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SCUTTLEBUTT 1751 - January 11, 2005Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. WINNING FORM (Jim Richardson, the only two-time world champion in the history of the Farr 40 class spoke to Sailing World magazine about the hard work that went into his most recent win, the 2004 Worlds in San Francisco. Here are some of his quotes from a story on the Sailing World website.) "I sail the boat more by feel than anything else. I sail to the heel angle of the boat a lot. I don't look at the instruments other than a glance to the boatspeed. Sometimes, when I start wondering how we're doing, the tendency is to look to see where other boats are. When this happens, I ask my main trimmer [Skip Baxter] to keep talking to me about how we're going . . . to distract me with what I should be doing anyway. "It's important to keep your composure. If I'm looking and trying to make a judgment about when to turn the boat, I'm going to be nervous and not sailing the boat as well as I can, so I trust Terry (Hutchinson) to count down when I should start my tack. I've insisted on him, and anyone else who sails with me, to talk in the same level voice all the time. Any helmsman will react differently if someone yells, "Turn the boat!" They're going to turn faster and more abruptly. "I remember early on someone said to me that you're not only competing against other guys on the racecourse, but you're also competing for the talent, so I've always had the philosophy that it should be fun, and if it's not, then we shouldn't be doing it. Having said that, one thing I do when we go away is bring a cook so we can have dinners together. It's not mandatory, but instead of trying to figure out which restaurant we're going to and making reservations for a big group, we have a house where we meet up every night for dinner." - Jim Richardson, from Sailing World magazine's website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/5aab5 STUFF HAPPENS Ludde Ingvall's supermaxi Nicorette, only two weeks ago sailed triumphantly into Hobart, to win the 2004 Rolex Sydney to Hobart race on Line Honours. She had survived weather that brought her two rivals, Skandia and Konica Minolta undone, but it could be she suffered more damage that was believed at the time. This afternoon, during a corporate sail with Nicorette sponsor clients, the 90 footer was about half a mile seaward of the the entrance to the Gold Coast Seaway at around 3.30pm (AEST), sailing under main and headsail, in a flat seaway, at about 10 knots. Suddenly with a thunderous crack, her mast splintered and broke near the boom gooseneck and fell cleanly into the water. The mast and sails are in 22 metres of water and the total bill is expected be around AUS$1 million. A Nicorette spokeswoman, Jane Hyland said the crew and guests had returned to the marina and Police confirmed no-one was injured. 'Unfortunately these boats are a bit like F1 racing cars,' she said. 'You can race them through Bass Strait and nothing happens to them and then in very moderate conditions we break a mast.' She said an early assessment suggested there was an engineering failure. 'But until our mast builder gets up there to have a look at it we certainly are not able to make any call as to why it happened and how it happened in very mild conditions.' Recovery of the mast, which is in 22 metres of water, will start tomorrow at 5am. Unusually, its the second time in two years that Nicorette yachts have been dismasted after surviving the rigours of a Hobart race, only to fall down in mild conditions. - Rob Kothe, Sail-World website, full story: www.sail-world.com/ WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS SAYING . . . It's not a secret that the TP52 rule is becoming very popular. Will this be the new Formula 1 on the water? The beauty of the box rule is that any designer, builder, supplier can get in, and that is exactly what is happening. There are 11 boats being built for 2005 designed by Farr, Botin/ Carkeek, Judel/ Vrolijk and Reichel/ Pugh. The TP52 concept allows innovations that can be tested and compared in a fairly level playing field while ke eping owners happy by allowing them to race competitively. New developments will give newer boats the edge in the long run, however this might just be the key to keep the class alive. We will come back with a follow-up story and look at the building methods used for the TP52 and how this will impact semi-custom and production boats. One thing is for sure, the TP52 is the new Formula 1 on the water and creates some industry buzz. Designer Donovan already tapped in to the success of the TP52 and designed a 37 footer based on the TP52, which will be built by C&C. - John Vink, BiZZalert industry newsletter -www.bizzalert.com CAMET ARUBA SHORTS The new design of Camet Shorts are a plain front style, made out of fast drying Supplex® nylon, with a reinforced Cordura® seat patch for an optional foam pad. Roomy right side cargo pocket with Velcro® closure flap and an internal phone pocket for your gear, along with two deep side pockets. Velcro® waist adjustment straps, plus gusset design for full range of motion. Fabric has a UV rating of 40, blocks 97.5 % of UV rays, and provides excellent skin protection. Check out the Camet shorts, in the different styles and colors, and the Coolmax shirts: http://www.camet.com MOVING TIME In just a few months' time, Team Alinghi will be moving to its new base at Valencia in Spain. Construction of the new building, which will accommodate up to a hundred Alinghi team members for over two years, is being coordinated by Team Operations Manager Michel Marie with a delivery date of July 2005. Taking its inspiration from its predecessor in New Zealand, the new base will be more functional and more open to the public. Work will begin very soon. Designing a base for an America's Cup team like Alinghi, which involves around a hundred people working in 35 different trades and professions, is a far from easy task. From next July onwards, a building that exists only in the form of architect's plans today will be as busy as an ants nest. The size, location and interaction of its component parts have, of course, been designed to maximize the quality of the working environment for each group. The central challenge has been to optimize communication between Team members. In arriving at the specification for Alinghi's future base, Michel Marie began a year ago by holding meetings with every Team group, from the designers to the shore team, the crew, the marketing and communication team and the administrators. This gave everyone the chance to contribute their own views on the plusses and minuses of the kiwi base. The future Alinghi base will rise from the ground alongside those of its challengers in Valencia's old fishing port, which will be transformed into the dedicated America's Cup harbor. Unlike previous events, competitors' buildings must comply with a specification laid down by the race organizers and the host city. - Alinghi website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/6e7we CHANGING TIMES It seemed inevitable that the favorable north-westerly conditions would not last as Ellen MacArthur negotiates the final stages of the Southern Ocean - a reminder that in the Southern Ocean, any respite is short-lived. As a trough passed over B&Q, the breeze shifted into the west then WSW and, as such, started a chain of unstable conditions - predominantly in wind strength but also in direction too. It appears that Ellen will be rounding Cape Horn early Wednesday. The crossing of Drakes Passage - the 200-mile wide 'bottleneck' between Cape Horn and Antarctica - is not looking that pleasant: "I think we will have maybe 35 to 40 knots when we get there. "It's going to be brutal, not nice, not fun,' She said. Ellen is currently leading Joyon's singlehanded solo round the world record by a full five days. - www.teamellen.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar VENDEE GLOBE Just two miles from taking the lead for the first time ever in the Vendée Globe, Mike Golding (Ecover) suffered a broken mainsail halyard. Ecover is fitted with an ingenious stop-gap system that enables an emergency main halyard to be attached to the mainsail without Golding having to climb the mast. However this is only a temporary solution and does not allow full halyard tension to be applied and consequently maximum horsepower cannot be achieved from the mainsail. So Golding went up the rig - re-running a replacement halyard in reasonable conditions of 10-15 knots, with a steady sea state, Golding is once again back to full strength, but 53 miles behind the leaders. Nearly 6000 miles now separates the front of the pack from the back marker. - www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ Standings at 1900 GMT January 10: 1. PRB, Vincent Riou, 5360 miles to finish 2. Bonduelle, Jean Le Cam, 1 mile to leader 3. Ecover, Mike Golding, 53 mtl 4. VMI, Sébastien Josse, 686 mtl 5. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, 857 mtl 6. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick 1988 mtl 7. Skandia, Nick Moloney, 2755 mtl 8. Arcelor Dunkerque, Joé Seeten, 3362 mtl 9. Hellomoto, Conrad Humphreys, 3661 mtl 10. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 3858 mtl 11. Max Havelaar / Best Western, Benoît Parnaudeau, 4130 mtl 12. Roxy. Anne Liardet, 5139 mtl 13. Akena Vérandas, Raphaël Dinelli, 5578 mtl 14. Benefic, Karen Leibovici, 5936. mtl abd - Pro-Form, Marc Thiercelin abd - Sill Véolia, Roland Jourdain abd - Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson abd - VM Matériaux, Patrice Carpentier abd - UUDS, Hervé Laurent abd - Brother, Norbert Sedlacek BIG FLEET FOR MELGES 24 MIDWINTER CHAMPIONSHIP The Melges 24 Midwinter's begin next week as part of Key West Race Week, with over 60 boats anticipated to compete in the event. Consistently the largest class in Key West, the Melges 24 remains popular because the boat is exciting yet simple to both sail and transport. Easily towed behind most vehicles, head from Chicago to Key West for under $350.00 in gas, ramp launch your M24 and go race! Later this year, plan to attend the 2005 World Championships December 12-16 in Key Largo, Florida. Come join the excitement. Race to http://www.melges.com NEW WORLD RECORD Sailing from Dakar in Senegal to Guadeloupe in an open catamaran of 20ft is not easy. Trying to break the 1986 record of 18 days and 22 hours by Pradel (Fra) and Laurent (Aus), 3 sailors lost their lives. In 1999 Hans Bouscholte (Ned) and Gerard Navarin( Fra) set a new world record after 4 attempts of mainly French crews. On a modified Inter 20, Bouscholte and Navarin sailed the 2700 miles in 15 days, 2 hours and 26 minutes. On the 9th of january 2005, on their second attempt, Andrea Gancia and Matteo Miceli(ITA), sailing their 20 ft cat Abaco broke this reference in a new world record (to be ratified by the WSSRC) of 13 days, 15 hours and 26 minutes. Andrea and Matteo were 35 hours faster than Bouscholte and Navarin. - www.bouscholte.net/test.asp NEWS BRIEFS * The Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) announced that Marianne Davis would be stepping down from her position as General Director of Sailing & Competition and leaving the CYA in January 2005. Davis is the past Executive Director of the CYA and a former Executive Director of the Norwegian Sailing Association. In addition to her vast experience in international and Olympic competition, her career has included extensive industry and sport management experience in sail making, the marine business, and national association management. Marianne joined the CYA in June 2000. - www.sailing.ca/featureUploads/documentUploads/MD.htm * Unperturbed by cool temperatures and occasionally heavy rains, the USC and Point Loma High School sailing teams claimed class victories in the 20th annual Rose Bowl Regatta. The No. 2-ranked Trojans, led by two-time all-American Mikee Anderson, topped runner-up UC Irvine and 22 other college teams from across the country, while 17-year-old Adam Roberts led Point Loma over 52 high school teams from California and Hawaii. USC was the official host of the largest combined collegiate and high school regatta in the country - organized by the US Sailing Center and nearby Alamitos Bay YC. - www.ussclb.org/RegattasandClinics/RegattaResults.htm * Nominations for US Sailing's W. Van Alan Clark Jr. Sportsmanship Trophy end on Wednesday, January 19. The national trophy has been won by an Olympic medallist, an America's Cup skipper, a high school sailing team, a yacht builder - and a number of people you'd never have heard. For more information: www.ussailing.org/sportsmanship/ * The 2005 to 2008 ISAF/ World Sailing Speed Council rules are now published online. There are several important changes and innovations, and those intending to attempt records in the near future are advised to have a close look at them. - www.sailspeedrecords.com * Sydney, Australia - Jochen Schuemann is the new 5.5 world champion 2005. Sailing with Ronald Pieper, Schuemann scored a 12 point win over Johan Gullichen (FIN) with Bruno Marazzi (SUI) taking third in the 27 boat fleet. - www.5point5.org/ SAILBOAT SHOW SEASON Sailboat Show season is here...3 major Strictly Sail Shows are scheduled in the next 6 weeks - the all-new Strictly Sail Philadelphia (Jan 20-23), the 10th Strictly Sail Chicago (Feb 3-6) and Strictly Sail Miami (Feb 17-21). Each offers 200+ exhibitors and sailboats. For details and tickets, visit http://www.strictlysail.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 John Harwood-Bee: Once again there seems to be some confusion in the reporting of Orange II 's latest campaign. According to her web site she is setting out to challenge for the Jules Verne Trophy 2005. In some other reporting, she is stated to be setting out to on a new 'round the world' record attempt, a statement then qualified by "the Jules Verne 2005". On behalf of the purists would you please again clarify the situation. The Jules Verne Trophy is no longer awarded for the outright round the world record time. Since May 2004 it has been awarded to the vessel beating the previous Jules Verne time provided that the team had paid the necessary entry fees for the challenge. That does not necessarily mean the fastest time around the globe. 'Geronimo' was awarded the trophy despite not beating the outright round the world record time. This is still held by Steve Fossett and 'Cheyenne'. To achieve the absolute 'Round the World Record', Orange II will have to beat 'Cheyenne's' time of 58 days 9 hours 32 mins 45 secs. more than 5 days faster than the current JV time. One must presume that Bruno will be after the WSSRC record as it would be a hollow victory if he wins the JV Trophy but does not achieve the true record. * From Chris Upton: How can you handicap a sailor when successful sailors race against themselves and the clock? Fundamentally aren't we trying to determine our own performance by sailing our own race? This is a mature sport born of commercial captains bring goods to market and navies trying to kill or not be killed. These are not trivial bashings of a ball around the lawn or sledding grown up. Sailing was founded in man vs. nature and by extension man vs. himself. Racing one-designs around the cans still involves seamanship. It is nothing more than a highly refined test of boat and sail handling. Blue water sailing has only gotten more comfortable since the days of wooden castles protecting our shores. The sea has not gotten kinder and gentler. Last year we had a discussion of J/24s sinking in the bay and there are more than one case of an Etchells or Shields going down. Hardly open ocean. Handicapping of the competitors skills do not breed instincts or skills. We should note that there have been a large number of skilled sailors killed sailing in the last decade. Let's leave the concept of everyone getting a medal for lesser sports. * From Jon Goff (edited to our 250-word limit): I would have to agree with both Bob Klein and Len Hubbard that many of the junior sailing programs on the Narragansett Bay are very racing oriented. If they do have a non-racing component it is not the focus of the program. The hidden jewel on the bay is not in the yacht club circuit. It is at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and their Young Mariners Program. The program uses Herreshoff 12 1/2's built mostly in the 1920's and 30's and racing is never mentioned. It is a program that emphasizes seamanship, the joy of sailing, and an appreciation of many maritime matters. Past activities have included going out with the USCG to check and reset the middle-ground green can, learning some ecology with Save the Bay, taking an overnight cruise on larger (30ft) boats, taking tours of many of the vessels that visit the museums waterfront including tall ships and research vessels, and numerous land biased lessons from guest instructors and demonstrators presenting marlinspike seamanship, navigation and weather prediction by reading the sky to name just a few. The lessons learned instill a respect for the bay and the boats which I believe carry over beyond the program. It is truly the most unique program in its philosophy and accomplishments. The student to paid-instructor ratio is 1-4. Unfortunately to offer the young mariners this unique experience its size must be kept small but the reward for those fortunate enough to participate is tremendous. * From Paul H. Miller: Uncertain loads and variable material properties are the big unknowns in yacht structural design. FEA does a great job if good information is used. I've successfully used factors of safety as low as 1.1 (battens, halyards, daggerboards) and I've seen failures with factors as high as 8 (mast tubes, rudder stocks, hulls, keels). Most failures were traced to poor communication between designer, engineer, builder and user. Examples were builders who didn't communicate that they couldn't build the structure "as-designed" (too difficult to build, material substitutions), owner/operator modifications without checking (bigger rudder, more righting moment), operators exceeding their stated limits (running aground!), and engineers who through lack of sailing experience or education did not estimate the loads correctly (underestimated boat speed, missed a load case) or used the wrong analysis. Competitiveness has led to yacht structures that will not survive extreme (but likely) conditions. The old ABS Guide worked within the limits of its development. Unfortunately yachts today exceed those bounds, and extrapolating the Guide takes more engineering understanding than most designers are trained for. If strictly interpreted, ABS is conservative and safe. Unfortunately that strict interpretation is rarely done for race boats today. Additionally, in November ISAF voted to relax the enforcement standards. Just a small correction to Dave Few's comment. I had the pleasure of working with Carl on the structural design of many of his designs and while Carl admired UC Berkeley, he was a proud graduate of the excellent architectural engineering program at Cal Poly. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Sign on an Electrician's truck: "Let us remove your shorts." |
