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SCUTTLEBUTT #226 -- November 30, 1998TORNADO WORLDSBundock and Forbes simply put it away, leaving no doubt about their status as the new Tornado World Champions. They won both races, rather convincingly, in winds that started out at 7-8 kts and built over the day to 12-16 kts. Gaebler and Schwall simply could keep up; in the first race, the two boats came to the downwind gate dead even, and each boat went to opposite sides of the gate, with Gaebler taking the side closer to the favored right side of the course. Bundock still beat him upwind, and pulled away downwind to the finish. -- Jim Young Final/Official Results, 1998 Tornado World Championship: 1. Bundock/Forbes AUS 21 pts 2. Gaebler/Schwall GER 39 3. Leon/Ballester ESP 59 4. Le Peutrec/Douvillard FRA 63 5. Pennec/Guichard FRA 65 6. Booth/Landenberger AUS 66 7. Andy Hagara/Moser AUT 67 8. Roman Hagara/Steinacher AUT 101 9. Von Teylingen/Decksen NED 115 10. Lovell/Ogletree USA 116 11. Xavier/Laurent FRA 116 12. Mourniac/Mourniac FRA 120.38 13. Sach/Sach GER 125 14. Nyberg/Strandberg SWE 131 15. Polgar/Happel GER 136 16. Pierce/Roche GBR 144 17. De Soto/Molina ESP 114 18. Emelianov/Yanin RUS 159 19. Hansen/Hansen DEN 171 20. Guck/Schaffer USA 176 The countries now qualified for the 2000 Olympic Games, in addition to the host Australia, are GER, ESP, FRA, and AUT Official website http://www.tornadoworlds.com.br SLED WARS Cheval, Hal Ward's Andrews TurboSled has been sold to former SC 50 owner Phillipe Kahn. Cheval attracted international prominence when it won line honors in the '95 Transpac -- beating Pyewacket, Sayonara, Windquest and Merlin to Honolulu. More significantly, it crossed the Diamond Head finish line under jury-rig, having lost its carbon-fiber mast in a jibe off the Island of Molokai. The boat has already left Marina del Rey and is in its new slip in Santa Cruz. Bill Lee brokered the deal. PHOTOS Hey racers and boat owners! Got a good action picture of you boat? Send it to Frank and let him transform it into stitches for your yachting apparel. Once the design is complete you own it and it can be sewed on just about any fabric that you can wear. The cost is cheap and the work is done by a professional specialty artist. Call Frank Whitton at Pacific Yacht Embroidery (619-226-8033). LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters may be edited for space (250 words max) and clarity and anything resembling a personal attack will quickly disappear! >> From Rob Mundle -- More power to Peter Johnstone and all those who support him. >> From James Nichols (re: growing the sport) -- People don't like to improve themselves, so can the how-to articles in sailing magazines and replace them with glamour spreads of celebs hanging out on their boats. You know, something to refute sailing's 'elitist' image. And don't run a regatta unless you schedule day care for the tricycle motors and home tours for the wives. >> From Dougall Johnson -- I couldn't agree more with Peter Johnstone. His observations were obviously well thought out. I have a 7 year old that I do not want to scare away from the sport . I am thankful for his well taken points which will help me prevent that. Also, Carl Schumacher is my hero, his take on the PFD issue is right on the money. It may be too late, but I vote for team EFL (for the Rolex). A full year program, a decisive win, and seamanship (although probably a bit reckless), set them above any closed course victories you can name. >> From Jordan J. Dobrikin -- I, for one am getting a little tired, bored even annoyed with the continuing string about mandatory use of PFDs. It seems that many see Racing as a last bastion of personal freedoms and independence and are "fighting the good fight". They wax eloquent and well but alas in a hopeless fight. Better they expend their energies in something more useful and or meaningful to the Sport. US Sailing's actions were logically preemptive on something that was inevitable. Better we in the Sport do it than have it rammed down our throat via a polyglot of Local, State and/or Federal edicts. Granted it would probably have taken awhile but IMHO it was inevitable. A bizarre, tragic accident would have hastened it along, and in all likelihood would have produced draconian legislature. When in fact one (1) tragic death is one (1) to many: and the Sport has more than One (1) already. In addition Modern technology has brought us a variety of reasonably priced PFDs, to cover ALL the comfort and functionality scenarios put forth; so those areas are moot! It may be time for some one like you to take a stand, make a definitive statement, and start shutting this "string" down. > > From Glenn T. McCarthy -- In response to Ike Stephenson (Scuttlebutt #223), the US SAILING prescription in the "Recommendations for Offshore Sailing including ORC Special Regulations" concerning PFD's is NOT a mandate. ORC Regs are modified regularly by Organizing Authorities. Your Organizing Authority can make the ORC Regs a requirement, and then delete or add to a category they select that they see is helpful to their race. US SAILING is NOT mandating the PFD prescription, your local Organizing Authority is mandating it. The first word on the books cover is key, they are US SAILING {Recommendations}, until your Organizing Authority mandates them. To Bob Merrick (Scuttlebutt #223), think of the PFD requirement at the starting line as thus, its blowing 3 knots, its 95 degrees out, humidity is 100%. The PFD's are fitted to the crew. The prescription allows the skipper to tell the crew to take the PFD's off! The PFD's stay handy, should conditions change, and are readily available to wear quickly, if needed, like at the finish line (preparedness is the word). The next day, the wind is blowing 15 knots, everyone is on the rail hiking hard off the starting line, would any skipper tell his/her crew to get off the rail and ditch their PFD's? Heck no, for two reasons, first you want the weight on the rail, second, this is when you would want your crew to wear one. Does this make sense? >> Ed O'Sullivan, Vice Chairman, Int'l Melges 24 Class-- While reading your Scuttlebutt e-mail the other day, I came across a passage by Seadon Wiejen who stated that hosting the 1999 Melges Worlds would have been better if held in San Francisco rather than Long Beach. Let me assure you that the U.S. Class did its best to solicit bids from the bay area. Unfortunately, we only received one bid. It was from St. Francis Yacht Club, but it was for the year 2000. They couldn't do 1999. A number of other venues were considered, including East Coast venues. When it came down to it, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club provided the best all around proposal. They really did their homework, including sending representatives to Torquay to gain experience at the 1998 Melges 24 Worlds. The bay area is a great place to sail, recognizing that, we plan to have our 2000 North American Championships at St Francis Yacht Club. For now, here's how the major International Melges 24 Championship regattas look going forward and recognizing that all schedules are subject to change: * 1998 North Americans - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - December 1998 * 1999 Europeans - Arndal, Norway - July 1999 * 1999 World Championships - Long Beach, CA - November 1999 >> From Alan Johnson -- (Ref 1999 Melges 24 Worlds) The timing of the regatta was moved to later in the year in consideration of the European boat that will be shipped over for the regatta. The later schedule allows the European boats to sail part of the summer at home before shipping boats to the US in stead of loosing the whole summer if the race were earlier in the year. Many of those boats will also race NOOD in San Francisco and Key West Race Week before returning home. Curmudgeon's comment: I understand all of the reasons, but none of that changes the fact that in November, there generally isn't any wind in Long Beach. TAHITI The next Tahiti Cup Races are set to go! May 8, 1999 is the start from San Francisco (3660 nautical miles) and May 15, 1999 is the start from Honolulu (2440 nautical miles). The independently scored races are set to meet at the common finish line off Venus Pt., Papeete, Tahiti in late May, early June, 1999. If you've ever dreamed of racing to Tahiti, this is the perfect time. The finish line lies en route to Huarki Gulf and the America's Cup competitions. Subsequently, one could continue on to Sydney for the Summer Olympics. The 1999 race from San Francisco will be the third. The first race took place in 1925 and was won by L. A. Norris in his 106 foot schooner, Mariner, in 20 days, 11 hours and 45 minutes. 70 years later, in 1995, Larry Hoffman in his Santa Cruz 50, Yukon Jack, shaved over a day off to cover the distance in 19 days, 0 hours, 31 minutes and 21 seconds. The first race to Tahiti from Hawaii was in 1953, with the fastest time being clocked by the yawl Silhouette at 21 days, 1 hour and 16 minutes. In 1995, Dave Nottage in his J-44, Kaimiloa III, destroyed this record by almost 7 days, finishing in 14 days, 3 hours, 52 minutes and 51 second. For more information: http://www.slip.net/~cjwarren/tahiti.html RHOUTE DU RHUM Thomas Coville is 30 years old and has confirmed his ease on any sailboat and in many races. He has participated in the Admiral's Cup, the America's Cup, a record around the world, the Mini Transat, the Tour de France a la voile, the Multihull grand Prix's and the Figaro Single Handed Race. This computer engineer has now also won Class I of the monohull division of the Route du Rhum in his Aquitaine Innovations. Finishers: 1. Laurent Bourgnon (Fra-Sui/Primagaz) 2. Alain Gautier (Fra/Broceliande) 3. Franck Cammas (Fra/Groupama) 4. Marc Guillemot (Fra/Biscuits la Trinitaine) 5. Loick Peyron (Fra/Fujicolor) 6. Francis Joyon (Fra/Banque Populaire) 7. Paul Vatine (Fra/Chauss'Europ) 8. Francois-Rene Carluer (Fra/Laiterie Saint-Malo) 9. Thomas Coville (Fra/Aquitaine Innovations) (1st in the monohull series) 10. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (Fra/Algimouss) (2nd in the monohull series) 11. Mike Birch (Can/Elephant bleu) 12. Raphael Dinelli (Fra/Sodebo) 13. Franck-Yves Escoffier (Fra/Deleage Diazo) (1st on the Multihull class 2 series) 14. Jean Maurel (Maisons Cote Ouest-Aigle) 15. Herve Cleris (Fra/CLM) 16. Ellen McArthur (GBR/Kingfisher (1st in monohull class 2 series) 17. Steve Ravussin (Swi/Kelly s. temporaire) (1st in Multihull class 3 series) 18. Philippe Monnet (Fra/UUNET) Event website: http://www.rhum.org THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Why don't sheep shrink when it rains? |
