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SCUTTLEBUTT 1667 - September 14, 2004Powered 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. TERRY HUTCHINSON Scuttlebutt caught up with Terry Hutchinson, fresh from his win at the 2004 Farr 40 Worlds, where he was tactician onboard Jim Richardson's Barking Mad. Here are a few excerpts: What did this racecourse require for success? Terry Hutchinson: Boat speed. There was fairly flat water in the mornings with the ebb starting halfway through the day. No big surprise that being fast is the key to success, but it allowed us to not have to take a lot of chances. Conservative tactics-low risk: We started every race safe, middle of the line and low risk. The same principles applied at marks where it is easy to foul out. We were always of the mindset that single digits throughout the scorecard would win the regatta going away! However, I never really thought that it would work as well as it did. How helpful was your J/24 Worlds win in '98, which was held in the same race area as the Farr 40 Worlds? TH: It was very helpful. I have had a fair amount of success on the Berkeley circle and have kept fairly detailed notes about the racing that I have done there in the past years. It was good to feel confident about our game plan and decisions on the racecourse. What was the biggest surprise in the regatta? TH: What boats showed up fast and what boats did not. It was great to see the success of some different boats. Steve and Fred Howe had a great regatta ending up third. They did not spend as much time preparing as some of the other teams and yet managed a great event. 2002 Worlds champion Steve Phillips is back on form and sailed strong at the end to come into the top five. Also, the ovation that we received as we backed Barking Mad into the dock on the final day. It was an unbelievable feeling to have all of your competitors clapping and cheering for you as we tied the boat up. I have never been part of a team where we received that type of admiration from our competitors. It says something about Jim Richardson and his approach to the sport. Terry goes on to explain about the keys to their preparation, two-boat programs, and the health of the class in the rest of the interview at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/thutch AFTER THE STORM Here are some comments from the three teams that were involved in the storm that swept through the boatyard compound of the Marseille Louis Vuitton Act 1 regatta: BMW Oracle Racing: "While we are still assessing the damage, it is apparent that our yacht has sustained significant damage, and likely will not be repairable in time for Act 2 in Valencia which starts 5 October," said team CEO Chris Dickson. "Our other 2003-generation yacht, USA 71, is in Valencia and can be ready in time. We have two weeks of work to make 71 race-ready, but we will be on the starting line on 5th Oct." - http://www.bmworacleracing.com Team Alinghi: Alinghi was blown out of its cradle and crashed onto a container. Grant Simmer, co-Director general of Alinghi, said: "Our shore team is working hard to assess the extent of the damage, but we will make every endeavor to be on the starting line of the Act 2 in Valencia." - http://www.alinghi.com Emirates Team New Zealand: Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton said the damage (to NZL 82) could be repaired, but not in time for the next regatta (Act 2). "We will ship it back to New Zealand for repair," he said. "We are fortunate to have NZL81 and GER68 nearing completion in Auckland so we can still have a full testing programme over the New Zealand summer. The plan was to retire NZL82 after the Valencia regatta." - http://www.stuff.co.nz Photo: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/0912/ CORINTHIAN CHALLENGE Event organizer Challenge Business continues to progress with their Corinthian Challenge 2006/2007 race. Unlike the Volvo Around the World Race, which is now geared for the professional circuit, the Corinthian Challenge will follow the ethos of the original Whitbread Race by opening the doors of global racing to private yacht owners and ambitious club racers alike. The major controlling variable appears to be in crew restriction. The limits are that each boat can have only a maximum of 2 crew members classified as ISAF Group 2 and a maximum of 2 crew members classified as ISAF Group 3, with the remaining crew as ISAF Group 1. The latest team to enter the Corinthian Challenge is the Royal Signals Yacht Club, with their Challenge 67 aptly named Adventure. For the race, the yacht will be crewed exclusively by serving members of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals. To date some twenty-five teams have expressed serious interest in participating, and are organising yachts and campaigns for the Corinthian Challenge. A team from Australia is in discussion with the race organisers and it is hoped their entry will be announced shortly. The race, which takes the classic round the world route, will call at 7 ports during the 8 competitive legs. So far only Cape Town, South Africa, and Wellington, New Zealand have been confirmed, with the five as of yet unnamed ports anticipated to be in Canary Islands, Western Australia, South America and the Caribbean. - Full report, http://www.corinthianchallenge.com/pr20040910.html CIAO BELLA! Not only were the fastest and most prestigious yachts in the world attending the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, but the best-designed apparel in the world was also making it's mark at the top of the leader board. Camet Cargo and Aruba sailing shorts are becoming the most sought after apparel for owners and their crew. They are the only pair of shorts worn by the teams that not only want to win, but want to win in style. Function, reliability and design are the choice of the Pyewacket team, and many others. Visit us today! http://www.camet.com WIPE OUT It's not too often that we have a video camera strapped to the stern pulpit, but the Mumm 30 Champosa (USA 64) did when they broached during the Mumm 30 Pre-Worlds regatta in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. Proud enough of the footage, they have expertly edited it and posted it on their website. The video is complete with on board voice, music and the gurgling sound of water as the camera becomes completely submerged. Enjoy: http://www.champosa.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar INTERNATIONAL C CLASS CATAMARAN CHALLENGE The Australian Catamaran Challenge team has arrived in Bristol, Rhode Island with their innovative C Class Catamaran 'Ronstan' to race against previous Little America's Cup winner Steve Clark's 'Cogito' and the British Invictus syndicate, backed by the resources of Airbus. The C Class catamaran is at the absolute cutting edge of sailing technology, said Damien Smith, the head of the Australian syndicate's design team. The advanced wing sails, similar to an aeroplane wing, used on these boats could be the vanguard of a return to wind powered commercial vessels, continued Smith. For syndicate coordinator Ian Jenkins to finally have the team's boat arrive, after some minor shipping delays, is the realisation of a long held dream. Jenkins has likened the complexity and difficulty of the project to putting a man on the moon, There are just so many little elements of the project that could go wrong and spell disaster. The regatta, affectionately known, as 'The Little America's Cup' will be sailed in Rhode Island from 15-26 September to decide which is the fastest boat on the planet. - Boating Online, full report, http://www.boating-online.com.au/welcome.cfm The Australian team suffered a terrible blow Sunday after their boat 'Ronstan' suffered damage when their wing sail broke during trials. After preparations in the light winds of the morning the crew set about sailing 'Ronstan' and getting familiar with RI waters. At this point they suffered a minor breakage and returned to shore for a quick repair. They went out again in mid afternoon along with the US boat 'Cogito'. However a twist mechanism failure caused significant damage to the wing and they limped ashore. The Australian team are now trying to carry out repairs. - Yachting Universe, full report, http://tinyurl.com/3l4ae HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS If you have a boat in hurricane territory, or worse yet, you find yourself in the path of Hurricane Ivan, the following are some tips from the BoatU.S. website to help your boat weather the storm: Prepare the boat: If you will be keeping your boat in a slip, marinas with floating docks and tall pilings - well above the anticipated surge - provide a safer solution than fixed docks as extra scope is not needed. The key to a fixed docking arrangement is to use long lines - the longer the better - secured to sturdy pilings to accommodate the surge. No matter what kind of slip, add extra fenders, double your dock lines and add chafe protection - a section of garden hose will suffice if it's thoroughly secured with duct tape. Duct tape can also be used to cover exhaust ports, leaky windows or other places where rain can enter. Also, be sure to remove cowl vents and secure their openings. Decreasing windage by removing dodgers, biminis, BBQs, deck furniture, and sails as well as by lowering antennas is absolutely essential. Lastly, it's important to remove any important documents and valuables, as post storm looting can be a problem. Find the right 'hole': If you plan on moving your vessel to a hurricane hole, do it early as soon as a "warning" is posted. Otherwise, you may find the best spots are already taken or that bridges have been locked down to evacuate automobiles. Add extra anchors and lines to fixed objects ashore if possible, but also keep in mind that canals, rivers or harbors also experience storm surge - seawalls and jetties that might otherwise protect your boat could be underwater. Never Stay Aboard: Don't become a statistic - staying aboard is extremely dangerous. For the complete list of tips: http://www.boatus.com/news/releases/2004/september/ivan.asp AVAILABLE NOW Raider RIBs has a 22-foot Raider 665 that is ready for delivery. The ultimate tender for a yacht club, a sailing program or a sail coach, the 665 has a center console, deep V hull with a 115 horsepower 4-stroke Yamaha engine, a galvanized trailer, towing post, and it even has an enclosed head. The Raider 665 is available for immediate delivery with special financing for a non-profit or yacht club junior program. Call for details at 1-877-7RAIDER, or check out the Raider 665 at our website. http://www.raiderboat.com NEWS BRIEFS * On the final day of the U.S. Team Racing Championship, reigning national and world championship team Cape Cod WHishbone narrowly defeated team Somerville Silver Panda to win the 2004 US Sailing George R. Hinman Trophy. 16 of the country's top teams competed in new Vanguard 15's at Bayview Yacht Club, Detroit, MI. Winning team members Mark Ivey (Newport, RI), Olympian Tim Wadlow (Osterville, MA), Karen Renzulli (Needham, MA), Matt Lindblad (Newport, RI), Erin Largay (Branford, CT), and Tim Fallon (Somerville, MA) will attempt to defend their World Championship title in Newport, RI, in September 2005. - http://www.ussailing.org/hinman/2004 * North Sails is offering free weather forecasts for the following events: Rolex Swan Cup 2004 from Sept 14-19; Mumm 30 Worlds from Sept 21-24; and the Sailing World Texas NOOD Regatta from Sept 24-26. Sailors are invited to sign up to receive these free daily forecasts via email by logging on to the North Sails Weather Center: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf * On October 2, Narragansett Bay will again be the site of patriotism and charitable giving in memory of the people killed in the New York City attacks of 9-11. Within three weeks of that fateful day in 2001, local sailors organized an event called "Sail for Pride" which raised $110,000 for fire, police and widows' relief charities. The event later inspired an annual fund-raising sail now known as Sail for Hope. Information on how to participate is available at the Sail Newport website: http://www.sailnewport.org/npt/m/_general/hope2003.asp * Challenge Business announced at the Southampton Boat Show 2004 their three brand new Global Challenge yacht sponsors and a consortium member for Team Save the Children. Sir Chay Blyth announced Unisys/ EMC, Sony and Stelmar Shipping as yacht sponsors and Mellon Financial Corporation as a consortium member. The race is scheduled to start on October 2, 2004. - http://www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/news.asp?chco_id=8092 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 Magnus Wheatley: I have to take issue with Paul Henderson's view that the Olympics is the 'greatest show on earth' as it's surely anything but and is dire need of an overhaul from a sailing perspective. The Olympics is all about TV and without it the Games fall flat on their face. The sailing in Athens was weak televisually and if the sport doesn't wake up and change the classes voluntarily then some fuddy-duddy on the IOC will blow in like Hurricane Ivan and totally wreck it. The problem is in the class selection: - 49er: Best fleet out there, fast, furious, colourful and fantastic to watch. - Finn: Low quality fleet apart from top three, old, heavy, slow and no national fleets. Bin it and tell them to lose weight and sail a Laser. - Star: Unique looking, strange hiking style, looks good on TV but needs modern sails to stay in. - Tornado: Over-priced, low-quality fleet, boring sailing. Bin it and get the Hobie's in for public consumption. - 470: Drop it. Looks awful, boats fall apart and low world fleets. 1980's throwback. Do not replace. - Laser: High quality fleet, easy to understand plus the general public know what they are because they've sailed them on holiday - Europe: Looks like a radio controlled model yacht. Drop it and go for Laser Radial. - Mistral: Totally unreflective of modern windsurf design. Drop it and go modern or drop the discipline. - Yngling: Humpty-Dumpty goes yachting. Awful boat and boring to watch. Launch competition for new women's keelboat design. * From Peter Kelly: So Mr Henderson, if sailing has made such big strides in Athens with flags on the sails and suchlike, how do you propose to have anything but a yawn-fest in Beijing with the racing in little or no wind? Wake up and smell the coffee. * From Bill Reilly: Several times in Scuttlebutt you have incorrectly stated that 'Alfa Romeo'(Shockwave) won the 2003 Maxi World Championships in Sardinia last year... That is NOT correct... 'Alfa Romeo' was racing in the IRC class against a bunch of cruising boats ('Leopard of London' being the only other "racing" boat in the IRC class), while the Italian maxi 'Idea' won the IMS (racing) class and claimed the Maxi World Championship for 2003. Note: 'Idea' also beat 'Alfa Romeo' in this year's regatta. Curmudgeon's Comment: Thanks for the clarification regarding the information that we carried in #1666, which came from a press release we received from… 'Alfa Romeo'. * From Clifford Bradford: If the ACM wanted to provide sponsor value through these "Acts" then they should provide TV coverage!! I was amazed that they were so excited about radio (what is this 1920?) coverage - in French!! At the very least have online audio in 2 or 3 language and some virtual spectator stuff and archive it for later viewing. * From Robert T. Morrow, Lavallette, New Jersey: Judging from the pictures in this morning's "Butt" of the AC yachts that were lifted from their cradles and dropped to the ground following the severe squall, the AC sailors seem to have forgotten the lessons from their Junior sailing days. I would venture to guess that the parents, instructors and Junior sailing coordinators of their respective yacht clubs kept telling them to use the "tie downs" to secure their boats for just such eventualities. They need to set a better example for contemporary junior sailors with whom it is a constant struggle regarding this very same issue! * Eric Harper: I can't tell you how many times I have slammed my toes into those eye straps they sink into the asphalt of dry storage areas. You know, the ones you are supposed to use to tie your boat and trailer to in the event of a storm. Hey Valencia, you might want to make a trip to Home Depot before Act 1 and 2. *From Marc Herrmann: What is very interesting looking at the final results of the recent Farr 40 Worlds that there were 10 races with 10 different 1st place finishes. In fact other than Barking Mad, positions 2 to 5 never won a race. Am I missing something here or is this really a winning formula? Can't get much better than that with respect to good OD racing. This is a perfect example of consistency pays. Also interesting of note is the no drop format. Hats off to the Farr design team and organizing body. What a wonderful concept. Would be great to hear some feedback from the racers/owners. * From Clayton Dailey: I know the issue of throw outs is old but, what about for the rest of us that are not hardcore racers. Could we get additional throw outs. Maybe even just keep our best race!!! Toss the rest out! * From Michael Coburn: Paul Henderson, I think Torben Grael earned his peanuts - let the man enjoy them. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. |
