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SCUTTLEBUTT 1472 - December 5, 2003Powered 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. FOR THE RECORD Mari Cha IV, Robert Miller's record breaking 140-foot schooner, today announced plans for an exciting international three year racing campaign. The highlight of the programme, which includes some of the most high-profile races and regattas in world sailing, will be an audacious attempt to become the first monohull to sail around the world in less than 80 days. Mari Cha IV took the world of sailing by storm in October this year when, on its maiden ocean voyage, it crossed the Atlantic in only six days. The 50 tonne super-maxi completed the 2,925 mile transatlantic crossing from New York to the UK in 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds, demolishing the previous record by more than two days. The Mari Cha team also made sailing history during the transatlantic voyage when they smashed the 24-hour distance record, sailing 525.7 nautical miles in a 24 hour period. The yacht will spend the rest of the winter at JMV boatyard in Cherbourg, France, before beginning its racing campaign in April 2004 with an attempt to become the first monohull to sail 600 miles in a day. Over the course of the next three years, Mari Cha IV will take part in the Pacific Cup, the Round Gotland Race, the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, and Tracy Edwards' two new round-the-world races, the Oryx Cup and the Qatar Sports International Challenge. In addition to these, the team is also hoping to compete in the Sydney-Hobart Race, however their entry is yet to be negotiated with the race organization. The highlight of the three-year programme, however, will be an attempt at the blue-ribbon event in ocean sailing - the Jules Verne round-the-world speed record. The current record for a monohull is 93 days, 3hours, 57 minutes and 32 seconds by Michael Desjoyaux when he won the 2001 Vendee Globe. Mari Cha IV are setting their sights on rewriting sailing's record books by completing the 21,760 nautical mile voyage in under 80 days. Jef d'Etiveaud, Project Manager for Mari Cha IV said: "We have chosen this schedule to ensure that Mari Cha IV not only breaks every major record in the book, but also competes in all the most prestigious races and regattas that we can. We want as many people as possible to see Mari Cha IV." The Mari Cha team is currently in discussions with a number of leading international companies to secure sponsorship for the campaign. They are aiming to raise in excess of $5 million in sponsorship, and are confident of having agreements in place by next summer. Mari Cha IV's proposed 2004 schedule: + April - 600 miles in a day record attempt & Antigua Race Week + July - Pacific Cup + Autumn - St Tropez & TransMed record 2005 + Jan to April - Jules Verne round-the-world record attempt / Oryx Cup + May - Rolex Transatlantic Challenge + July - Round Gotland Race + Autumn - Sardinia & St Tropez + December - Sydney Hobart Race* 2006 + November - Quatar Sports International Challenge *Pending negotiation with the race organization for inclusion. Website: http://www.mari-cha4.com/ ON THE ROCKS Sailing when the spray freezes and you're trimming sails with sheets of ice? For these frigid wet conditions, there's no better name in drysuits than Kokatat. Featuring non-latex, seam-sealed Gore-Tex booties for neck to toe breathability and durability, Cordura reinforced knees and seat, and Velcro cuffs and neck to protect seals, no design leaf was left unturned on these front entry Gore-Tex suits. The only ones available in women and men's sizing, a great fit is ensured too. If you enjoy sailing "on the rocks," check out simply the best drysuits, Kokatat. Available at Annapolis Performance Sailing…. http://www.apsltd.com/depts/dept3541.asp OLYMPIC RANKINGS The final rankings for 2003 were released by ISAF yesterday, and there is very little change in the top of the rankings going into the all-important Olympic Year in 2004. With the end of the year coming close, the grade 1 event season coming to an end, only the Star class sees any changes in the top of the rankings following their ISAF Grade 1, Star North American Championship. Silver medallist at the ISAF World Championship in the class, Freddie Loof and Anders Elkstron (SWE) still lead the rankings, but are having pressure put on them by the resurgent Bermudans Peter Bromby and Martin Siese. Big movers within the top twenty include top finishers at the Star North American's. Ross MacDonald and Kai Bjorn (CAN), who are now bolted firmly in the top twenty with a good finish in the event. - ISAF website Complete ranking for all of the Olympic classes may be found at: http://www.sailing.org/rankings RULES QUESTION During the starting sequence, A breaks a rule of Part 2 and collides with B, causing serious damage. B protests and retires. Before A can complete a 720-degree turns penalty, the race committee signals a general recall. A sails and wins the restarted race but B cannot compete because of the damage. Should A be disqualified? (Answer below) QUOTE / UNQUOTE - MR. RACE OFFICER "I don't feel under any pressure, to be honest with you, when I do events - I really don't care who wins. I make a point of not looking at the results. I don't want to even have a chance that subliminally I will make a decision based on what I have seen in the results. We're all friends out there and it's a pretty small community, it's not that I don't want to p*ss somebody off, it's just that I really don't care. It's not hard to be impartial if you don't give a sh*t. I have been around long enough now so that the sailors know I'm impartial, because they have seen it. I mean even if you tried to be biased, how would you do it? All it takes is one shift and the guy is f***ed anyway?" From an interview with Peter Reggio on The Daily Sail website. Full interview, http://www.thedailysail.com/ MADE YOUR LIST YET? No? It's easy: Grab your Layline catalog. Flip through it and circle everything you want in red ink. Hand the catalog to your wife/girlfriend/mom/sister/daughter (or husband/boyfriend/dad/brother/son). Or casually leave it lying on top of their desk/kitchen counter/dresser. They don't know that you already have 40 other sailing books. Or that you don't really need Dubarry boots to sail a 505. All they know is that they need a present for you, and you like to sail. Need more help or a new catalog? Call us: 800.542-5463, or visit our website for gift ideas. http://www.layline.com OLYMPIC SAILING - Paul Henderson The Olympic Regatta is for "One-Designs". The definition of One Design clearly put is: "If it is not in the rule it is illegal!!" Hopefully the ISAF measurement team in Athens will meticulously measure all boats and any deviation from the rule or intent of the rule will be dealt with harshly. This means any changes to the hull that was not as delivered from the ISAF licensed builder will be declared illegal. There has been an interesting situation with the Mistral as the manufacturers said that the New Boards were as fast as the old ones and therefore both should be allowed so as the less affluent nations need not buy new equipment. The interesting thing in Cadiz was that all the wealthy nations had old boards because they are faster and the less affluent had the new ones. In fact when one of the wealthy nation's old board delaminated they flew another old board in. ISAF has now, on an urgent submission, said only new boards can be used and still the complaints from developed MNA's that they cannot use their old customized boards. ISAF will make the playing field in Athens level for all. The Mistral Class fully supports this move by ISAF. ISAF's advice is to play the Sailing Game within the rules and you will have no problems whatsoever in Athens and it is ISAF's mandate to make sure that all competitors do just that. - Excerpts from a letter from ISAF President Paul Henderson posted on the ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=5915 NEWS BRIEFS * Subject to WSSR ratification, the 10 year old 10 sq.m.Class record over 500m. has been broken. On Wednesday 3rd December at the St Maries de la Mer "canal" in the South of France, Finian Maynard claimed a speed of 46 24 kts on a windsurfer. The current 10 sq.m. record was established in April 1993 by Thierry Bielak with a speed of 45.34 kts. The outright World Speed record stands at 46.52 kts, established in October 1993 by Simon McKeon. - John Reed. Secretary WSSR Council, http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/news.html * The single-handed Defi Atlantique is going to get more interesting over the course of the next two days, as the IMOCA Open 60 fleet enters the Doldrums zone. Standings at 1800 GMT on December 4: 1. Alex Thompson, 3131 miles from finih; 2. Jean Pierre Dick 1.5 miles from leader; 3. Vincent Riou, 6.6 mfl; 4. Mike Golding, 7.5 mfl; 5. Sébastien Josse, 25.2 mfl. http://www.defi-atlantique.org/fr/ * The current list of entries for Terra Nova Trading Key West 2004 represents five continents, 17 countries and 24 states, and is on track to meet the 300-boat standard of recent years. One fresh entry is Tom Hill's Reichel/Pugh 75, Titan 12, from San Juan, P.R. Hill's tactician will be Peter Holmberg. The J/105s are projecting a record number and will introduce their "President's Southern Circuit Trophy" for the best performance at Key West. The unofficial "PHRF National Championship" will again feature a fleet of more than 100 boats with entrants from as many as 30 states. - http://www.premiere-racing.com/ * The Linda Elias Scholarship Committee will accept nominations for the 2003 award through Jan. 20. The scholarship committee awards grants to individuals who have advanced the sport of sailing by their own accomplishments or by assisting others. These grants may be presented to students, other foundations, men or women, persons that have fared well with their own accomplishments, have assisted someone else to advance their abilities or have enabled others to experience the sport of sailing. Nominations may be mailed to Michael Elias/ Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 3919, Long Beach, CA 90803; or e-mailed to melias51@hotmail.com. * The 'Site of the Month' on US Sailing's website focuses on the W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Sportsmanship Trophy. Your nomination for your local sportsperson needs to be made by January 14, 2004. Also see the past annual winners and guidelines for your nomination. http://www.ussailing.org/ RULES ANSWER Rule 36 allows A to compete in the restarted race. B is entitled to redress under rule 62.1(b). ISAF website: http://tinyurl.com/xsiw NAVAL ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS Make sure that you keep this information for the next time you're sending out a bid package for your newest and fastest yacht. Townsend Bay Marine knows light and fast and is a world leader in composite construction. For immediate attention, contact Paul Zeusche or David King: 1-360-385-6632 or info@townsendbay.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) 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 Jim Nash: (re ISAF's suspension of four Argentinean sailors) I am as curious as Chip Pitcairn regarding the suspensions. Perhaps the other boat(s) Skipper or Crew could enlighten us? I recall no prohibition on a Race Committee sharing this either. * From Bruce Thompson: This month's Ask Dr. Crash photo in Sailing World reveals much about our sport. It shows an F31 with its spinnaker snagged on Corinthian at the 2003 Chicago NOOD. First, it's a funny picture. But you also can tell she is finishing a race (blue & orange flags) with additional races to follow (R flag). Note the aplomb of the volunteer RC as they concentrate on their job during all the confusion! Note also that the Chicago Yacht Club is availing itself of the assistance of its neighbor through the use of an expensive piece of equipment for free, a fully equipped 30' RC boat. It's a wonderful thing that we can gather together to race with a wide geographical collection of sailors. But there will never be enough money to completely professionalize the sport. Even the Olympics with its huge TV contract uses a horde of volunteers. The focus of US Sailing & ISAF should be, first and foremost, on the mass of recreational sailors. Note that dealing with the demands of professionalism has utterly frustrated the stated goal of simplifying the rules book, with it constantly growing in size and pages. Anybody else remember the one page rules flyer? * From Chad Lyons (Windsurfing speed record): We go this fast every winter on the ice ... Still that's fast! When we hit 50-60 mph on the ice we rig a 3.4 - 4.0, much smaller than the 5.5 used on the water yesterday in the "Ditch." Some of us have handheld GPS units that log our speed, distance, max speed and data points. Cool tool! The manufacturer, Garmin, says they are waterproof but experience says they are more like splash proof. Still they are a bargain at about $100. The fastest an Iceboard has sailed that we know of in New England was 62 mph (99.7793 Kilometers per hour or 53.8765 Knots). This was recorded by a radar gun. * From David Cook: As a past Paralympian who is coming out of a 5 year retirement from International Disabled Sonar Sailing, I too know the critical role sponsors play in Olympic, or in my case, Paralympic Dreams. Just 4 weeks ago my newly created team was facing a $20,000 Can. budget to train and compete in the upcoming Canadian Sonar Paralympic Qualifying Regattas. I approached my past media contacts and most were luke warm - one wasn't. Within two weeks our team has Il Terrazzo Ristorante as our Title Sponsor and several critical Gold Sponsors. And funny thing, the media are back contacting me. Our sponsorship package focuses on the Tourism Outdoor Recreation and Industry in and around Victoria, BC Canada. A little advice to other teams seeking sponsorship - create a market, seek the companies who will benefit, and most of all, over-deliver. Our team is considered the 'Underdogs'. Sponsorship is a piece of cake if you take the time and energy to exceed your sponsors' expectations. Sponsorship is a two-way street. For more hints on fundraising, check out our team's website out at: http://www.clubvpa.com/pub/index.asp * From Andrew Bray: Any sailing library would be incomplete without three of Bernard Moitessier's classics: Sailing to the Reefs, Cape Horn, the Logical Route and best of all, The Long Way. Inspirational! * From Charles J. Doane: Regarding winter reading recommendations, I have to wholeheartedly second John Rousmaniere's suggestion of Cruising At Last by Elliott Merrick. It is a genuine gem---a simple, eloquent account of small-boat cruising---and I was very heartened to find it. John's own After the Storm, which he modestly neglected to mention, was another of the very best published in the past couple of years, IMHO. It is an incredibly well researched exploration of storms at sea and their impact on sailors and human society that eschews the sensational and focuses instead on much more profound issues. Lastly, a book I am constantly urging on people: Northern Lights by Desmond Holdridge has been at the top of my favorites list for many years. It is a beautifully written account of a very interesting, ultimately disastrous cruise to northernmost Labrador in a converted potato lugger in 1925. Last reprinted in '98 by Capstan Press, you can easily find it on abebooks.com. * From Patrick Festing-Smith: One of my favorites is a 1953 book by Donald M. Green, "White Wings Around the World". Written by Don after the brigantine "Yankee" completed her 1950-1952 cruise around the world with Commander Irving Johnson at the helm along with twenty-one American kids and one Canadian … Donald Green. Written by Green at the age of only 18 it gives a teenagers view into the fascination of the journey and the friendships made along the way. Some of you may know Mr. Green in his later years as he would go on to be a Captain of Canadian Industry, win the Canada's Cup in 1978 in his famous yacht "EverGreen" and would also bid challenge for the America's Cup in the twelve meter "True North". Interesting how your life can be shaped at an early age. Have a look on some of the used book web sites and you may find one. * From Ed Cesare: If one of the best threads in a long time on "Butt" is still open, I'd like to offer one of my favorite books: "Square rigger round the Horn; the making of a Sailor" by C. Ray Wilmore. It is the true story of Mr. Wilmore and chum's signing on to a passage from Philadelphia to Honolulu in the latter but not depressingly latest days of sail. It is out of print, but there are 11 copies available at one of the big on-line book sellers (the one that is named after a river). Anyone is welcome to borrow mine. Curmudgeon's Comment: Obviously, John Drayton created a 'monster' when he harmlessly asked in SB 1468, "With the holiday's coming up, I'm sure there are others out there who would appreciate it if your readers would throw out a list of any good sailing books they've come across recently." Clearly, we now have the beginnings of a good list, but to keep it from getting out of hand, we have moved the whole project from the newsletter to our website. This will allow readers to look over past book recommendations and will continue to provide space for additional recommendations as we receive them. In fact you might want to take a look at it now - there are a ton of recommendations that have not been (and will never be) published here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/books/ CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. |
