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SCUTTLEBUTT 1893 -- August 2, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.CAYARD TO SKIPPER PIRATE SHIP August 1 -- Paul Cayard, one of America's most decorated sailors, has agreed to skipper the "Black Pearl," the Walt Disney Co.-backed syndicate, in the Volvo Ocean Race, set to begin in November. The announcement is scheduled for tomorrow. The 46-year-old San Francisco native has sailed in five America's Cup campaigns and is a seven-time sailing world champion. He was selected Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year in 1998 and was elected to the Sailing World Hall of Fame in 2002. Cayard is no stranger to the 32,000-mile global race. In 1998, he was the first American skipper to win the global circumnavigation, then known as the Whitbread, on "EF Language." "I think Cayard is a good choice," said Gary Jobson, author and sailing commentator for NBC and ESPN. "He won in 1997-98, and that's invaluable. He's a strong organizer. I hope this means we're going to have a majority U.S. crew." Disney will use the Black Pearl as a major promotion for the sequel to the movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean." The syndicate has deep pockets, with Disney expected to spend about $17 million on the campaign. But Cayard faces an uphill battle to get to the starting line in November. The other six syndicates are much further along, having launched their boats and settled on crews. Cayard's abilities and star power are expected to help compensate for the late start. But no one has raced the 70-foot yachts under the demanding conditions of an around-the-world regatta. "Late starts are never helpful in any sport," said Jobson. "They're going to have to do a lot of catching up." -- Candus Thomson, Baltimore Sun, full story: http://tinyurl.com/7n2u4 YET ANOTHER US HANDICAPPING SYSTEM The ORC Club system seems to receive increasing interest in North America. The Pacific North West has a growing and hope also to add the rule for some of the signature ocean races in the region. Now Don Genitempo of Houston reports that end of July, Texas Galveston Bay sailors and PHRF committee members gathered at his Lakewood Yacht Club for a presentation of the ORC Club handicapping system. Scott Graham, former yacht designer and formerly on the staff of the US Sailing Offshore Office, addressed a group that had become increasingly interested in looking at alternatives to PHRF. It was felt that a more technically based rule was needed to restore the confidence of the existing sailors and rekindle interest in a dwindling fleet. Following Scott's delivery of a clear and concise explanation of the simplicity, accuracy and flexibility of the Club system, it was agreed the VPP-based Club rule provided the characteristics they were looking for. The Fleet representatives and PHRF committee voted to implement ORC Club, targeting as the first event the 158-mile Harvest Moon/ Barcardi Cup October 13. The event typically attracts upwards of 200 yachts. www.orc.org A RACE MANAGEMENT QUESTION Keel boats rarely reach anymore but dinghies still do, and at all different angles too. Reaching is considered a parade in keel boats. It's also tough on the crew and gear to do tight spinnaker reaching in windy conditions. Running is considered more tactical or strategical. The trend toward running even hit the Windsurfers fifteen years ago with boards that made better VMG's reaching up rather than running straight downwind, thus widening the playing field on the run. At the Olympics and other high level dinghy championships trapezoid courses are run with some very tight reaches. With a flat spinnaker and trapeze, these tight reaches are both a great test of sailing and thrilling to sail with such high speeds achieved even in moderate air. They can get a bit scary for the mid-fleet and below group at regional and local junior regattas in Club 420s but kids do need to be encouraged to fly the chute from the wire to experience the exhilaration of high performance sailing. Just so long as it isn't too scary; then it isn't fun anymore. I agree with those sailors that are bored with the elimination of reaching in some keel boat and handicap classes. I would like to see some reaching put back into certain regattas, either in the form of a triangle with reaches at high speed angles or a long distance race. Keel boats with big asymmetric spinnakers can plane on the run in heavy air but can also plane in moderate air on a reach at just the right angle. The challenge for the race committee is to try to find that angle and adjust the reach mark after race one to fine tune that angle. If the leg is long enough, passing lanes will open for those that can plane while others are not. We might even hear a few more hails of "Yahoo!" from the race course. -- Ken Legler WORLDWIDE PEACE OF MIND WITH SOUTHERN'S RIG PRO TEAM Racing or cruising, Rig Pro, the customer service and maintenance division of Southern Spars has a network of centers strategically located at the major ocean crossroads to look after your rig requirements - regardless of brand. Operated by accomplished sailors, the Rig Pro team is led by John Barnitt with Ian Fraser in Cape Town, Steve Cotton in Auckland, Vinny Patricelli in La Ciotat and Chuck Brown in Portsmouth, RI. You can find us on the web and at major regattas: Maxi Worlds, Swan Worlds, Key West, Miami SORC, Antigua Race Week, Palma, Porto Fino... to service your needs. http://www.southernspars.com TAKING A STEP BACK IN TIME At Skandia Cowes Week Monday, the record-breaking 1,050 yachts were "grounded" all day because of a lack of wind, which gave this correspondent the chance to step back in time and go for a trip round the Solent on arguably the most famous small boat in modern history, Sir Francis Chichester's 53ft ketch, Gipsy Moth IV. The yacht is quirky and complex and full of carefully thought-out 1960s solutions to technical issues, while, down below, it is like a cruiser, suitable for four or five people. Chichester's original twoburner Primus stove, his paraffin cabin heater and much of his original navigation equipment has been kept and you can imagine him stepping on board to show you round. Chichester respected Gipsy Moth IV but never loved her. In his classic book, Gipsy Moth Circles the World, he compared her to the vicious mare Lisette, ridden by Napoleon's ADC, General Marbot, a horse with a habit of killing its grooms but which also saved his life on three occasions. Chichester was exasperated by the yacht's handling downwind and by her "rocking" motion. On a flat calm Solent, it was hard to tell if the modifications made to the rudder and keel during the refit will stop her "corkscrewing" down big waves in big seas, but you could tell that she is going to be a "wet" boat in big seas because she is narrow for her length. She is still a "rocker" too, as evidenced by her pitching in the swell of passing motor boats. Perhaps the best part of Gipsy Moth IV's restoration is the plan to sail her back to Australia, this time via Panama and with lots of stops and with crews including disadvantaged children from all over Britain who have never sailed before. This is a superb outcome for what was until a few months ago a doomed icon of modern nautical Britain. - Edward Gorman, The Times, full story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-1717301,00.html WHAT IF Fears were being discussed yesterday about the possibility of a booby trap for Great Britain's Olympic sailing squad in seven years, when the Games come to the country. As the wind failed to co-operate, leaving thousands of sailors pinned ashore on a grey Monday in Cowes Week, thoughts turned to what could happen if the same thing were to occur during the Olympic sailing regatta at the Beijing Games in 2008. Lack of wind could deal a major and damaging blow to British sailing and, more specifically, the build-up to the celebrated prospect of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. The host city for the sailing events at the 2008 Games in China is Qingdao, more than 400 miles from Beijing. The weather analysis shows that, for more than 50 per cent of the time, there will not be enough wind for serious sailing. That means, in such light conditions, the results will be a lottery. However good you are, your fate would be in the lap of the gods. Worryingly, it is the UK lottery that provides the £200m a year, which is distributed by UK Sport, to help each of the chosen governing bodies to fund their World Class Performance programmes. -- Stuart Alexander, The Independent, full story: http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article303043.ece IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY As much as they need to understand the basics of sailboat racing in order to be successful, junior sailors also must know safety at sea to be responsible stewards of our sport. This is the fundamental premise behind the Storm Trysail Club's (STC) move to expand its Junior Safety-At-Sea seminars, and by all accounts, the seminars-uniquely resourceful and extremely educational--are a big hit with the kids. "The Storm Trysail Club introduced these seminars formally after an incident where informal training, provided to Larchmont Yacht Club juniors, was instrumental in the saving of a junior sailor's life after she went overboard in a junior big-boat event," said STC Commodore and Larchmont Yacht Club member Richard du Moulin. "That's when we realized it's never too early to introduce safety at sea." Sending a powerful message to the sailing community, the Larchmont seminar was made a requirement for participation in the Junior Sailing Association (JSA) of Long Island Sound's annual big boat events-- Stamford Yacht Club's Dorade Series and Beach Point Yacht Club's Junior Overnight Race. On July 15th at Larchmont Yacht Club, 220 junior sailors, ages 14-17, participated. There were 26 boats to accommodate them and the 50 coaches who volunteered. Onshore activities included morning presentations by Kings Point Academy coaches Ralf Steitz and Rick Dominique covering safety procedures, particularly man overboard recovery, and big-boat organization and crew work. -- www.stormtrysail.org OPTI WORLDS Argentina regained the Optimist World Team Racing championship which had been theirs for five years until 2004. Better wind on Monday did not end the surprise results. Malaysia, already victors over Sweden, gained successive wins over the traditionally strong Peruvians and then Great Britain to take their first ever silver medal in the event. Peru also went down to Sweden, and in the petit finale New Zealand came through the repechage to take bronze from Italy. Final Team Racing Rankings: 1. Argentina 2. Malaysia 3. New Zealand 4. Italy 5= Great Britain 5= Sweden 7= Denmark 7= Peru Individual racing restarts tomorrow on the beautiful Silvaplana Lake in the Swiss Engadin, with seven further races scheduled over the next three days. -- http://www.optiworld.org/ CODE ZERO IS HERE It is time to leave the average T-shirt behind and go with this high-performance technical shirt. The double circular knit, lightweight fabric is made for extreme wicking comfort, fast drying, while still offering maximum UV protection. Perfect for single and multiple layering. Features include a comfortable crew neck and flatlock seams that move with you. Underarm and side panels allow for a comfortable range of motion. Used and tested by teams in Valencia. Three different color combinations. http://www.camet.com NEWS BRIEFS * The Danish sailors Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Kostner have become members of Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia AmericaTeam. Hansen has participated in the Swedish Match Tour since 2000 and is currently ranked fourth. He has won two Danish Opens, the Trombini Trophy and has concluded the Swedish Match Tour in third place on twice. In 2002 he came second in the World Match Racing championships in Stockholm. Kostner has been sailing with Jes Gram-Hansen since 1998 as tactician and since 2004 has been sailing with on the match race circuit with Russell Coutts as main sail trimmer. * The 2005 Lightning Canadian Open Championship was held at the Buffalo Canoe Club, Crystal Beach, Ontario. Twenty nine teams competed in the two day event. Brilliant sunshine and light winds were witnessed the entire weekend. David Starck, Scott Ikle, and Ian Jones were the winning team, followed by Jody & Jay Lutz and Derek Gauger in second; Alan Terhune finished third; fourth was Jim Allen, and fifth went to Debbie Probst. For full results and photos, please visit www.lightningclass.org * On Monday, The Copa del Rey began with one of the most competitive races yet in the Breitling Medcup TP52 Circuit. The TP52s sailed one 12.7 miles, windward-leeward race in a south-westerly breeze of ten knots. Dee Smith, tactician on the winning Caixa Galicia said, "It's been a good race, and we went where we wanted to go." Rankings: 1. Caixa Galicia. 11 points; 2. Movistar.10; 3. Siemens.9; 4. Cristabella.8; 5. Bribón.7; 6. Bambakou.6; 7. Quantum Racing/ Lexus.5; 8. Atalanti XV. 4; 9. Orlanda-Olympus.3; 10. Aifos. 2; 11. Balearia. 1 p. -- www.medcup.org * The Royal Ocean Racing Club [RORC], organisers of the 2005 Fastnet Race starting on Sunday 7th August from Cowes, UK, have decided to enforce a 60-foot maximum length for multihull entries in this classic race, even though monohulls up to 100 feet are competing in the race. As such, the 75-foot trimaran B&Q skippered by Ellen MacArthur will be denied the opportunity to race and put the trimaran through her final paces under race conditions before MacArthur's planned solo transatlantic record attempt this coming September. -- http://www.teamellen.com/ * Double Olympic champion Ben Ainslie revealed today he will not compete at the Beijing Games in 2008 unless he believes there is a genuine chance of striking gold for a third time. It is a feat within Ainslie's grasp given he will be only 35 when the Olympics come to London in 2012 and the chance to win a fourth gold on home waters would be a rare thrill. But the 27-year-old harbours a fierce ambition to win the America's Cup with Team New Zealand in 2007 and that is now his main priority. - Sportinglife.com, full story: http://tinyurl.com/9kdss * The defending champions of US Sailing's Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup took the lead going into the final day of the event at the Chicago YC. In the Freedom 20s, Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, FL) and Kerry Gruson (Miami, FL) were leading the fleet and Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, CA) continues his domination of the 2.4mR fleet. Although the regatta has finished, the results were not posted at our distribution time. -- http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/ 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 neither 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. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Mike Kennedy: Roy Disney showed how he is the epitome of the Corinthian yachtsman at the Trophy dinner. I heard him say the words you quoted. The other great aspect was shown when the TPYC chairman invited everyone at the dinner who was a TPYC member and who has ever won a trophy in the race to come up on stage. There must have been 200 people on the stage. That is the tradition that keeps it going. There were 11 Cal 40s rafted in front of Hawaii Yacht Club Wednesday. What a sight ! Nothing like it in 35 years. * From J M Marta: The current PHRF system will continue to be in conflict and trouble around the country until there is a national rating system to eliminate the "political" ratings that have evolved. In some eastern U.S. waters you may have three to six ratings within a hundred miles for the same boat. Each region of the country features a variety of ratings for the same one design boat, and each region favors one or another with a "sweet rating". Sailors say we have unique conditions. Yes, they each have water and wind, and often tides and waves. That seems to be a rather poor argument. The purchase of a new boat design for racing is financially risky as one needs to know the local rating that will be assigned to it since there is no national rating. We all want a fair advantage. The evolution of yacht designs including carbon, canting keels, water ballast, and 30+ footer designs that are capable of 250+ miles in a 24 hour day do complicate PHRF. Few local raters really understand just how fast some new boats really are, and to often many rely on results without being on the race course to understand boat speed of well sailed boats vs poorly sailed boats. A national board who can rate these boats for downwind courses, triangular courses, and windward leeward courses is essential to promote fair and consistent competition. It isn't really all that difficult, and it needn't be all that expensive. * From John McBrearty: If I wanted a golf handicap system, I'd play golf! Enough with this nonsense! Rating the sailors, easy, penalize the good ones and give the poor ones a helping hand. I call B.S.! Let's continue the quest to find an ideal way to rate dissimilar boats so they can compete as evenly as possible. Let's not forget that most boats operating under a rating system have several crew members. Great crew makes the DFO -- the guy that owns the boat and pays the bills -- look good. On the other hand, poor crew work can be a precursor to a heart attack. Whatcha gonna do with a golf handicap system - adjust it every time we have someone new on the foredeck? Please end this thread! Curmudgeon's Comment: What a good idea - the golf handicap thread is officially dead. CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUMS Why do they call it "head over heels in love" when our head is always over our heels? |
