|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 846 - June 28 2001Scuttlebutt 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.
GUEST EDITORIAL - by Morgan Larson Any serious Transpac boat stores all the heavy gear to starboard as you are typically on starboard tack for the first half or better of the race. So apart from crew clothing, food, tools, spare rigging, sails and drinking water what else can you do in the spirit of the rule? I know that some teams take extra water and use this for showers, dishes and cleaning the decks and by day 4 they have reduced the amount of ballast for the downwind surfing. I have heard about some other tricks that should be frowned upon such as taking 200 canned hams and every day each crew takes a can opens it has one bite and throws the can and the ham into the ocean. Is this legal? Other's may leave sails on deck and open the zippers allowing waves to fill the sail bags! Is this legal? To my knowledge there is no pre-race inspection to see what people are doing below decks. I don't think people are purposely cheating but I do think that every one has a different opinion of the rule. I think that the Transpac and Pacific Cup are different from most other offshore races because you want your boat heavy in the beginning and light at the end and this is what drives people to find "tricks" to dumping ballast. So is the rule clear or where do you draw the line?
VOLVO OCEAN RACE Information reports are automatically beamed from each boat - every hour, day and night, in stormy as well as calm weather. This information consists of data such as the boats current position, course, pitch, roll, heave, depth, average wind speed and direction. The most important race data -the boats' position and speed, are relayed every ten minutes. Once received at Race Headquarters in Southampton, UK, the full story is processed and posted on the official race Web site, bringing the smallest race details to the fingertips of a worldwide audience. - www.VolvoOceanRace.org
INVESTMENT ADVICE
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Laurence Mead: The answer to sailing coverage is two fold. One is that there isn't an easy angle for sailing to take, lots of people have tried to "go big", and they have tried with multiple formats, none has really taken off at a local level. However, we did get the best coverage sailing has ever had in Hong Kong for our recent Match Racing Finals by "writing" the stories for the papers. A non-sailing journalist won't make the time to find the story. Take them to lunch, supply pics, find a human interest angle, write reports as soon as the race is over and e-mail them to the papers. In short, start a relationship with your local media. It does work. We have a "ladder" format for the match racing competition so that as many sailors as want to can be ranked (we had 38 in this, our first year) and race off all season to get a top 8 for a finals weekend. It is interesting, caters for all standards, is easily run and has a seasons worth of exposure. As a result we are pleased to welcome Robert Knight (CEO) of "Standard Life Asia" as our new sponsor for the next 5 years at a very healthy budget. * From Fin Beven (re Ralph Taylor's comments in #845): I understand the distinction between US Sailing and ISAF. My gripe is that somewhere along the line, US Sailing relinquished OUR control of OUR rules to ISAF. Then, US Sailing joins US Sailors in blaming ISAF for unpopular rule changes. Ralph's statement seems a classic example of this sort of thinking. The solution for US Sailing remains simple. Retake control of OUR rules for the vast majority of OUR amateur sailors who have no plans to be involved in international sailing, the international match-racing circuit, or the Americas Cup. We can then structure OUR rules to suit the wishes of the membership of US Sailing. I think that the "One-World" premise, that there must be just one international rule for sailing, is flawed. * From Bruce Nairn (About Anthony Barrans comments regarding USSA training professional sailors and event organizers to win in the Corporate marketing arena): I think it is unrealistic to ask US Sailing to take this on. However it would be beneficial if USSA spent the time, money, and effort to organize sailing events, sailing statistics (demographics, etc.), and increase membership so that the pros could actually market sailing as an identifiable package. The basic information about sailing is so totally unorganized and inaccurate taking this first step in marketing (who we are what we do) is a daunting task. Looking at the ponderous advertising codes, the problems with sailor's status as professionals, etc. makes fixing the internal problems that plague sailing (at least in a marketing sense) in the US a more important issue. * From Dieter Loibner: If the goal of our sport is the emulation of a video game, the day is near when your ass, thus far one of the most important body parts for sailing, and your ability "to sail by the seat of your pants" will become obsolete. In that case, a helmet should make a fine fashion accessory that seamlessly integrates with the supercomputer you are wearing, disguised as your foulies. Think extensibility, think scalability and flexibility: add a camera and microphone to record your environment so you can watch it on the inside of your virtual reality goggles and hear it on sensouround 3D-headphones. Install a sprinkler system (80-degree water only) so you don't miss out on that occasional virtual splash. Then show up for the next BT Global Challenge. Synchronize your PDA (that doubles as thermal underwear) to their bank account via high-speed infrared link and send $40K through an encrypted transaction for the privilege of banging around the planet against prevailing winds and currents. If this gets too rough or too boring (as some reports suggest it can), you always can flip through your integrated 2000 channel satellite TV (dish sitting on top of your helmet) to watch Oprah, Letterman, Leno and all those re-runs of Friends, Frazier and Seinfeld. * From John Drayton: I was involved in an experimental vehicle program recently where we developed computerized control systems for all components and on-board systems. Whenever we had vehicle problems, low power, engine stalling, the first troubleshooting task was always to re-boot the vehicle -- this corrected the problem 90% of the time. My prediction is that with all this technology coming into our sport, it will ultimately lead to a technology backlash -- at some point, what's the point of applying or using technology within the context of sporting events? -- Computers are already among the world's best chess players, and you could could conceivably land a helicopter on the top of Mt. Everest. Last I checked, people were still playing chess and climbing mountains without any technical assistance -- in general, our sport will be far more challenging/interesting without technology telling us where to go, what to do, and how to do it. * From Andy Lovell: I have never written in to scuttlebutt so forgive me if I am not using the proper channels. I am a former College Sailor of The Year in 1991. I am shocked by the news I read yesterday in the New Orleans Times Picayune. Bruce Mahoney and former LYRA star and another great Gulf Coast Sailor won the single handed National Championship and was not even given All-American honors. What a JOKE!!!!! New England politics steered me away from sailing, and stories like this make me glad I left. * From Gail M. Turluck (re the All-American selection process): The HOW is a no-brainer. The selection committee is comprised of mostly paid coaches who need to show their administrators that their efforts are worthwhile. In the days before paid coaching, service to the sport WAS weighed in. The undergraduate service award has negated the factor. For the system to change it would take at least three things: (1) a groundswell of outrage being expressed to ICSA (for contacts, see: www.collegesailing.org); (2) willing to serve former college sailors (five years out of school, not necessarily AA, not having served as a paid coach or ICSA administrator, etc.) from all districts indicating to the ICSA President and their Graduate Secretary willingness to serve. With the quantity of data that's available on the web and the nomination process that's in place, there is no good reason that alumni who are currently NOT actively involved couldn't comprise this committee (and the members could even be precluded from serving on Race Committees, Juries, etc., and from casting a vote on anyone they know personally); (3) the ability to convince the ICSA Board that it is in their best interest to have a more objective selection system installed. To properly do the job will call for a time commitment on the part of a new group of people, but perhaps this year's situation has finally hit a raw enough nerve that we'll acquire adequate alumni support to make it right for the future. * From Toby Reiley: Perhaps it's convenient for US Sailing and their sponsors to invite young women (school ages 13 to 19) to a Rolex Next Step Program in keelboats from September 21-23, but that's during school time. The method for gaining admission is to write a paper on what they enjoy about sailing. The event is right at the beginning of the school year, which is a vital time when kids and parents need to focus if the kids are going to become good thinkers (does one need to think to sail well?) and clear writers. Wouldn't it make more sense to focus educational clinics for kids during school vacations? While I have daughter who is both a good a writer and passionate about sailing, neither she nor I would consider giving up school for a clinic. * From BJ Jones: In Tuesday's 'Butt, Ralph Taylor was worried about one design regattas not being able to be 'Charitable events' because One Designs are Cat A. Well the solution is to just have is PHRF regatta, but all the boats have the same rating. * From Keith Mackeown, Ireland: It's deeply ironic to read Laurence Mead giving out about the Crash Helmet issue (though I completely agree). 'Buttheads might like to see why by looking at the following link: www.iol.ie CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Oh my! And speaking of Sailing Helmets, following are the last letters on that subject, before we kill the thread. * From Carl Schumacher: Well the jungle drums are beating again. Now, because someone participating in the extreme end of our sport, in a boat designed to compete in an event with minimal rules other than go fast, gets hit on the head with a very low boom we must all wear safety helmets. Where is this going to end? Are we going to have to wear survival suits while sailing Mercurys on Huntington Lake? I have a better solution to the skipper sailing a Mini Transat boat, put in a rule requiring minimum boom height and leave me alone! * From Craig Schmidt: Regarding Jack Boye's "editorial": Requiring the wearing of helmets while participating at "all levels of yacht racing and cruising" would certainly be a boon to business for SailSafety.com. While helmets certainly improve safety and diminish head injuries, it appears that this editorial is really an advertisement. Do we really need another regulation that protects us from ourselves? Are experienced sailors unable to mitigate the risks in their sport without outside intervention? I suggest Mr. Boye and SailSafety.com promote their fine products by educating sailors to the benefits of safety gear and let the sailors decide when its use is appropriate. * From Greg Siewert: I have to confess that the first thing that came to my mind after beginning to read Jack Boye's guest editorial ('Butt No. 844) was the image of an satirical ad pictured in, (I think) Latitude 38 years ago. The farcical "Jibing Helmets" ad featured an old photo of Larry 'n Moe wearing egg-shaped helmets, holding baseball bats, and were about to clobber the other. As I read on in this editorial, to my surprise the author wasn't pulling my leg! Now I can picture something even more ridiculous, which is looking at my crew on the rail wearing these things. Let's hope that the same bunch that gave us the bizarrely written, unenforceable lifejacket rule, didn't read this article, because sure shoot'in, next year we'll all have the "SSH" (Sailing Safety Helmet). At what point do we continue to hold our participants responsible for individual safety, before we result to enacting more rules with the attitude that "we need to require it, 'cause they don't know any better"? Sailing is unique and attractive because it is one of the few remaining sports in which one is solely responsible for his/her equipment and actions. Let's assume we all have a brain under that helmet. * From Dan Hirsch: Jack Boye's Guest Editorial overlooked several other serious threats to sailors' safety at sea. Sailors been thrown about cabin or cockpit, only to suffer contusions and fractures, we need a rule requiring personal body armor. Sailors have suffered hypothermia after an on-deck soaking or going over the side, we need a rule requiring survival suits to maintain body temperature. Sailors had their hands stepped on or smacked by an errant foot or spinnaker pole, we need a rule requiring mesh stainless steel sailing gloves. I could continu e... if we follow the suggestion to its logical conclusion, the rules will have sailboat crews that look like NFL players named Gumby! How fun! Sailing rules establish arbitrary conventions- e.g. Does starboard or port get the right-of-way? The agreed-on conventions, or rules, provide some order to a chaotic endeavor. A happy by-product of this improved order is safety. However, safety is NOT the objective of the rules. The rules cannot not provide "safety." A very false sense of security would be given by complying with a few 'safety rules.' No set of rules can suffice; the marine environment is far too tricky for that. Safety at sea will always be an individual responsibility. Your options are avoiding bad situations or being prepared for them. If you find yourself in chill water watching a white sternlight shrink into the night, no rule, no requirement, no marine lawyer can save you-now you have put yourself in the hands of those who might, per chance, find and save you. * From Rob Brandenburg: I'm afraid I respectfully and completely disagree with Jack Boye's suggested resolution about helmets. If a sailor decides to take his own life into his hands, that's his individual right. We do NOT need more rules choking this sport. Sailing (especially solo) has always been about independence, and to make helmets mandatory would be to cheapen the sport and the achievements of sailors everywhere. If you want people to be responsible, fine, but that includes allowing them to use their own common sense and judgment. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: And that's the last word on sailing helmets- the thread is now officially dead.
BT GLOBAL CHALLENGE Despite the collision Norwich Union remained in second place, just four miles behind the leg leader TeamSpirIT. Compaq NonStop and LG FLATRON, the two yachts competing for overall honours lay in third and fifth place respectively with just one mile separating the two fiercely competitive rivals. - press.btchallenge.com
QUOTE/ UNQUOTE
IT'S IN THE BAG
TRANSPAC Division leaders: Aloha A: Shanakee II (Pedrick 75), Jim Warmington, 1,969 miles to go. Aloha B: Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff, 1,998. - www.transpacificyc.org.
BLOCK ISLAND
THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM |
