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SCUTTLEBUTT #372 - August 4, 1999COWES WEEKTed Turner had never raced around the Isle of Wight during his visits in the Seventies but yesterday he won a round-the-island event for the two maxi classes at Skandia Life Cowes Week. "It was a wonderful race. I've sailed hundreds of races in dozens of yachts and I never saw a better day," said Turner as Larry Ellison's Sayonara docked at her berth, first home among the four ILC 70s and ahead of the eight Maxi One Designs. If there was any doubt that the likes of Turner, the media mogul who sold his CNN network to Time Warner, or Ellison, whose Oracle is one of the world's biggest software houses, give the ILC 70s the glamour the pro-sailed MODs do not have, then Sayonara's finish provided plenty of proof. When she turned back into the Needles Channel, Sayonara had just a couple of spectator boats for company. Yet as she sailed east, back into the Solent, the number of boats increased and helicopters appeared. It was almost as if Sayonara's crew were homecoming heroes from the Whitbread race. That feeling would have been familiar to navigator Mark Rudiger, part of Paul Cayard's winning EF Language team and one of Sayonara's impressive cast. Rudiger was accompanied by British navigator Mark Chisnell, top New Zealander Chris Dickson and Turner's 1977 America's Cup winning tactician, Gary Jobson. "It was a bit scary a few days ago when I thought there would be a lot of discussion but no decisions," said Chisnell, "but it's working well." Turner agreed. "Twenty of the guys are Larry's regular Sayonara crew. The best." True to his word and despite their nonchalance, Sayonara gybed her way down the Solent without a hint of a murmur from her spinnaker After five hours and 46 minutes, the big white Farr-designed maxi crossed the finish line. Turner, who shared the steering with Ellison, Dickson and Jobson, punched the air. "When you've sailed for 33 years you've got sailing in your blood," said Turner, who has hardly raced a boat since Locura in the 1983 Admiral's Cup. Claiming no special individual powers for yesterday's win, he said: "I was just a banana, one of the bunch." The second-placed ILC 70 was Jim Dolan's Sagamore, three minutes and 27 seconds behind, separated by the Maxi One Designs, Geoff Meek's Rainbow Magic and Ludde Ingvall's Skandia. -- Tim Jeffery, Electronic Telegraph, UK SKANDIA LIFE COWES WEEK.- ILC Maxi: 1, Sayonara (E Turner & L Ellison); 2, Sagamore (J Dolan); 3, Boomerang (G Coumantaros). For the full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk SAYONARA INSIGHT (This special Scuttlebutt report is from Mark Rudiger aboard Sayonara.) Today was the kind of day we all keep sailing for! Perfect weather, great breeze, excellent competition, and perfect result. I'm navigating aboard Sayonara in the ILC Maxi division. The other three boats in our class are Boomerang, Alexia, and the new Sagamore. All the boats are loaded with "guns" from everywhere. On board Sayonara we have owner Larry Ellison and Ted Turner sharing the driving. Chris Dickson and Gary Jobson are working tactics and strategy. Mark Chisnel and myself are doing the Navigation and nav/tactics. With these big boats and the currents and hazards it takes all of us working together all the time. We're in our second day of racing and today was the famous "Around the Isle of Wight". We started with the eight boat "Maxi One Design " fleet downwind with the tide which made for a very exiting start. Chris and Gary nailed the start with Larry driving, but we had our hands full holding off the Maxi One designs which are a little faster downwind. We rounded the Fort leading the ILC Maxi's and in the middle of the One Designs. Alexia was towing behind the boat behind us while we towed behind the boat ahead. Rounding the next mark we were all hard on the wind and this is where the ILC Maxi's showed their superior upwind performance and we slowly over took the Maxi's ahead while covering Alexia and Sagamore with some short tacks to weather. Going across Sondown Bay, some boats elected to tack in out of the current and others went offshore looking for better wind. We stayed in the middle deciding we would get lifted to the next corner. Boomerang looked tough on the outside until the breeze went soft for them so by the next corner we were leading the fleet. The crew work from there was perfect on board as we short tacked up the coast dodging rocks and reefs trying to stay out of the 2.5 knot current. Alexia suddenly went head to wind and dropped their headsail. We saw them trying to continue sailing and learned later their runner tang had broken internally and was tearing into the mast. Meanwhile we were able to hold off the fleet on the fetch to the Needles and the final run down the Solent. Sagamore did a good job coming in second in spite of attacks from the other Maxi's behind. By now the press and spectators were following and cheers went up on the shore as the "Sayonara" spinnaker came into view leading the fleet. As the cannon went off I sighed in relief as it had been a stressful day for "Chisy" and I dodging all the obstacles. Tomorrow and Thursday we go back to Windward Leeward courses and finally the Fastnet race on Saturday. -- Mark Rudiger For audio updates: http://www.teamrudiger.com ADECCO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP From last in the previous race to first today, Geoff Meek's Rainbow Magic from South Africa proved as conclusively as is possible that it is the people who make the difference in the Maxi-One-Design class racing in the Adecco World Championship. In a 50 mile race around the Isle of Wight, Rainbow Magic beat the previous day's winner, Ludde Ingvall's Skandia (EUR) by 46 seconds across the line. - Bob Fisher Finishing order: Round the Island Race: 1. RSA Rainbow Magic Geoff Meek 2. EUR Skandia Ludde Ingvall 3. NZL RF Yachting Ross Field 4. BEL Synphony Hans Bouscholte 5. SUI Alinghimax Ernesto Bertarelli 6. SWE Team Henri-Lloyd Gunnar Krantz 7. FRA Le Defi Bouygues Telecom - Transiciel 8. ITA Seac Banche Guido Maisto Event website: http://www.adecco-championship.com/uk/ DETAILS, DETAILS Winners win because they pay close attention to details. All details. And there is no question that crew shirts and other regatta apparel fill the void overlooked by so many of the 'also-ran' programs. Although Pacific Yacht Embroidery already provides regatta gear for an impressive list of winners, they will also be happy to work with you. Call Frank Whitton at 619-226-8033. Frank provides the good stuff at affordable prices. (pacyacht@aol.com). AMERICA'S CUP * After competing in a range of different regattas in the Northern Hemisphere, Team New Zealand's sailing team is regrouping in Auckland to resume their America's Cup preparation.The most recent major regatta in which there was a strong Team New Zealand presence was the Admiral's Cup, sailed from the historic town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. In the absence of a New Zealand team this year, Team New Zealand sailors competed on a variety yachts, representing four national teams. Grant Loretz was aboard Mean Machine in the victorious Dutch team, while Tom Dodson, Robbie Naismith, Kevin Showebridge, Matthew Mason and Warwick Fleury sailed for the Italian Brava Q8 entry. Dean Barker raced on the European team's Mumm 36, while, in the same class, Mike Drummond served on the American entry, Ciao Baby. -- America's Cup 2000, http://www.americascup2000.org.nz/fs.html * To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the America's Cup, on the 19th August 2001 the premier racing yachts of the world will gather at Cowes. The week's celebrations are being organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron and the New York Yacht Club. With invitations accepted by the three giant 'J' Class yachts, 'Endeavour', 'Velsheda' and 'Shamrock', a fleet up to 40 of the12 metre yachts expected plus current America's Cup class yachts, there will a spectacular event in the Solent during that week. With races each day and a social events allied to the racing, the week will be a fine celebration of the events in 1851. The opening ceremonies of the Regatta will be held at Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's Osborne House on Saturday 18th August. Following the Official Opening will be a barbecue on Queen Victoria's private beach and a dinner in the Durbar Room. In the evening there will be fireworks to music by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. On Sunday 19th all of the Cowes Yacht Clubs plan to open their doors for a series of Welcome Dinners and on Monday 20th there will be entertainment at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth. On Tuesday 21st August there will be the induction ceremony into the America's Cup Hall of Fame, a ceremony normally only held at the Herreshoff Foundation in Bristol Rhode Island. It is expected that the winning skipper of the America's Cup 2000 will be honoured at this ceremony. The highlight of the week will be the re-enactment on Wednesday 22nd August 2001 of the race of 1851 over the same course. For visiting yachts taking part in the racing there will be a winners' trophy, two special trophies for a Concours d'elegance and a Victor Ludorum. There will also be races for a 'Vintage' class, a 'Classic' Class, for 'Yachts of Tradition' and for modern racing yachts. With Jazz, balls, barbecues - the week concludes on Saturday 25th August with the Jubilee Race Prize-giving and closing ceremony. One Hundred and Fifty years of the finest yacht racing the world has ever seen will have been celebrated in a once in a lifetime style that will enter the record books. For information: David Redfern, Media Director America's Cup Jubilee 2001, SeaFest@aol.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. -- From Chris Ericksen -- I'd like to add to the comments of Paul Henderson regarding Team Racing. Last December Alamitos Bay Yacht Club hosted the US SAILING Team Racing Regatta for the Hinman Trophy. The event was sailed in builder-supplied Vanguard 15's and raced within Alamitos Bay rather than in the Long Beach Harbor. The regatta included the features Mr. Henderson mentioned: basic boats, gender- and size-mixed teams and a venue close to the yacht club that afforded quick turnarounds and great spectator viewing from the beach. From my perspective as Regatta Chairman and PRO and from the perspective of the spectators, watching the boats planing around Alamitos Bay in twenty knots of breeze made for an exciting sailing event. The presence of a cadre of outstanding on-the-water judges who also helped adjust the marks to make the courses square led to one of the most fun regattas I've even seen or of which I've been a part. -- From Chris Welch --I appreciated your rules review for overlaps; since I, like most sailors, am work illiterate (work gets in the way of ever reading the literature I would like to read), reading the rule book just doesn't happen, especially in the wake of the new rules. -- From Mike Guccione -- The racing rules piece by Rick Hatch was great. I'll be reading it for the third time later today as this needs to be part of the memory bank. -- From Jordan J. Dobrikin (Re. Paul Henderson's eloquent pitch) -- ADD Disabled Sailing/Racing to the list of justifications. There are now, and can/will be more, two (2) person keel dinghies suited to Team Racing AND Disabled Sailing/RACING programs. Extremely disabled can perform admirably as a/the tactician; there are a myriad of complimentary disabled combinations that essentially get more competitors out on the water at the same time; and the use of able bodied tacticians is a big step towards "open" and/or Integrated Racing. Disabled Team Racing would be a "natural" in Inter Collegiate Sports where Athletic Directors are hard pressed in showing the Federal Government(s) that they are complying with "Accessibility" Legislation. -- From Bruce Gresham -- A sure sign that the America's Cup season is in full swing are the appearance of "fighting" words such as those from Doug Holthaus #371: "... the French / Swiss forged ahead with their illicit charter deal in violation of the Panel's decision ..." Oh this promises to be another great Cup. GREAT READING Like so many of you, the Curmudgeon read a ton of stories about the Sydney- Hobart race and was fast approaching information overload. Still I could not help but pick up a copy of Rob Mundle's new book, "Fatal Storm - The inside story of the Tragic Sydney Hobart Race." Oh my -- what a page-turner it turned out to be. After flying though the book hungrily, it occurred to me that the web, newspapers and magazines were simply the wrong media to capture this calamitous story. A book provides the proper format ... and it would be hard to believe there is any writer in the world better equipped than Mundle to weave together the many aspects of this event. The end product is compelling, fast moving and difficult to set aside. You don't need to be an offshore racer to enjoy this book. Without question -- thousands of people who have never been on a sailboat will buy it and enjoy it immensely. But those of you who have sailed offshore should run - not walk - to your nearest bookstore to pick up a copy, RIGHT NOW! JOICO HAYMAN ISLAND BIG BOAT SERIES. Many of the crews involved in the tragic Sydney Hobart race will make a return to top level regatta competition next week when they contest one of the world's most exclusive regattas, the Joico Hayman Island Big Boat Series. Two competing teams, one sailing Sword of Orion and the other Zoe, were at the centre of major incidents when the horrendous storm that struck the Hobart fleet on December 27 was at its worst. The Sword of Orion entered for the Hayman series is owner Rob Kothe's replacement for the yacht carrying the same name that sank in the Hobart after it was rolled over by a wave that was more than 15 metres high. British Olympic yachtsman Glyn Charles was lost overboard during the roll-over and not recovered. The remaining crew was eventually rescued by helicopter. Zoe replaces Wayne Millar's 41-footer, B-52, which was wrecked beyond repair during the race. Millar and six of his Townsville-based crew were trapped inside the upturned yacht for more than four minutes when it was smashed by a huge rogue wave. Two crew in the cockpit were lucky to escape from under the yacht and hang on until it eventually righted. With onboard communications knocked out B-52 was listed as missing for almost 12 hours. At one stage there were grave fears that the yacht had sunk and taken the crew with it. The fleet for this invitation-only Big Boat Series at Hayman is the largest and the most competitive in the event's five year history. There will be intense competition for the title of Champion Yacht in what is the first major championship for the start of the new Australian season. -- Rob Mundle Event website: http://www.sailing-online.com.au/haymanbigboat TIP O' THE WEEK The Last Shift to the Weather Mark -- In an oscillating breeze, as you approach the windward mark note what phase the shifts are in. If you are rounding to port and the last shift to the weather mark is a right shift lifting you on starboard upwind, then the headed jibe downwind is port. Therefore, jibe setting or rounding and gybing ASAP will get you on port. If the last shift is a header as you approach on starboard then continuing on starboard puts you on the headed jibe downwind. This is the perfect data you need in an oscillating breeze to get in rhythm with the shifts downwind. -- The Coach @ Sailweb.net AUCKLAND UPDATE (Reprinted with permission from DEFENCE 2000, which is available for US $48 per year from John@roake.gen.nz) Camper-van bookings for this coming summer are up 170 per cent on last year with one company, Tourism Holdings, spending NZ$19million buying an additional 360 vehicles to add to their existing fleet of 1400. Meanwhile, tourism numbers are starting to grow with the release of the May figures that show an increase of 10 per cent over the same period 1998. America's Cup publicity might just be starting to have an influence on the numbers. WORLD RANKINGS Each time I print the ISAF / O'Neill World Rankings for the Olympic Classes I get upset. However, I guess it is 'news' so for those who need to know, here are the latest rankings: 470 Men: 1. Johan MOLUND / Mattias RAHM, SWE; 2. Gildas PHILIPPE /Tanguy CARIOU, FRA; 3. Alvaro MARINHO / Miguel NUNES, POR;; 7.Paul FOERSTER /Bob MERRICK USA; 32. Steven HUNT./ Michael MILLER USA. 470 Women: 1. 1 Ruslana TARAN /Elena PAKHOLCHIK; UKR 2. Susanne WARD /Michaela WARD, DEN 3. Frederica SALVA /Emanuela SOSSI, ITA; 8. Whitney CONNOR/ Elizabeth KRATZIG USA; 25 Tracy HAYLEY /Louise VAN VOORHIS, USA. 49er: 1. Chris NICHOLSON /Daniel PHILLIPS, AUS; 2.Marc AUDINEAU /Julien FARNARIER, FRA; 3. Morgan LARSON / Kevin HALL ,USA 6. Jonathan McKEE /Charlie McKEE, USA. Europe Dingy: 1 Margriet MATTHIJSSE, NED; 2. Carolijn BROUWER, NED; 3. Shirley ROBERTSON, GBR; 29. Meg GAILLARD, USA; 36 Hannah SWETT, USA. Laser: 1. Ben AINSLIE, GBR; 2. Robert SCHEIDT, BRA; 3. Michael BLACKBURN, AUS; 36. Mark MENDELBLATT, USA; 47 John TORGERSON, USA. Soling: 1 Roy HEINER Peter VAN NIEKERKDirk DE RIDDER, NED 2. Sergei PICHUGIN Sergei TIMOKHOVVlad KOROTKOV, UKR; 3. Paolo CIAN Guido VIGNAPierluigi FORNELLI, ITA; 15 Jeff MADRIGALI Craig HEALYHartwell JORDAN, USA 16. Tony REY Dean BRENNERTom BURNHAM, USA. Mistral Men: 1 Aaron MCINTOSH, NZL; 2. Nicolas HUGUET, FRA; 3. Tony PHILP, FIJ; 33 Mike GEBHARDT, USA; 46 Peter WELLS, USA. Mistral Women: 1 Alessandra SENSINI, ITA; 2. Lai Shan LEE, HKG; 3. Faustine MERRET FRA; 11. Lanee BUTLER, USA; 52. Cara REID, USA. Finn: 1 Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ, POL; 2. Fredrik LOOF, SWE; 3. Sebastien GODEFROID, BEL; 34. Darrell PECK, USA; 51. Eric OETGEN, USA; 52. Russ SILVESTRI, USA. Star: 1 Colin BEASHEL / David GILES, AUS; 2. Mark REYNOLDS/ Javier HERMEDA 3. Alexander HAGEN /Carsten WITT, GER; 4. Peter VESSELLA / Mike DORGAN, USA 6. John MACCAUSLAND / George IVERSON, USA. Tornado: 1 Darren BUNDOCK / John FORBES, AUS; 2. Roland GAEBLER / Rene SCHWALL, GER; 3. Mitch BOOTH /Andrew LANDENBERGER AUS; 12 John LOVELL / Charlie OGLETREE, USA; 19 Robbie DANIEL /Jacques BERNIER, USA; 20. Lars GUCK / P.J.SCHAFFER, USA. For the complete rankings: http://sailing.org/iyru/worldrankings.htm THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS All other things being equal, fat people use more soap. |
