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SCUTTLEBUTT 1746 - January 4, 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. A VERY GOOD YEAR On November 30, when Team Alinghi announced that Ed Baird had joined their America's Cup syndicate as a helmsman, it metaphorically put the frosting on what had already been a very good year for the St. Petersburg resident. "I've had some amazing experiences during my sailing career," Baird admitted, "but I don't remember ever having such a consistently successful run during any previous year." The various teams with which Baird was involved won major events in each quarter of the year. 2004 started very positively for Baird when he called tactics on Tom Stark's winning Swan 45 at Terra Nova Trading Key West Race Week. Sailing with Stark again in October they took third at the Swan 45 Worlds held in Capri, Italy. "Tom had not raced for over a year before Key West, and only did those two events in 2004," Baird admitted. In between those two one-design regattas, he joined the 3-boat Spanish team as tactician aboard another Swan-45 at the ISAF World Offshore Team Race - which they won. Although Baird had a number of major regattas on this year's schedule, his focus was the match racing circuit. Leading his Team Musto, Baird won the Congressional Cup in Long Beach in April, the Portugal Cup in Cascais, Portugal in August ( beating Russell Coutts 3-0 in the finals), and the Pizza-La Red Lobster Nippon Cup in Hayama, Japan in November. Additionally, he was second at Italy's Trentino Cup and third at the Investor's Guarantee King Edward VII Gold Cup in Bermuda. But certainly his most satisfying result had to be successfully defending his ISAF World Match Racing Championship in Russia last July. Baird credits his core teammates. "Andy Horton and Jon Ziskind have sailed with me at nearly every match race for the last 2-1/2 years," Baird said. "Without their great attitudes and commitment to building our team strengths, I never would have achieved the results I have this season." Over the years Baird has won world championships in both the Laser and the J/24 classes Baird's success has been broad, winning in one-designs, big boats and match racing, as well as coaching many top sailors. But along the way he's found time to take his growing family to the Caribbean where he's won the Bitter End Yacht Club's Pro Am Regatta four times and the Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship three times. Presently, Baird is World #1 on the ISAF Match Racing Rankings and is also leading the international Swedish Match Tour. With new challenges ahead as part of Team Alinghi, Baird will have plenty to concentrate on. But he'll surely think of 2004 as a year to remember! ONE-DESIGN FLEET BUILDING (Sailing World editor John Burnham has posted an outline on the magazine's website of the presentation he made at US Sailing's recent One-Design Symposium concerning building a one-design fleet. Here are a few excerpts.) Fleet-building energy has got to happen at the fleet level, but class leaders can have a big influence on the process. They can influence growth in several ways, most of them pretty straightforward: a) Communication: web, newsletter, listserv/email; b) Schedule coordination, regatta planning; c) Builder relations, revising rules; d) Collect memberships, finances, & report how you're doing-which often creates calls to action. For example, some classes keep better track of their membership numbers than others. You should do it every year if for no other reason than it reminds you to get your fleet leaders in gear to make sure their fleet members are paid-up class members. 3. What Fleets Need to Grow: a) Fleet Captain, Secretary, Treasurer: Good officers are absolutely vital. b) Members (e-mail, addresses, dues): Keep track of people and they'll pay their dues. c) Activities: both social and competitive: There's more to it than just racing. d) Volunteers to run these events: Spread the load. e) Keeping up with Racing & Class Rules: Vital to the fleet culture and what makes you one-design. 4. What Fleets Really Need : Communication Above all, your fleet is tied together less by its schedule of events than by communication: a) among the members; b) among fleet leaders; c) with local clubs, other organizers, media; d) with the class association If things aren't going well, look to your communication. - John Burnham, complete outline: http://tinyurl.com/64x5v TSUNAMI American sailors Ed and Helen Muesch are taking part in the Blue Water Rally in Tahlequah on their Hans Christian 43. They were anchored in Phi Phi Don in Thailand when the tsunami struck. The Yachting World website has posted a story by Elaine Bunting chronicling their terrifying experience in which Helen nearly died. - www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050003094619ywnews.html THE ALL NEW MELGES 32 - FIRST LOOK! Melges Performance Sailboats has launched an all new 32 foot racing craft, designed by Reichel/Pugh specifically for Melges. At a quick glance the Melges 32 is a super-sized Melges 24. So, if the very popular Melges 24 is a bit too small for your liking, the Melges 32 will be perfect. Enjoy many of the same features of the Melges 24, such as a retractable keel for easy trailing and launching - even ramp launching is possible. Look for the boat at Key West Race Week and the Strictly Sail Show in Chicago. For complete details, race to http://www.melges.com RECORD PACE 'I'm so tired and my feet are freezing," said Ellen MacArthur Monday night. "Every nap is being interupted by the wind alarms going off the whole time. If I have the generator on its warmer but then no sleep it's so noisy. Generator off the wind alarms pierce the sleep continually - but I can't switch them off, got to know when the gusts hit. I am swapping boots and socks, using gennie to dry the offwatch set. More freezing hail this morning. My hands are hard, sore and have split. This is the south, it's hard to climb out of it." After 36 days at sea and more than 15,000 miles, MacArthur's 75-foot trimaran B&Q is now more than 64 hours ahead Francis Joyon's solo round the world record. The forecast is good, calling for winds in the 25+ range for Tuesday. - www.teamellen.com HEADING FOR HOME At 0515 GMT Monday, Vendee Globe leader Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) crossed the longitude of Cape Horn, after 56 days 17 hours and 13 minutes of racing. By rounding 5 days 10 hours ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux's 2000 record and the latest generation of Open 60s having better upwind potential to improve their performance on this final run back up the Atlantic, so Desjoyeaux's overall Vendee Globe race record of 93 days 3 hours and 57 minutes looks under considerable threat. Le Cam is probably not doing a lot of celebrating, because both Vincent Riou and Mike Golding have taken big bites out of his lead. The three leaders are into their last third of the race, just 7000 miles left. The Atlantic is clearly going to be a relief though it is a rather complex playing field with the Falklands for starters, the Saint Helena high as main course and the Doldrums for dessert. Leaders at 1900 GMT January 3: 1. Bonduelle, Jean Le Cam, 6972 miles to finish 2. PRB, Vincent Riou, 60 miles to leader 3. Ecover, Mike Golding, 89 mtl 4. VMI, Sébastien Josse, 1079 mtl 5. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, 1426 mtl 6. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick 2072 mtl 7. Skandia, Nick Moloney, 2911 mtl 8. Arcelor Dunkerque, Joé Seeten, 3487 mtl 9. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 3892 mtl 10. Hellomoto, Conrad Humphreys, 3927 mtl Complete standings: www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE "I've taken a reef because I was just about to break the boom in this head sea ... in only 8 knots of wind, but it's faster as the sail is a lot more stable. Ridiculous scenario to have a reef in at 8 knots of wind. Just trying to avoid a breakage." - Nick Maloney, Skandia THE NEW LOOK: THE CAMET PORTO CERVO SHORTS Give your crew a modern twist on the classic look. These canvas shorts provide the protection you need while maintaining the comfort and feel of the original Camet sailing shorts. With attention to detail, the Camet Porto Cervo shorts have become the contemporary look on yachts all over the world. Made from 9 oz. brushed, soft cotton canvas, they have a relaxed fit with plain front, zipper fly, belt loops, two deep side pockets, and two stitched rear-pockets with Velcro® closures. They are designed with a double seat for protection and gusseted crotch for full range of motion. http://www.camet.com MARC LOMBARD (Jean Le Cam's Bounduelle, a Marc Lombard design, holds the Vendee Globe lead. The boat's designer Marc Lombard, of La Rochelle, France, cut his teeth at England's Green Marine and started his early design work on multihulls and hydrofoils before expanding his design portfolio to monohulls. Some of his recent projects include custom cruisers, such as the aluminum Futuna 57 (in build) and four Open 60s in the Vendee Globe nonstop solo round-the-world race. Sail magazine's Josh Adams caught up with him at the Paris Boat Show, and a copy of their interview is now posted on the Sail website. Here's a brief excerpt.) Adams: Do you expect your boats to excel in one area? Lombard: According to the simulation we made around the world, we'll make the difference in the Atlantic [on the final leg to France]. There is lots of reaching and lots of upwind. Adams: What's the key to winning the Vendee? Lombard: You have to get from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn with as few of these [international hand symbol for a broach] as possible. Adams: How much do you rely on your research, such as CFD tools? Lombard: The most important thing is the idea of the designer. Research people are dangerous. You can always make a calculation to get the answer you want. I can't trust an engineer that works only in CFD. Adams: Why are French sailors dominating this race? Lombard, with a smile: My answer to that is there are many Frenchman in the race. Full interview: http://sailmag.com/lombard/ CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar ROUND THE WORLD Those who get off on round the world record attempts will be thrilled to learn that Burno Peyron and his crew on the maxi-catamaran Orange II are standing by in Lorient, France, waiting for a weather window, so they could attack the Jules Verne record. And, of course, on February 5 in Qatar, most of the world's other maxi-catamarans will be fleet racing round the planet in Tracy Edward's Oryx Quest 2005 for a $1,000,000 prize. That event has four entries: Qatar 2005 skippered by Brian Thompson; Geronimo, the current Jules Verne trophy holder, skippered by Olivier de Kersauson; Daedalus, skippered by Tony Bullimore; and Steve Fossett's Cheyenne (formerly PlayStation) skippered on this race by American David Scully. - Websites: www.qisel.com/ & www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ NEWS BRIEFS * After an agonizing last few miles Leg Two of the Global Challenge round the world race, Spirit of Sark battled through 40 knots of wind and win the from Buenos Aires to Wellington leg. A jubilant and bearded skipper, Duggie Gillespie (far too busy to shave!) was ecstatic as he came in first. Last time he raced into New Zealand he was a Crew Volunteer - this time he's a winning skipper. BP Explorer finished just over a half hour later to take second place - just two minutes and 19 second ahead of BG Spirit in third. - www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/ * The largest combined collegiate and high school regatta in the country takes place this weekend at the 20th annual Rose Bowl Regatta on Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, California. No. 1-ranked Brown University of Providence, R.I. will line up against No. 2 USC as more than 300 of the nation's top college and high school sailors from 25 colleges, the service academies and 60 high schools race in this traditional event. The USC sailing team is the official host while the US Sailing Center and the Alamitos Bay YC are organizing the event. - www.ussclb.org HAPPY NEW YEAR, NEED A CALENDAR? Cory Silken's 2005 Classic Sailing Calendars are on sale! Twelve months of sepia-tone fine art photographs of traditional sailboats, featuring famous yachts from around the world. With its chic classic and clean look, this calendar will enhance any wall in your home, office, or boat. http://www.studio6x7.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 Paul Archer: On holiday in Australia and saw the following amongst notable sports quotes for 2004 in the national daily paper "The Australian." Quote from former yachtsman John Gordon, 77, who competed in the first Sydney - Hobart Race in 1945. "The first time you go to Hobart's in ignorance, the second time is stupidity and after that you deserve all you get." My sentiments exactly! * From Douglas Johnstone: With all due respect to Dr. Paul Jacobs, a 25.5 foot boat is not nearly the engineering problem that a 90 footer is. Further, engineers and designers do not use "stuff" but rather "reinforcements and scantlings". Finally it is generally not the reinforcement materials that fail, such as Carbon Fiber, Kevlar and Fiberglass, but the adhesives used to "glue" one laminate to another or to the core material My observation is that no matter how much research, development and analysis one applies, when you are pushing the envelope, it is occasionally going to tear. * From Davey Jones: Hey - how about restricting those racing sailboats to fixed keels, as opposed to all these broken canting keels? My locker is getting full! * From Jeff Carlile: In just over 36 days, Ellen MacArthur has sailed 15, 324 miles averaging 17.5 knots. With approximately 10,526 miles left to go (on an ideal course), continuing to average 17.5 knots over the remainder of the course will put her over the finish line in about 25 days. That would be a total solo round-the-world time of about 61 days, which beats Joyon's record by 11 days. Steve Fossett and his crew of 12 on Cheyenne completed the circumnavigation in 58 days. Ellen has passed 7 of the 15 boats still racing in the Vendee Globe; they started 21 days ahead of her. * From Len Hubbard: Nice to see more discussion about family participation in the sport. here on Narragansett Bay we have terrific children's programs, but they are all racing oriented. I have noticed that there is no longer a place for the child that wants to sail, but does not have the right "killer instinct" for racing. There also seems to be an absence of the other aspects of sailing in these programs, such as seamanship, on (and off) the water courtesy, navigation and the like. Perhaps more attention to these other facets of this wonderful sport will pique the interest of more children and get them to sail after their Opti days are over, or if they do not want to race at all. The idea of more small crewed boats, like Thistles, is also attractive, as it promotes teamwork, manners, and responsibility to others. From my own big boat racing days, that is what I remember most, and what is likely to promote lifelong friendships. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Young people go skinny dipping, but as you age it's more like chunky dunking. |
