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SCUTTLEBUTT 2748 - Friday, December 19, 2008Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Today's sponsors are Southern Spars and Scuttlebutt University. LUIZ KAHL: IRC IN THE USA Luiz Kahl, Executive Director of the US-IRC, provides an update on how this handicap rule is progressing within the United States: * Where are the IRC hotbeds in the US? Has IRC become the default system anywhere? KAHL: IRC has been pretty well accepted in the USA. Starting with the BBS in 2004, it really picked up steam the following year on the East Coat and the Great Lakes. Today, IRC shares the handicap system with PHRF at various events around the country with IRC prevailing for the main racing classes. In the Great Lakes, primarily the Detroit Area, IRC has been the predominant handicap system since 2005 when it was originally adopted by the Bayview Mackinac Race and it runs alongside with One Design and a much smaller PHRF class * Any misconceptions for a newbie that has resisted so far? KAHL: I don’t think that there are many misconceptions per se as much as there are misunderstandings about the rule. Let’s face it, a move to IRC is a change from a system that we have been using for over 20 years and, although we disagree with, we’ve been comfortable using it. Such change rattles the comfort zone we’ve lived in for so long. For example, we’ve grown accustomed to doing PHRF’s simple Time-on-Distance (ToD) calculation (handicap deltas multiplied by course distance), so it takes a little getting used to IRC’s Time-on-Time (ToT) where corrected times are calculated based on your time spend on the race course, and unknown until you crossed the finish line. With ToD, we would leave the dock and depending on the wind conditions, we knew if it was our day or boat XYZ’s day since corrected times were based solely on the distance of the course and not related to wind strength. ToT, since it uses your time on the course, is a fairer handicap system, but although very simple to calculate (handicap multiplied by elapsed time), it does take a little time to make the transition and get used to it. The best way to understand IRC – and ToT – is to try it. I can guarantee you will like it. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/tt RESCUE OPERATION UNDERWAY (Dec, 18, 2008; Day 39) - As high as second position in the Vendee Globe two weeks ago, Yann Eliès is now dealing with a new adversary - his health. While working on the bow of Generali Thursday morning, Eliès was thrown along the deck and sustained a fracture to his thighbone. With competitors Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Sam Davies (Roxy) directed to come to his aid and assist as needed, the decision has also been made for the Royal Australian Navy’s 118-meter HMAS Arunta to be dispatched, which has left Perth and expected to be onsite Saturday afternoon. At the moment Eliès is safe in his bunk and trying to conserve his energy. While his condition is stable, he is in pain, but has not yet been able to reach his medical kit. Generali has three reefs in the main and a small staysail set, hopefully sufficiently conservative until assistance arrives. Over the past 24 hours, race leader Michel Desjoyeaux shows no signs of letting up as he posts the highest mileage total of the fleet (422 miles). The fleet is soon to pass the East Australia Gate, with recent information regarding ice location has caused race organizers to move the coordinates of the New Zealand ice gate 8 so as to protect the fleet. -- Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (Top 5 plus of 30 entrants; 19 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, 12821.9 nm Distance to finish 2. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, 46.0 nm Distance to leader 3. Jean Le Cam (FRA), VM Matériaux, 128.1 nm DTL 4. Sébastien Josse (FRA), BT, 136.7 nm DTL 5. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 364.7 nm DTL 10. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 1019.1 nm DTL 12. Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva, 1590.9 nm DTL 16. Rich Wilson (USA), Great American III, 2600.5 nm DTL 17. Derek Hatfield (CAN), Algimouss Spirit of Canada, 2861.0 nm DTL Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en RIG PRO IS PACKING UP... AND HEADING SOUTH Rig Pro's fully outfitted mobile rigging trailer will again be heading south to Key West Race Week. Stop by our trailer at the Caroline St site (across from the race village) and let us help you with all your cordage, hardware and rigging needs. As always free t-shirts and wet notes while supplies last. For pre-race orders call us on 401-683-6966 to power up for Key West 2009…and beyond. Visit: http://www.southernspars.com THIS MUCH FUN SHOULD BE ILLEGAL (Dec. 18, 2008; Day 6) - PUMA skipper Ken Read is less than enamored by the new route for the Volvo Ocean Race. Said Ken, “Bringing these boats here for this leg is like using a Ferrari for a Tractor Pull.” Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker was less kind, “Going upwind in a Volvo 70 sucks. I am beginning to question the merits of the new route through Asia if so much of it is upwind. The first problem is that these boats don't point very high so it takes forever to get anywhere truly upwind. The second is that the hulls have so little rocker and are so flat that they slam on every wave. The third is, of course, that the boats are so powerful that in any wind the waves that make life so uncomfortable come thick and fast. The next leg to China will be a nightmare.” Ken describes the next section of Leg 3, “Once we enter the Strait of Malacca, that’s when the fun really begins. This is the channel between Indonesia to the south and Malaysia to the north. It is one of, if not the, most used commercial shipping lane in the world. There is an Indonesian navy who is rumoured to stop random boats and request fees to pass through. Potential outright piracy. And supposedly heaps of fishing boats, which may be lit or unlit, with lines or nets. Let the fun begin.” Delta Lloyd, trailing the rest of the fleet for much of this third leg from Cochin to Singapore, were dealt a savage blow today when they broke a hydraulic ram on their canting keel mechanism. They have implemented a temporary fix to centre the keel using the starboard ram and are continuing to limp along at 9 knots. The shore team is making plans for a repair in Singapore in time for the in-port race on 10 January. -- Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Leg Three from Cochin to Singapore is 1,950 nm, with the finish estimated on December 23rd. Current positions (as of Dec. 19, 1:00am GMT): 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 746 nm Distance to Finish 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 1 nm Distance to Leader 3. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Anders Lewander/SWE, 16 nm DTL 4. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 20 nm DTL 5. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 35 nm DTL 6. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 37 nm DTL 7. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 83 nm DTL 8. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 138 nm DTL Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com HEADQUARTERS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM By Matt Gregory, Delta Lloyd navigator I was lying in a bunk catching up on sleep. Dreaming about something, I don't remember what. I woke to the sound of a deafening explosion. There is just no other way to describe it. BAM! Something major. Broken. I sprang up. I waited for the rig to hit the water. I heard nothing. The sails weren’t even flapping. Screams from the crew: “It’s something in the boat.” “Check the chain plates!’ “Are the bulkheads ok?” “Did we de-laminate?” “We are taking the headsail down. Can we have another body on deck?” “Get the tool box. I need the Allen keys. We need to open the keel box to see the rams” “Holy sh#t. This is it! It’s bad!” “Emergency water pumps ready.” Grab bags and survival suits were pulled out of the locker in case. I got on the sat phone. The first call was to the Volvo Race HQ. “This is Matt Gregory. We have a problem. We’ve had a massive failure to the port side bulkhead that attaches the keel canting hydraulic ram to the boat. We aren’t sure of the situation yet. Can you put everyone on standby? We might need help from the Russians; they are the closest boat to us. Are you receiving our position through the telemetry?” -- Read on: http://sailmagazine.com/blogs/matthew_gregory/hq_we_have_a_problem OLYMPIC STARS CONTINUE TO SHINE Melbourne, Australia (Dec. 18, 2008) - The star names lead the way on the third day of racing at Sail Melbourne as bigger breeze arrived on Port Phillip Bay for the first of seven World Cup events across Oceania, North America and Europe. In stronger 10-15 knot winds on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, Olympic gold medallist Malcolm Page and skipper Mat Belcher continue to dominate proceedings, sitting on top of the leaderboard on seven points, three clear of the US Olympic representatives Stuart McNay and Graham Biehl who experienced some boat trouble in the race three. “Our trap wires kept coming untied and we lost a lot of distance fixing those in the first race today,” Biehl said. The top of the Laser Radial leaderboard also has a golden glow to it, with Beijing Olympic gold medallist Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) already 14 points ahead in the overall standings. Tunnicliffe revelled in the stronger conditions today, winning all three races to take a commanding lead into the second half of the regatta. World #4 Laser skipper Michael Leigh (CAN) began his fight back after a disappointing first day and moves from seventh to fourth overall on the back of 8,4,5 scores today. -- Complete report: http://www.sailing.org/26559.php?PHPSESSID=9e8df32a6e0a35bc4923c63f43de9845 ARE YOU READY FOR SCUTTLEBUTT UNIVERSITY? There are a few things in life that are still within reach. Anybody can enter the America’s Cup with a completed entry form and 50,000 euros, anybody can be a member of Scuttlebutt Sailing Club by downloading the card, and anybody can ‘appear’ educated by wearing Scuttlebutt University gear. Find the hooded sweatshirts and t-shirts in the Scuttlebutt store: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/store NINETEEN TEAMS ENTERED TO RACE AMERICA'S CUP IN 2010 (Dec. 18, 2008) - AC Management today announced the entry list for the 33rd America's Cup that includes 19 teams, eight of which are new entries. All of the 32nd America's Cup challengers have re-entered except for BMW Oracle Racing (USA). Aside from the Defender, Alinghi and the Challenger of Record, Desafío Español, a total of 21 teams presented a Notice of Entry and 17 were accepted. Three of the entered teams are pending minor details towards their official registration and have been granted an extension until January 15. Three other teams were denied entry as no further documentation beyond the Notice of Entry was received by the December 15 entry deadline. Carbon Challenge has withdrawn. The teams have been working together over the past few months at regular Competitor Meetings to amend the 33rd America's Cup Protocol and to design the new class rule; this process is ongoing and will continue into the New Year with further meetings planned and a publication date for the class rule scheduled for the end of January. The 33rd America's Cup schedule is for two pre-regattas in Valencia in 2009, the first in July and the second in October, plus the Club Náutico Español de Vela annual regatta in November, followed by an America's Cup Match in 2010. 33rd America's Cup teams (in order of entry): Alinghi, Société Nautique de Genève (SUI) – Defender Desafío Español, Club Náutico Español de Vela (ESP) – Challenger of Record Shosholoza, Royal Cape Yacht Club (RSA) TeamOrigin, Royal Thames Yacht Club (GBR) Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZL) DCYC, Deutscher Challenger Yacht Club (GER) Green Comm Challenge, Circolo di Vela Gargano (ITA) Ayre Challenge, Real Club Náutico de Dénia (ESP) Victory Challenge, Gamla Stans Yacht Skallskap (SWE) Argo Challenge, Club Nautico Gaeta (ITA) Mascalzone Latino, Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia (ITA) Team French Spirit, Yacht Club de St Tropez (FRA) Luna Rossa, Yacht Club Punta Ala (ITA) Russia Team - Fiona, Yacht Club Seven Feet (RUS) Joe Fly, Società Canottieri Lecco (ITA) K-Challenge, Cercle de la Voile de Paris (FRA) Greek Challenge, N.O.K. Poseidon - Nautical Club of Kalamata (GRC) Dabliu Sail Project (ITA) China Team, Qingdao International Yacht Club (CHN) Complete report: http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=18634 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Kudos to the Alinghi team for organizing the next event, and for attracting 18 challengers to front a 50,000 euro entry fee. However, there is a big difference between entering the event and having sufficient funding to compete. Time will tell to see who is still standing in 2010. Also, if the New York Court of Appeals finds in favor of BMW Oracle Racing in their litigation against Alinghi, the event for which the teams have entered will be cancelled. WINDSURFER FIRST TO TEST SKILLS IN ALASKAN WATERS Surfing just yards from the unstable 150 metre high walls of the Chenega glacier pro windsurfer Florian Jung became the first man ever to windsurf in the barren wilderness of Alaskan waters. Facing Arctic winds and water temperatures of just one degree Celsius Mr Jung achieved a lifelong dream. "I have always dreamed of windsurfing near a glacier," said the 24-year-old German. "No one else has surfed in front of the glaciers in Alaska before and I wanted to be the first. I normally surf big waves in Hawaii, and when I revealed my dream to a surfing friend back in Hawaii, he told me it couldn't be done. So I put my 1972 VW van on the line and off I went." Flying out to the small town of Whittier in the glacier region of Alaska in August, Mr Jung set about his unusual adventure accompanied by a marine biologist in a boat. He said: "The population there is only 183 and when we arrived they couldn't believe what we were attempting to do." Measuring one mile in length the Chenega Glacier is highly unstable with giant ice rocks breaking off and crashing into the water almost every half an hour. -- Telegraph, read on: http://SButt121808a.notlong.com SAILING SHORTS * (Long Beach, CA) Opportunities are still available to enter the Butler Cup Match Race Championship series, an event to promote match racing in the United States spanning three weekends: qualifying competition, classroom clinics and on-the-water training Jan. 17-18 and April 4-5, followed by the finals for the top six teams June 6-7. Winner will be invited to compete in the 2009 Ficker Cup, June 12-14, with the Ficker Cup winner invited to the Congressional Cup in 2010. Men and women wishing to compete and learn how to match race should contact race chairman Charles Legeman at mailto:clegeman@hotmail.com or 562-899-1528. Additional information: http://SButt121808b.notlong.com * Sebastien Col hit the top in the Open Rankings as France maintains its domination of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings in the final release of the year on 17 December 2008. France ends the year in the same fashion as it began, holding both top spots in the Open and Women’s Rankings, where Claire Leroy (FRA) continues to hold a huge points advantage. The next release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings will be on 28 January 2009. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/26557.php * With the completion of the fall college season, Sailing World's coaches' panel has determined the rankings in each of the seven ICSA conferences. -- http://SButt121808c.notlong.com * The new megayacht marina at Seattle’s Wards Cove recently opened as part of the Lake Union waterfront development project. The marina features Bellingham Marine’s Unifloat system designed for megayachts, with 11 slips measuring 95 to 100 feet in length. Nine of those slips have already been leased. -- Full report: http://SButt121808d.notlong.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dan Chesson, Ockam Instruments: (re, story in #2747) I have tried to communicate the effects of lightning to my customers for years. A lightning strike contains an impressive amount of energy. Temperatures in a lightning bolt can easily exceed those found on the surface of the sun, and the electrical current can exceed 40 kiloamperes! Even if the electronics survive a lightning strike, they should be treated with suspicion, as the component parts have probably been subjected to induced voltages or currents outside their specified maximum tolerances. Lightning protection on boats is used to minimize structural damage, not to protect electronics. Protection for electronics against lightning strikes would have to be similar to what the military uses to harden installations against nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP): a Faraday cage with electrically isolated power and signals. On a racing yacht, the weight and power required for that is prohibitive. Without protection against EMP, even a nearby lightning strike may induce enough current in the yacht's wiring to damage on-board electronics. I have encountered many instances where a boat was not directly struck by lightning, yet had several electronic items fail. As mentioned in the article, the best strategy is to get insurance coverage for your electronics, and keep up on the premiums. There's little that can be done to repair an item when lightning has burned through the circuit board! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “I want to warn people from Nigeria who might be watching our show, if you get any emails from Washington asking for money, it's a scam. Don't fall for it.” - Jay Leno Special thanks to Southern Spars and Scuttlebutt University. Please give consideration to supporting the Scuttlebutt sponsors when making your holiday shopping decisions this year. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
