SCUTTLEBUTT No. 1115 - July 16, 2002

Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.

ARBITRATION PANEL
(In 'Butt 1114 we announced that Oracle BMW Racing has formally asked the America's Cup Arbitration Panel to amend the existing Cup protocol so Prada would not be disqualified for breaking the existing protocol by taking Oracle to Auckland's High Court last month - claiming they were invading their privacy at the Viaduct Basin. Julie Ash discusses that matter more fully in a story in the NZ Herald. Here's an excerpt.)

The cup arbitration panel comprises five judges and lawyers, including two New Zealanders - retired High Court Justice Sir David Tompkins and Master John Faire of the High Court. The panel can expel entrants and impose heavy fines.

The matter is further complicated by the panel's announcement to all syndicates that it must be protected against legal action. Therefore, the panel is not publishing rulings on all matters until syndicates agree not to sue the panel members. It is unknown whether any syndicates have signed the panel's proposed deed of indemnity, but all syndicates agree that the panel must be protected.

Full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Each of the (America's Cup) challengers is spending millions of dollars on information technology and telecommunications in a bid to hone their boats and crews to the peak of sailing, financial, psychological and physical performance. Honour and money are at stake and the Halsey St facilities, home of the racing syndicates in Auckland's Viaduct Basin, are jammedÊ to the gunnels with hi-tech kit.So high are the requirements for security that the facilities are virtual closed networks designed to guard information from prying eyes.

Tom Schnackenberg, Team New Zealand syndicate head and design coordinator, says the main contribution of the significant amounts of IT behind the whole team is the awareness it gives everyone. IT makes people more knowledgable and adds another sense, he says, because "the numbers pouring in" offer the chance to take the sailing to a higher level. Every day, with more information, there is potential to "go do the perfect sail'.

There are a huge number of variables and while it might be difficult to observe all of them onscreen, "we want to take the boats close to potential and that is about information." Good IT can make a bad sailor better and good sailors better yet, says Mr Schnackenberg. He says huge amounts of data have been logged during training on everything from the weather to boat performance. Richard Pamatatua, New Zealand InfoTech, as posted on the StuffNZ website, www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,1266113a28,FF.html

VICTORY CHALLENGE
The Victory Challenge's second boat Orm (SWE 73) has left the boatyard and was loaded aboard ship in Gothenburg harbour soon afterwards and is now on the way from Gothenburg to Auckland. Everything was kept very discreet.

Örn (SWE 63), Victory Challenge's first boat built for the America's Cup has been sailing in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf since mid-December last year. Because the boats are different, with Örn acting as a development platform for the construction of Örm, the whole process with the second boat has taken place in an atmosphere of even greater secrecy that with the first.

Like Örn, Orm was designed by German Frers Jr and built by Victory Challenge under the leadership of Chris Mellow who had previously been part of building Team New Zealand's Black Magic boats. Some 20 boatbuilders from Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, England, France, and Portugal have worked on Orm for around 20,000 hours over the last 5 - 6 months. - www.victorychallenge.com/start.phtml?lang_id=1

TIRED OF SOGGY BOTTOMS?
Just think of all those days you have been out sailing and a few waves came over the side and you spent the rest of the day in you wet cotton shorts. Today is the day to place your order for those Fast Drying Breathable Camet sailing shorts. Don't wait until the end of the summer, enjoy them this weekend. Just check them out on the Camet web site, you'll find different models, colors and sizes. You will also find a big selection of Hiking pants, Coolmax T-Shirts and Mylar bags. www.camet.com

NEWS BRIEFS
* Emma Richards, the 27-year old British yachtswoman, will be the youngest competitor, and also the only female entry in the Around Alone Race. Backed by Pindar, the British-based print and electronic media company, Richards will sail Josh Hall's Open 60 Gartmore. The 60-foot monohull has been chartered by Pindar, and is to be renamed and rebranded in their colours. Pindar has also secured the services of Josh Hall and his team as Richards' shore crew. Hall is a veteran of single-handed campaigns having competed in three BOC Challenges and the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe.

* In Auckland, 28 knots of wind was about twice what Ian Walker and his GBR Challenge America's Cup wanted for the maiden sail of the GBR-70, and so it was postponed until today, when the forecast is more promising. "We'd rather go out in the lighter wind and work up gently," Walker said. GBR 70, Wight Lightning, has undergone static loads tests ashore and in the water and been towed up to check the steering systems. Such gingerly progress is vital as huge loads acting on the rigging means the downwards thrust on the mast is in the region of 40-50 tons. - Tim Jeffery, Daily Telegraph, UK http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport

* For the second year in a row a New York team fielded by the financial institutions Mellon and Dreyfus won Shake-A-Leg's Wall Street and Corporate Challenge Cup (WSCCC), held July 12-13. The team, which-like four others-raised $30,000 for Shake-A-Leg, traded their suits for sailing gear and took to Narragansett Bay for two day's worth of races aboard the historic America's Cup 12-Meters. Over the past eleven years the regatta has raised over $1 million for Shake-A-Leg, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization offering various programs for people with spinal cord injuries and nervous system dysfunctions.

LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
leweck@earthlink.net
(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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.)

* From Andrew Besheer: Just a note on the two qualifiers so far in the UBS Challenge: both Billy Lynn and Ben Cesare (as well as some of their respective crew) come out of the Larchmont YC Winter Racing program sailing IC Dinghies. Billy was season champion several times in the 90's before moving up to Marblehead and Ben was champion in both 99-00 and 00-01. You just can't underestimate the benefits of a good winter racing program!

MAXZ86
(Grand Prix Sailor talked with Zephyrus V project manager John Bertrand about Bob McNeil's new 86-foot Reichel/ Pugh water-ballasted rocketship. Here's an excerpt from that interview.)

Bertrand: "The concept for the boat was generated over our success in the 2000 Cape Town to Rio Race and the 2000 Middle Sea Race with the old Zephyrus IV which was a ULDB West Coast-type design. In a lot of these events where we went up again IMS Maxi boats, they went through a lot of trouble and expense to make their boats go downwind faster and our concern always was if we could go upwind with these guys. We could never really meet in the middle with the two concepts.

"So I proposed to Bob McNeil that instead of entering the last Transpac with the existing boat, which was then four or five years old, we consider designing a new boat that would recognize this effort of the two groups, design a boat that would be more centered, and take a step forward in absolute length. With all the technology and the development that's happened over the last five or seven years, we could design something that's really special. So that's really what Zephyrus V is, we haven't fully tested the boat and the Pacific Cup is going to be our first big test. But from all early indications the boat is meeting or exceeding our early expectations." - Grand Prix Sailor

For the full interview, www.sailingworld.com/sw_article.php?articleID=1084

WARPSPEED TO HAWAII
Pacific Cup prep week is a very busy time at Svendsen's rig shop in Alameda, CA. "We were selling Samson's Warpspeed like crazy. It was the hot item," said rigging manager, Doug Fredenbaugh. Samson changed the cover from 16 to 24 strands this year, which produces 20% more abrasion resistance than before. The same dependable core of SK 75 Dyneema gives Warpspeed its incredible strength to weight ratio. With all new color matched cores and strippable covers, Warpspeed offers ultra high performance at a very competitive price. If you want to win, race with Warpspeed! www.samsonrope.com/home/recmarine/index.cfm

VIC - MAUI RACE
Lt. Cdr. Scott Crawshaw, skipper and navigator of HMCS "Oriole" radioed she had withdrawn from the race in order to start her engine and make a faster passage to Lahaina. "Oriole", Canada's oldest commissioned vessel, is a George Owen-designed ketch. Launched in 1921, this 102ft yacht is sailed by sheer hard work. Though she moves well in good winds, she can't match today's lighter designs when the fan turns off (as it has for much of this race). Things were very different in the Vic-Maui 2000 when "Oriole" was the overall winner. She has participated in the race since 1968, as well 50 Swiftsures, numerous TransPacs, and the 1998 Sydney-Hobart. It appear that no Class D boats will finish within the deadline. - Peter Bennett

STANDINGS, Overall: Mystic (Class A) 2. Icon (A), 3. Atalanta (A); Class A: Mystic, B: Mojo Riding (7th overall); C: Greyhound (8th overall); - www.vicmaui.org

WEST MARINE PACIFIC CUP
Honolulu -- The "Magnificent Seven" -- three downwind Transpac 52s and four maxi yachts are already edging in on record times in the West Marine Pacific cup. These racers broke out of San Francisco Bay on Friday and by Saturday were at near record runs en route to Kaneohe. The Transpac 52s -- Rosebud, J-Bird III and Alta Vita cranked out sailing days up to 315 miles on their second full day at sea. Waikiki Yacht Club entry, Pegasus 77 clocked the greatest distance, 366.8 miles.

This gives the Philppe Kahn, owned and skippered maxi a running start at Roy Disney's, 6 days 14 hours and 22 minutes set on Pyewacket in 1998. Pegasus 77 is not alone. 86 foot Zephyrus V and the 147 foot flyer, Mari-Cha III are but couple of miles behind. Rage, the Wylie 70 which battled with Pegasus to the wire in the Y2K race, is in striking distance, as well. This has been in Friday's relatively light winds off the West Coast and around 20 knots in Saturday's sailing. Stronger winds are expected which will favor all downwind specialists.

Where the 2000 race had several no-wind days, causing several boats to withdraw, this year mechanical gremlins plague several competitors. M-Project has succumbed to rudder problems and fell out, returning to the Bay Area under skipper Dave Dave Millet's guidance, 30 foot Alakazam will continue to Hawaii but puts no pressure on the rudder, expecting to finish well back in the running. Bob Grey's Coquelicot also slowed down rather than risk further rudder difficulties but will continue on to Kaneohe. At this report, nine of the original 73 yachts have experienced mechanicals or could not make the starting Golden Gate.

Division leaders as of July 14:
Double Handed - Wildflower ---Wylie 27
Division A -- Spirit ---S&C 34
Division B -- Cayenne --- Passport 40
Division C -- Naughty Hotty --- Wylie 38C
Division D -- Scorpio ---Wylie 42
Division E -- Octavia --- Santa Cruz 50
Division F -- Azul --- Santa Cruz 52
Division G -- J-Bird III --- Transpac 52
For all positions and tracking charts Check out www.pacificcup.org

420 WORLDS
Clube Nautico de Tavira - After protests the scores were reshuffled for the six race qualifier series, Frank Tybor and Jeffrey Boyd from the US were awarded first place and will now carry one point to the championship round. Both sailors are from San Diego Yacht Club as are their training partners Mikee Anderson and Graham Biehl who are in fourth. Dave Siegal and Andrew Flynn from Massachusetts also will be racing in the Gold Fleet. 1 USA Frank TYBOR & Jeffrey BOYD 17; 2 ITA Giorgio CATTA & Daniele CATTA 17; 3 IND Farokh TARAPORE & Vikas KAPILA 20; 4 USA Mikee ANDERSON-MITTERLING & Graham BIEHL 22; 5 GRE Georgios VASSILAS & Evagelos MITAKIS 36;

Ladies standings: 1 FRA Coraline JONET & Magali PALLANCA 21; 2 SUI Emmanuelle ROL & Anne Sophie THILO 27; 3 ITA Carolina MARIANI & Camilla GABRIELLI 33; 4 GER Daria BLASCHKIEWITZ & Annika LEVIN 39; 5 USA Julie PAPANEK & Whitney BESSEE 40. - www.cnt.pt/ukresults420.htm

LASER RADIAL YOUTH WORLDS
Buffalo Canoe Club, Ontario, Canada - High temperatures and low wind speeds gave a perfect start to the Laser Radial Youth World Championships on Lake Erie. The 174 competitor fleet from 20 countries and 5 continents was split into 3 fleets for the first two races. All fleets started first time in both races in the 7 to 8 knot south westerly wind. In the stable winds it was no surprise to see the top seven sailors scoring similar results across their two races. With 6 first places available for the taking on the first day Jeffery Cruise from USA was the only sailor to post a perfect score although the British sailor, Ben Paton, came close with two seconds.

The fleet race 2 races a day in a qualifier series for 4 days, being split into gold, silver and bronze fleets for the final two days. Overall Results (after 2 races): 1-USA Jeffrey Cruise, 2; 2-GBR Ben Paton, 4; 3-CAN Jeremy Owen, 5; 4-USA Todd Hawkins, 8; 5-CRO Tonko Kuzmanic, 9. www.laserchampionships.org

505s The Columbia Gorge Racing Association hosted the 505 Pacific Coast Championships at Cascade Locks, OR, July 13-14 . Twenty-seven 505s battled it out in the breezy Columbia Gorge to decide who will be the Champion. The veterans, Howard Hamlin and Mike Martin, showed their heavy air speed in the last three races on Sunday to jump in the lead and win the championship.

Final Results: 1st Howard Hamlin, Mike Martin 14pts 2nd Nick Adamson, Peter Allery 18pts 3rd Bruce Edwards, David Shelton 21pts 4th Ryan Cox, Jeff Nelson 33pts 5th Robin Brown, Alan Johnson 38pts - www.cgra.org

NEW YORK YACHT CLUB
Readers who have never been inside the New York YC will want to take a 'virtual tour' provided by art history student Walter Dufresne. It's a real treat: members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3bss6/

WEBSITE MAGIC
The California YC has done a remarkable job of glamorizing their Nautica 2002 Star World Championship website. They've put up a series of slide shows with photos taken at this past weekend's Star District Championship. Do yourself a favor and go to www.starworlds2002.com, click on Gallery,Ê then under Select Category pick 5th District Champs Race 1, then click Search. Now click View Slide Show. Pretty Awesome.

CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
* July 25-28: Sailing World NOOD at Marblehead Race Week, Boston, Corinthian, and Eastern yacht clubs. 12 classes are expected to compete including, Corinthian, Daysailer, Etchells, IOD, J/105, J/24, J/80, Rhodes 19, Sonar, Thunderbird, Town Class, Viper 640, Sonars, and the Rhodes 19s. www.sailingworld.com

* July 26-28: 505 East Coast Championship. Hyannis Yacht Club, MA. www.hyannisyachtclub.com/content2.php?c=141

* August 4-10: William I. Koch Sea Scout Cup, Columbia YC, Chicago. Raced in 420s, this event will determine the champion U.S. Sea Scout sailors, but is also open to young men and women between 14 and 21. Scout executives expect 80 of the world's top Sea Scout sailors to participate. Teams from England, New Zealand, Canada and the US have already registered. - www.seascoutcup.org

* August 13-17: 505 North American Championship, Cabrillo Beach YC, San Pedro, CA. www.int505.org/usa

THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS
You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.