boat for women which has little or no equivalent fleet support in the US and no template within the existing structure of women's match race sailing.

Match race sailing is widely regarded as one of the only sellable forms of the sport, and sponsored sailing is where the future lies in encouraging the growth of the sport. However, the choice to reduce the team members from four to three violates all the existing standards in match racing and even fleet racing for women in keelboats. Etchells, Sonars, and J/22's, for example, are typically sailed by three men, but the power and weight needed to compete in these boats require four women. I personally asked one of the top-ranked women, Paula Lewin, what she thought of the Yngling. Her response was that it was "underpowered and no fun to sail in less than 20 knots of wind." Certainly in the US we don't have the wind conditions to support such a boat - I've sailed in Greece, and this boat would be a disaster there as well.

I abhor the political maneuverings that must have occurred to move from having a strong bid for a four-crewed match race discipline to a three-crewed fleet race discipline in boats that few have heard of in the US. One can only imagine the disinformation spread in those meetings.

-- From Sean Paterson - Perhaps a more lateral point of view could be looked at while achieving the same goal. Keep the men's keelboat for fleet racing (and/or) match racing and then also make it the additional women's class by handing out medals for the women as well and sail ... an Etchells 22.

-- From Don Zinn Jr. - I think the ISAF made an excellent decision. Most woman keelboat sailors start out in fleet racing. Once they have excelled to a level of competency and comfort and wish to pursue national or international stature they must leave the comfort of fleet racing for the strange and complex world of match racing, a totally different discipline. Why not have woman's keelboat fleet racing in the Olympics and everywhere else for that matter. We have it twice a year on the Chesapeake and the fleet grows every year, of course it's not one design, but it is still good racing. We have more spectator boats for that regatta than boats entered. It's a hit and I truly believe the ISAF's decision will entice even more woman to take the helm. "Sailing with Chicks is cool and Skipper Chicks are even cooler!"

-- From Peter Huston - As perhaps the leading initial proponent for the creation of the list of Group 2 & 3 sailors in the US, I have three words of advice for ISAF in their attempt to re-create this list on an international basis.

Don't do it.

The US list of Group 2 & 3 sailors ended up being administered in a manner that I never envisioned. While it likely has had some benefit in the growth of the Farr 40, J105 and J120 classes, if not others - it is a tortured system of classification.

What might better benefit the sport in sum total would be a universal ability based handicap system. The SALT proposal designed largely by Brad Dellenbaugh would create a meaningful point of departure in this conversation.

Sorting people by income derived from their participation in the sport is almost meaningless, and does nothing to really help better the game for everyone. Creating a universal ability based handicap system will create new formats of racing that will help to make the game more enjoyable for more people.

MORE VENDEE GLOBE
Wednesday 15th November 2000 - Mike Golding and his Team Group 4 shore crew continue to work furiously to prepare his Open 60 "Team Group 4" for her re-start in the Vendee Globe. Monday's arrival of the spare mast from "Team Group 4's" home port of Ocean Village, Southampton diverted activity from the boat and into the shed. The mast had been stored in Southampton for some 12 months and was obviously in need of attention. Work has gone on around the clock on the mast up until last night when it was painted. The team from Alu Carbon - makers of the mast - have reinforced the spar and repaired the boom which had been broken at the root. The track has also been reinforced to accommodate the new mainsail and genoa which will arrive from North Sails France tomorrow.

* Mike Golding aims to be out testing the new gear by tomorrow afternoon with a view to re-starting the Vendee Globe on Friday morning. He wants to be back out racing as soon as possible and has been watching the progress of the fleet. He remains very optimistic that he can get right back into the race. His eye is firmly on the course record of 105 days, 20 hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds set by Christophe Augin in 1996. - Susan Preston Davis, Sailsail website

Full story: http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=2591

CROSS TRAINING
(Polishing your performance is a lifelong pursuit, and one way to avoid complacency is to push yourself by learning aboard unfamiliar boats. Dan Dickison discusses the advantages of 'cross training' on the SailNet website. Here's a brief excerpt)

It's easy for sailors, particularly those who own and drive sailboats, to get into a rut by sailing just one kind of boat. After a while that kind of boat just becomes such a comfortable fit that you stop asking yourself, 'What can I do to sail better?' Getting into an unfamiliar boat will keep you on your toes as a performance sailor because it will require that you be particularly observant to figure out how the new vessel responds. Once you realize that the sailing techniques you formerly relied upon are only alternatives, not hard, fast rules, you'll be well on your way toward becoming a better sailor.

Jumping into a new class may be intimidating at first, but intimidation is only an initial phase. Knowing this will help you make the most of this learning opportunity and help you to enjoy what could otherwise be an awkward situation. Above all, you should avoid burdening yourself with unrealistic expectations about how you might fare your first time out aboard a new boat. Remember, Michael Jordan had no mortal equivalent on the basketball court, but in a baseball uniform he became just another guy on the roster, no more than a farm leaguer. The idea, after all, is simply to learn, so just try to absorb as much as you can about how the good sailors in this new boat set things up and how they sail the boat. You can start by asking questions, and as a rule of thumb, you'll find that most everyone who sails that new boat will be more than willing to help you learn.

Then, when you eventually get back aboard your usual boat, you won't realize it, but unconsciously you'll be distilling what you learned aboard the other boat and applying it. It's only human nature for you to make comparisons, and these will help you fine-tune your performance. - Dan Dickison, SailNet website.

Full story: http://www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=ddcksn0354&tfr=fp

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CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
* November 26: Rolex ISAF Women's World Match Race Championship, St. Petersburg Yacht Club. 24 of the world's top women match racing teams including Dru Slattery, Betsy Alison and Hannah Swett from the USA and teams representing Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the U.K.

Jan. 15-19: Yachting Key West Race. The official entry list for 2001 is already 142, including 23 boats from eleven foreign countries. Last January, One Design classes accounted for 57% of all entries. 1999 was a record fleet with 271 boats. Both those records appear to be in jeopardy. Most of the 2001 entries are in one-design classes. - www.Premiere-Racing.com

* March 1-4, 2001: The 21st St.Maarten Heineken Regatta for the Cambridge Technology Partners Cup. St.Maarten Yacht Club in Simpson Bay.

SUNFISH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Sarasota Sailing Squadron (104 boats) - Results after six races: 1. OSKAR JOHANSSON, CAN (20.40 points) 2. JEFF "PELO RIZAO" LINTON, USA (40) 3. EDUARDO CORDERO, VEN (54) 4. JO ANNE WEBERLEIN, USA (69.60) 5. MALCOLM SMITH, BER (71) 6. DON MARTINBOROUGH, BAH (73) 7. DICK TILLMAN, USA (85) 8. KENNY MOCKRIDGE, USA (102) 9. DAN FELDMAN, USA (140) 10. PAUL-JON PATIN, USA (154)

Event website: http://www.panamsail.com/sunfishworlds.htm

THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.