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SCUTTLEBUTT 2055 - March 21, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary,
opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
GLOBAL CHAMPION
(Skipper Ian Walker spoke exclusively to Bang the Corner about Patches
and their amazing win at the Rolex TP 52 Global Championship in Miami.
Here are a couple of excerpts from that story.)
The preparation on Patches was a bit upset as we had only raced for
couple of days at Key West when we had to pull out through problems with
the boat and we had to replace all of the beams in the floor. It had
taken a team of boat builders 3 weeks flat out to repair her for the
regatta, so we had very little time to get ready for the actual event.
The distance race was very disappointing, we were in about twenty knots
of breeze and the conditions were a bit lumpy with some adverse current
in the Gulf Stream and we heard a loud bang and I was on the bow at the
time! The deck had let go where the gib sheet was about level with the
anti-riding bar. We immediately eased sheets and eased the backstay,
there was a second bang as the deck was also under compression from the
backstay as well as the gib. We had about three hours to go to reach the
windward mark which was basically the Bahamas and we did not fancy
bashing up wind for that length of time with the situation as it was, so
unfortunately we had to turn back and broad reached home with everybody
slumped in the cockpit feeling sorry for themselves, it was hugely
disappointing.
As soon as we got within mobile phone range of shore, I got hod of Jim
Pugh, the boat's designer and the Reichel Pugh structural designer was
dispatched to Miami on the 'red-eye' flight from Los Angeles. He flew
through the night and at 9a.m. we made the plan for the fix. The
previous night we had contacted a local boat builder and sourced the
materials we would need and the lay day was spent sorting it out.
On the way out to race at 8 a.m. the following day, the fix was pretty
much still curing and we were heading out for a long coastal race. By
the end of the first beat we were 200 miles behind Pegasus. The next leg
was a 25 mile reach to Fort Lauderdale and that for me was the turning
point, we managed to set the masthead shoot and get through to leeward
of our rival before they changed from the fractional to a masthead.
Passing them was a big boost to the team on Patches and the crew work
down the reach was fantastic. We were rotating the crew on the grinders
and hiking the boat really hard, working the boat on the waves.
Everybody was really up for it, the set back on the offshore had really
galvanized the team and we were determined to turn it round. ~ Read the
entire story on the Bang the Corner website,
http://www.bangthecorner.com/news/read/2650
CATS COME OUT TO PLAY IN RIO
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The Volvo Extreme 40 Catamarans will be
unleashed this week when they participate in the second Volvo Extreme 40
Grand Prix Series during the Rio de Janeiro stopover of the Volvo Ocean
Race 2005-06. Whilst the shore teams are busy working on the Volvo Open
70s after a gruelling 6,700 nautical mile leg four from Wellington to
Rio, in preparation for the in-port race on Saturday, the Volvo Extreme
40s will provide the entertainment out on the water.
The Volvo Extreme 40, a strict one-design catamaran has already become
one of the most dynamic multihulls on the inshore racing circuit, with
boats reaching 35 knots in flat waters. In six knots of breeze, they can
fly one hull, the main reason why they have become a spectator's
favourite.
The class made its debut at the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 start port of
Sanxenxo, Galicia, at the end of last year, attracting some of the
world's top sailors and bringing together the world of offshore yachting
with Olympic and dinghy sailing talent.
For the Brazilian round of the series, local sailing legends Lars Grael
and Robert Scheidt will be competing when racing gets underway in
Guanabara Bay on Tuesday. Grael, the brother of Volvo Ocean Race skipper
Torben and a two times Olympic medallist in the Tornado class, will
skipper the Volvo Ocean Race entry, currently lying in second place to
Tommy Hilfiger after the first round in Sanxenxo last November. Scheidt,
one of the most prolific Laser sailors in history, will also be a member
of Grael's five man crew and his familiarity with the winds and
conditions in home waters will add an extra dimension to the 40 ft
catamaran's sizzling performances.
On Tuesday, five catamarans will line up at the start of the five-day
Grand Prix series which will comprise a maximum of 18 races with a
prize-giving set to take place at the end of racing on Sunday Skippers
include Grael, Olympic Tornado champion Mitch Booth, who with French
gold medal winner Yves Loday, conceived and developed the Extreme 40.
Booth will skipper Holmatro while Open 60 sailor Conrad Humphries
skippers Motorola-CHR and two times Olympic silver medallist Randy
Smyth, the veteran multihull sailor, heads up an impressive line up on
the series leader Tommy Hilfiger. Team Basilica, the only British owned,
crewed, and sponsored boat in the event, have a new look crew following
their disappointing performance in Sanxenxo. ~ www.VolvoExtreme40.org
AS SEEN BY RUSSELL
The recently completed Dubai Match Race was the first race between RC 44
boats and as such was the first opportunity to see how Andrej Justin's
and my creation would perform under hard racing conditions. Without
question the boat performed fantastically. It looks great in pictures,
sails fast and provided an excellent physical test for the teams. The
boats were able to accommodate an umpire and cameraman onboard, which
simplified the regatta logistics and costs. The umpires did not use
their usual follow boat and made their decisions by verbally informing
the teams. I must say that I liked the simplicity. We were able to use
just one (red) flag which indicated a penalty to those watching the
race.
After racing the boats, the response from the teams was amazing. While
there is no doubting the boats are challenging to match race with only
six crew, the performance of the boats impressed everyone that sailed
them. Many people believe you have to use relatively slow boats to have
a good match race but as Vasco Vascotto said; "In fact the opposite is
true. The faster the boats the more opportunity there is to pass,
particularly downwind." Many of us have already experienced and seen
this at races such as the Trieste Match Race where their boats are also
light and fast, or when we have fleet raced in boats like Melges 24's.
In our five races, the lead changed downwind in three of them and twice
upwind. If the boat behind was able to find even slightly more wind or
perform a slightly better gybe, or better judge the layline into the
bottom mark, the race closed up very rapidly. Crew work was a key factor
with the gennaker gybes requiring a lot of precision, both in terms of
steering and in the operation of the winches. There is no question that
this configuration is much more rewarding than the more traditional
spinnaker set up found on most boats.
The race organizers also experimented with a different port end entry
for the start, eliminating the dial up situation. The dial up at entry
is something that match racing should do away with. In most match races
the two boats sit head to wind, motionless for up to two minutes just
after they enter the gate! In light winds, it is not uncommon for the
boats to sit like that for the entire three and a half minutes! This is
quite ridiculous for a sport wanting to attract spectator interest!!
So at the Dubai Match Race, they allowed the port tack boat to enter
below the starting gate, therefore allowing it to cross the starboard
boat. After that the pre-start maneuvering began and we had some
fantastic pre-start duals. I must say that I was impressed with Jes Gram
Hansen and his team, particularly around the pre-start box where they
won a couple of the starts very clearly. It seems the in house practice
at their America's Cup training base is paying off.
Dubai presented an awesome venue with an almost perfect arena inside the
Palm development. The last race was conducted at dusk which may be a
leader for some of their future thinking. They are planning to mount a
series of giant spotlights around the racing area and conduct the racing
at night. The racing should provide a perfect backdrop to the many
hotels and restaurants dotted along the beach. When you think about it,
there is no reason why match racing couldn't do this in the future,
especially in Dubai where almost no idea is too crazy to try! ~ Russell
Coutts, full story: www.russellcoutts.net
SPRING SPECIAL
Join the growing fun by sailing the Sport Boat for One. Blast the bay,
teach your kids how to sail, or just push it hard on a breezy day. The
Bongo is now in five countries and growing. You can do it all in the
Bongo. Take advantage of our spring special: receive a free set of
covers with every boat purchased through 15 April - for a savings of
$1,250. http://www.sailabongo.com
TRANSOCEANIC WINDSURFING
(Excerpt from a story by Bruce Montgomery on The Daily Sail subscription
website.)
Frenchwoman Raphaela Le Gouvello is to attempt to be the first person to
windsurf solo across the Indian Ocean. The 45-year-old aquaculture
veterinarian plans a solo voyage leaving Exmouth, Western Australia on
April 5, bound for Reunion Island, 3400 nautical miles to the west.
'Solo' means that she will sleep in the hull of her specially-designed
sailboard for the 10-11 weeks she expects the odyssey to take. She will
desalinate her water, be self-sufficient in food, carry spare sails and
ropes, carry a waterproof laptop and may even transmit photographs of
her progress.
Le Gouvello has previously windsurfed the Atlantic (Dakar to Guadeloupe
in 2000), the Pacific (Lima to Tahiti in 2003) and the Mediterranean
(Marseille to Tunis in 2002).
Le Gouvello's sailboard is something different - 7.8m long, 1.3m beam,
1.05m draught and about 550 kg fully laden. Her sleeping/living space
below the deck is slightly more than 1 cubic metre. ~
www.thedailysail.com
FOR THE RECORD
Dee Caffari and the shore team are beginning to focus on preparations
for the charge up the Atlantic towards the finish on Caffari's her
attempt to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stop westwards
round the world.. Aviva is already nearly 2 tonnes lighter than when she
set off from Portsmouth as fuel and water have been used, and Dee will
be looking at the distribution of weight in tanks and other measures to
optimise Aviva and increase speed for the Atlantic section of the
circumnavigation. With 8311 miles still to go on this voyage that began
on November 20, Caffari advanced 144 miles in the last 24 hours. ~
www.avivachallenge.com
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK
A seven page list of works and repairs on movistar is keeping the shore
crew working round the clock, night and day, to ensure the boat is 100
percent by the start of the In Port race on Saturday. Shore manager
Campbell Field has added an extra eight pairs of hands to the existing
team due to the time constraints and the volume of work that needs to be
completed, but aside from the keel issues and the damage caused by the
flooding during the last leg from Wellington to Rio, the boat, he says,
is in good shape. "We were pleased to find that none of the hydraulic
mechanism or engine was damaged. The oil in the system was cleaner than
the blood in our veins," he said.
Field has rounded up a host of friends and contacts, all of them
professionals in their specialist areas, to help with the works. They
include Russ Bowler from Farr Design, who has been addressing the
problem with the bomb doors on the keel. The area around the keel has
been completely stripped and new sliding doors reinstalled, using a new
fastening method and extra material to reinforce the structure. All the
materials have been sourced from England or Australia - some arriving
before movistar on Thursday - and the programme of works is now well
underway.
The team is split into two, working 12 hour shifts, one from 0700 to
1900 and the other through the night. "Apart from the keel and generator
issues, there is no more work for us than for anyone else. Many of the
jobs on our list are routine maintenance and include, for instance, a
new bungee on the toothbrush holder," explained Field. "Our aim is to
have the boat, fully tested and operational, on the water by Thursday,
but as to whether it will be morning or midnight, we don't know. What is
for sure is that the shore team is just as dedicated to this project as
the sailing crew. ~ www.volvooceanrace.org
JP3 AND LOUGHBOROUGH MARINE INTERESTS LLC
JP3 has been manufacturing water-tight self aligning rudder bearings and
steering systems, from composite wheels and quadrants, to custom
auto-pilot disconnect units, for 18 years. They are consistently
specified by designers/ builders such as Nautor, Goetz, Reichel-Pugh,
and New England Boatworks. Recent R&D, based on IACC and VO70
requirements, has resulted in a new generation of lighter, lower profile
bearings. Custom units for specialty rotational load requirements have
been produced with internal diameters of up to 1150mm. To find out more
about this versatile system, and the US agents, Loughborough Marine
Interests, please visit http://www.http.lminewport.com
NEWS BRIEFS
* The Lightning class completed their Southern Circuit last weekend,
which began the week before in Savannah, GA, then continued on to Miami,
FL and finally to St. Petersburg, FL. Overall winners were Jeff Linton,
Amy Linton, and Mark Taylor, who also won the second event, the Miami
Lightning Midwinter Championships. David Starck and his team of Jared
Drake and Ian Jones won the first event, the Deep South Regatta, while
Jay Lutz, Taylor Lutz, and Jody Lutz won the finale, the Winter
Championships. - International Lightning Class,
http://www.lightningclass.org
*If you enjoy small boat racing you simply must see the great video
footage of Trux college regatta including Andrew Campbell dominating A
division, Georgetown's overall win, and a seven boat Laser pile up at
the leeward mark! ~ t2p.tv
* Over 300 high school sailors and 60 California high school teams
competed in the 2006 Gaucho Regatta, hosted by the UCSB Sailing Team and
Santa Barbara YC in Santa Barbara, CA. A wild weekend greeted the high
school sailors, with puffs hitting the low 30's, sustained breeze in the
mid 20's, 50 degree water temps, and some very lumpy seas. Safety
dictated only three races in each of the Gold A and B Divisions were
completed, with Point Loma High School edging out Newport Harbor and
Marin Catholic teams for the win. Results: http://www.pcisa.org
* Photographer Shawn Davis sent to Scuttlebutt photos from the Spring
One Design Regatta that was last weekend at St. Francis Yacht Club in
San Francisco, CA. Heck, it even looked like Spring, which is no
guarantee this time of year, but the fleet of J/120's, J/105's, and
Express 37's clearly enjoyed some nice sailing:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0320
* Helmut Czasny will join the ISAF Secretariat in July 2006 as the new
Competition Manager. Czasny is an ISAF International Race Officer (IRO)
and International Judge (IJ) and will join ISAF after completing his
role as Competition Manager for the ISAF World Sailing Games, taking
place in Lake Neusiedl, Austria from May10-20. Czasny will concentrate
on the Race Officials area, ISAF Rankings and ISAF Events. Czasny, 35,
was born in Vienna where he grew up and attended university. He spent
nine years as a sailmaker for Christian Binder CBS-Sails. As well as
German he speaks fluent French and English. ~ www.sailing.org
* Charleston Race Week organizers anticipate that more than 150 teams
will participate in their April 6 - 9 event. Meaghan Van Liew, Director
of Development pointed out that 15 separate companies are supporting the
event this year. "Financially, we have three times the amount of
corporate commitment than there was last year, and that's great for both
the companies involved and for the racers." This growth, she explained,
has enabled the organizers to provide more value to the sponsors by way
of a printed program, a hospitality yacht, speaking opportunities,
enhanced branding, and more space for exhibits. -
http://www.charlestonraceweek.com/
* The Myron Spaulding Wooden Boat Center of Sausalito, California has
joined forces with the International Yacht Restoration School of
Newport, RI, and will open a West Coast campus in 2007. The West Coast
school will initially offer a two-year program in yacht restoration,
adding additional courses down the line.
* Correction: In Scuttlebutt 2054, it was reported that Steve Fossett's
record breaking catamaran, Cheyenne, formerly Play Station, was
undergoing extensive modification, in San Diego, as Fossett has set his
sights on becoming the deepest man in a submarine. The truth is that, as
Steve told Scuttlebutt, "You will find that no work has been done on
Cheyenne since its arrival in December." While Steve remains mum on his
future plans for the boat, we took some photos, and concur that she
still seems fresh from her dismasting on March 9, 2005 during the Oryx
Quest 2005. Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/0320
JOIN THE VANGUARD SAILING TEAM
Applications are now being accepted to become part of the 2006 Vanguard
Sailing Team. Our team trains, competes, and helps us to continue to
develop the best equipment out there. Join the likes of Anna
Tunnicliffe, Adam Roberts, and Nick Martin. To apply, go to
http://tinyurl.com/etta6
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. You only get one letter
per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others
disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for
elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at
the Scuttlebutt website:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi)
* From Andy Burton: I can't think of a better choice than Robin Wallace
as this year's recipient of the Harman Hawkins prize for excellence in
race administration. He brings the same care and efficiency to running
the races for our Wednesday night Shields races at Ida Lewis Yacht Club
as he does for every endeavor he is involved with.
The starting lines for our 30-boat fleet are square and long enough for
all the boats; the weather legs are perfect and challenging; he shortens
course in time if the breeze quits; makes the legs long enough that we
have few pile-ups at the bottom mark and on top of all that, he oversees
and corrects the inevitable errors when I write the notice of race and
the sailing instructions. In short as a principle race officer he is a
racer's dream and he's a hell of a nice guy to boot. I would be
surprised if you don't have letters from every boat in our fleet because
we all know how very lucky we are to have this exalted PRO and friend
running our races every week.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Ted Giesel aka: Dr. Seuss
Special thanks to PC Sailing, Loughborough Marine Interests, and
Vanguard.
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