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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 714 - December 20, 2000VENDEE GLOBE* Yves Parlier's nickname among the French solo sailing community is the Extra Terrestrial, his reputation sure to be enchanced by his decision to carry on racing in the Vendee Globe despite Aquitaine Innovations' dismasting deep in the Southern Ocean leaving him with only an eight-metre stump of his 25-metre mast. * The Vendee soloists carry a reefed mainsail for much of their time in the Southern Ocean and Parlier is able to set his main with the fourth reef in. With this he plans to pass Australia by, some 1,500 miles north-east, and press on to Cape Horn 7,000 miles away. By then, he hopes to fashion some of the remaining carbon-fibre tubes left from his rig into a taller mast for the 7,500 miles back to Les Sables d'Olonne, France. "How do you comprehend that in a split second all your hopes for this legendary race, which I have been working towards for nine whole years, has now gone up in smoke," mused Parlier. "I'm held captive by the order of work that needs to be done and I haven't got time to get depressed about it." His determination to press on has amazed even those who know him best. "He must still be in a state of shock," said race leader Michel Desjoyeaux, who also admitted that he would have allowed Parlier past rather than match his blazing tempo. "Perhaps he'll listen to reason soon." - Excerpts from a story by Tim Jeffery in the UK's Daily Telegraph Full story: http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ Standings on December 19 at 13:01 UT: 1. PRB (Desjoyeaux) 2. SILL Matines La Potagere (Jourdain) 56 miles behind leader, 3. Sodebo (Coville) +427 miles, 4. Kingfisher (MacArthur) +473 miles, 5. Active Wear (Thiercelin) +508 miles, 6. Aquitaine Innovations (Parlier) +527 miles. TEAM PHILIPS From Pete Goss, skipper of the abandoned maxi-catamaran Team Philips: "We have been overwhelmed by the support and goodwill of many people, which in some cases has translated into a burning desire to assist the team with a positive donation towards a salvage fund. At this time I am trying to make sense out of the confusion that such an incident throws up, and unfortunately I don't yet know if a salvage without further risk to life is possible. I am currently working hard on all avenues. "In recognition of these amazing gestures, we have decided to open a separate account to receive any donations towards the salvage effort. If for whatever reason, we are unable to mount a salvage operation, the funds, in keeping with the spirit of Team Philips, will be used to offer the historic 57ft yacht, British Steel's, services to schools for youth sailing. They will be able to work as a team and learn some valuable lessons for life. Life is about opportunities and should Team Philips not be able to be salvaged, I believe that this is a fitting legacy for a brighter future." - http://www.teamphilips.com/index.cfm?ArticleID=3640 TRENDS When you attend a big regatta like the Etchells World championship, you quickly find out what's hot, and what's not. Camet shorts were everywhere. And although everyone loves the advantages of the drying Supplex, and the reinforced Cordura seat patch, I think what's pushed them over the top is the fact that they look so great. See for yourself, and while you're at it don't forget to get one of the wonderful Camet mylar bags. http://www.camet.com THE RACE December 19 - Marina Port Vell is gradually turning into a racing "paddock" as boats begin to make their final preparations for The Race. Club Med, skippered by the New Zealander Grant Dalton was first to arrive on Sunday morning, followed in the evening by Innovation Explorer skippered by Loick Peyron and Skip Novak. This morning a short circuit destroyed one of Club Med's regulators; it was changed by the afternoon. Next sailing scheduled for tomorrow morning. Innovation Explorer was hauled out for a complete check-up this morning before the start of The Race. Unfortunately Stephane Peyron has been forced to pull out of the event! He is suffering from back pains. With more than 40 expeditions throughout the world, Stephane was looking forward to participating in The Race and sharing a common adventure with his two other brothers, something that hasn't happened since 1981! But they will surely be back together again one day soon! Cam Lewis' Team Adventure tied up alongside in Marina Port Vell yesterday evening, but left again in this afternoon to finish qualifying. Playsatation, American Steve Fossett's boat was sailing at 10 knots at 0800 GMT this morning NE of Ibiza; they are scheduled to arrive later today. Remember that this catamaran is the biggest in the fleet at 38 metres long. Warta Polharma was 150 miles off the coast between Vigo and Lisbon at 0800 GMT this morning. Tony Bullimore1s Team Lagato is currently in Lisbon. The British yachtsman called into the Portuguese port yesterday evening. Reached by telephone this morning, Tony told us that all was well on board and that he would be putting to sea again as soon as he had fixed their transmission problem. - http://therace.org 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. We don't publish anonymous letters, but will withhold your e-mail address on request.) * From Carl Buchan - As I grew up in sailing, everything about Peter Barrett, including the smile that appeared to be permanently etched on his face seemed larger than life to me. In addition to his accomplishments on the racecourse, Peter showed a combination of fierce competitiveness, uncompromising sportsmanship, and a joy of sailing and life that will always be an inspiration to me. What is more, he always took the time to show a personal interest in how I was doing, and to talk about the things that were important to him, like his family, teaching, or getting back to Wisconsin. In Peter Harken's personal note, he mentions that parents would want their kids to emulate Peter. Well, I am one kid who considers himself very fortunate to have had the chance to know Peter Barrett and to have at least tried to emulate him. * From Jim Crane JCrane3134@aol.com [Edited to our 250-word limit] - Peter Barrett was one of the most unique individuals I have ever met in my life. He held degrees in engineering, law, naval architecture and eventually either an MBA or PHD in business. He was an Olympic metalist, a humanitarian and most importantly my friend. Peter had no ego that I knew of, but could he ever put up an argument when he felt he had a better idea. He would support you when he felt you were right and let you know very clearly when he felt you were going astray. He was a manager who gave you enough rope to hang yourself several times over. But he would always help you get back on your feet and give it another try. Peter came along in an era when you earned your stripes and didn't acquire them through slick self-promotion. He was a true original the likes of which we won't soon see again. I can't think of one person who accomplished as much as Peter in such a wide range of fields and yet if you met him you would never even grasp a hint of his success. I think his biggest gift was what he taught about approaching life. Peter always felt you could do anything you wanted to do if you tried hard enough, and were smart enough. Don't follow conventional wisdom that something can't be done just because others give that impression. * From Gail M. Turluck turluck@corecomm.net Peter Barrett was a great guy. A perfect gentleman. A true sportsman. A fair player. True to his roots. Gave more than he took. At home in a Tech Dinghy and on a 50 footer. Humankind was fortunate to have him in our midst for as long as we did AMAZING BOATS (Brian Hancock looked over the boats sailing in the Vendee Globe Race and came away saying, " I have never seen such an amazing and innovative fleet of boats assembled for any regatta. The diversity and imagination of some of the designs was astounding." Fans of this race should absolutely read his thoughtful review on the SailNet website. Here are two brief tastes to whet your appetite.) * To most people these amazing machines seem like big dinghies and that's really what they are-light, fast, planing hulls that are easily driven and easily controlled on a big surf-like that found in the southern ocean. It might be surprising to many, but the newer boats are narrower than they were a few years ago. At that time (say six-plus years ago) water ballast was the most common way of adding stability to an Open Class 60. Each boat carried massive water tanks in the broadest portion of the boat, and to add stability the sailor would pump a few tons of seawater up to the high side. Then the canting keel was introduced, and later refined, and now most Open 60s have either a canting keel, or a combination of water ballast and a canting keel (Fourteen of the 24 boats that started this race have swing or canting keels.) Aboard some boats, water is added not solely for stability, but also for additional weight so that the boats have some punch when sailing to windward in a seaway. Some of these vessels, like Kingfisher, have tanks forward of the mast, on centerline, and the extra weight here is intended to steady the boat when sailing on the wind. * Another obvious difference among the current fleet comes in the form of appendages-the rudders, centerboards, and other bits that hang off the hull. With canting keels being the most effective way of adding stability, designers have been forced to add tracking fins and centerboards to enhance the directional stability of the boat. A tracking fin is usually located on centerline and is ordinarily not retractable, although the one aboard Michel Desjoyeaux's PRB can be raised. This appendage is there to provide lift when sailing to windward as well as to keep the boat on track when surfing downwind. The most common appendages, however, are asymmetrical daggerboards. Most of these are retractable (and removable) so that they can be replaced if damaged. MacArthur's Kingfisher has daggerboards that are overly long so that the upper portion might be reinserted and used should the bottom portion shear off. Those designers who have fitted retractable daggerboards have done so in order to reduce drag and wetted surface when the board(s) are not needed. - Brian Hancock, SailNet website. Full story: http://www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=hancoc0014&tfr=fp HISTORY LESSON Former winners of the Everett B. Morris Trophy for College Sailor of the Year: 1968 - Scott H. Allan - University of Southern California 1969 - Timothy P. Hogan - University of Southern California 1970 - Richard T. Doyle - Notre Dame University 1971 - Jonathan Wright - U. S. Merchant Marine Academy 1972 - Gary A. Jobson - SUNY Maritime College 1973 - Gary A. Jobson - SUNY Maritime College 1974 - Augie Diaz - Tulane University 1975 - Roger "Sam" Altreuter - Tufts University 1976 - Peter F. Isler - Yale University 1977 - W. Carl Buchan - University of Washington 1978 - Stephen D. Benjamin - Yale University 1979 - Alexander Smigelski - Jr. - U. S. Merchant Marine Academy 1980 - R. Stuart Johnstone - Tufts University 1981 - Paul "Pede" Dickey - Tufts University 1982 - Ken Read - Boston University 1983 - Morgan I. Reeser - U. S. Merchant Marine Academy 1984 - Morgan I. Reeser - U. S. Merchant Marine Academy 1985 - John M. Renehan - III - U. S. Merchant Marine Academy 1986 - Bradford S. Read - Boston University 1987 - Robert A. Hallawell - U. S. Naval Academy 1988 - Christopher B. Larson - College of Charleston 1989 - Terry A. Hutchinson - Old Dominion University 1990 - Terry A. Hutchinson - Old Dominion University 1991 - "Andy" Lovell - College of Charleston 1992 - Bradley M. Rodi - U. S. Naval Academy 1993 - Bradley M. Rodi - U. S. Naval Academy 1994 - Tyler W. Moore - College of Charleston 1995 - Ryan Cox - U. S. Naval Academy 1996 - Senet Bischoff - Tufts University 1997 - Timothy Wadlow - Boston University 1998 - William A. Hardesty, III, U. S. Merchant Marine Academy 1999 - Mark Ivey, St. Mary's College of Maryland 2000 - Dalton Bergan, University of Southern California http://www.collegesailing.org TURN YOUR PASSION INTO YOUR CAREER Because of North Sails unprecedented growth, North Sails Manufacturing is hiring at all levels, all skills, all over the country. Excellent wages, 401K with company match, Health and Dental Insurance. These opportunities offer room for advancement, growth potential, & structured training. Join our team and let your sailing skills work for you. Specific locations include: North Sails Manufacturing in Long Island, Rhode Island, San Diego, Toronto, Connecticut & Maryland. Contact Kallie Gordon (Kallie@nmo.northsails.com)- 203-783-0871 for the opportunity nearest or best suited for you. INDUSTRY NEWS Since gaining ISAF International Class status the Melges 24 has over 500 boats now built. Boat number 500 will be on display on the Melges Performance Sailboats stand at the Strictly Sail Show in Chicago from February 1 to 4 2001, while boat number 501, from the Rowen Composites construction facility in Europe, is being delivered to current Melges 24 World Champion Giorgio Zuccoli in Italy. 2000 has seen the class become well established in France where over 60 boats now race regularly on the Michel Herbelin sponsored national circuit, and with new national fleets recently formed in Switzerland, Italy, Estonia, Japan and Sweden the class continues to expand steadily. http://www.melges24.com THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Where does the white go when the snow melts? |
