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SCUTTLEBUTT 2237 – December 6, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). SCORING (USA sailors Glenn T. McCarthy and Luiz Kahl raised the following issue with ISAF President Göran Petersson.) In the sport of soccer, a goal is worth one point. In the sport of baseball, a run is worth one point. In the sport of basketball, outside the ring is three points, inside the ring is two points, and a penalty shot is one point. There are not any exceptions to the points. In the sport of sailing, the RRS do not 'fix' the number of points for scoring events worldwide. In reality, each organizing authority tinkers with the point system. For example, some organizing authorities change the number of points for DNS, DNF, or DSQ. The following rules involve point manipulation: 30.2, 30.3, 36, 44.3, 64.1, 64.3, 67, 69.1, 78.2, 86.1, 88.3 and Appendix A. Typically scoring at most events is done in a rush and scorers typically are not experts in the rules, and do not spend the time reviewing all of the rules applicable to scoring resulting in possible incorrect results. Add to this the fact that not only do the organizing authorities change points in the NOR and SIs, but when it comes to Protest Committees, they too can manipulate and decide final points for particular situations. For example the protest committee can order a eighth place boat scored to become the second place boat scored and all other finishers positions get shifted down one. In another situation, that eighth place boat can be awarded the score of second place, and the existing second place boat remains in position (tie) and no boats get shifted down. When will ISAF attack this problem and put it to bed permanently? When will the Point Reward system be fixed (fixed in the definition that it can not be manipulated by organizing authorities)? When will the Penalty Points available to protest committees for penalties be fixed (fixed in the definition that the judges select the penalty from a predetermined list)? What is needed is simple logic, simple math, and a system that can not be altered by the organizing authority. Right now, logic does not prevail and no computer programmer can put in enough variables to satisfy the manipulation of points from event to event. If you think this is a small issue, please discuss this matter with any computer programmer who has attempted to write a scoring programs taking in all potential point manipulations found by and you will find that they too can not take in account all possible point manipulation scenarios. Would that ever work in Soccer, Baseball or Basketball? Knowing the point score in sailing should be as simple as adding up some numbers in your head, just like any other sport. It should not be difficult, it should be extremely simple. And here is ISAF President Petersson’s response: “I agree that sailing definitely has a challenge in communicating its scoring system to the non-sailing world. A major part of the idea behind the new Medal Race format and moving to just one discard in the Olympic Games was to make the sport more accessible and understandable. “In respect of the specific issues you raise, the Racing Rules Committee are continually working to improve the Racing Rules of Sailing. The Racing Rules of Sailing have this flexibility on scoring as it has been felt necessary. However, I think your points are valid and should be considered by the Racing Rules Committee. ISAF has a very open system of receiving proposals for rule changes from our members, the National Sailing Federations and the classes. We receive on average about 50 proposals (submissions) a year for changes in the rules, which the Racing Rules Committee reviews.” – ISAF website, http://tinyurl.com/ylbjzz CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar WILD RIDES IN THE 30 KNOT CLUB (Following are some excerpts from Paul Larson’s blog on the Sailrocket website as the team attempts to sail this unique multihull to a new record as ‘outright fastest’ in the world of speed sailing.) Well we went for it again yesterday in more breeze as promised. I went with the old soft sail mentality where if it feels like it's a bit too much and all a bit risky... then we should back ourselves and go for it. If this boat is ever going to do its stuff then we have to get used to sailing in stronger stuff. We had wind and tide in our favour and a great group of helpers now becoming pretty handy at handling the boat. Sailrocket quickly accelerated up to 25 knots whilst I juggled the mainsheet between the coarse and fine tune. Nonetheless she felt rock solid and not in the least bit intimidating. I shot past the RIB reading off the numbers on the instruments over the VHF. At the end of the course I did a big bear away to get away from the shore so I could round up. The boat was smoking but sailing into rougher water. We were now over 30 knots and quickly running out of runway. I initiated a round up and the boat spun into the wind as if I had ripped on the handbrake. Sweeeeeet. That's a nice tool to have in the box of tricks. So it was another great day for learning and gaining confidence. The boat is in its element when on the course. It feels incredible and really is not intimidating at all. I have done over 30 knots on alot of boats and this boat feels the most stable of them all. Top fun... now for 40!!! It blew over 60 knots last night. Luckily she was all tucked away in the container. -- http://www.sailrocket.com TOTALLY ONLINE “One of the nicest sailing supply catalogs that Scuttlebutt receives comes from Team One Newport. Besides a logical layout of the gear, they utilize the imagery from elite marine photographers (Sharon Green, Onne van der Wal, etc.) to bring the gear to life. It is always fun to flip the pages of the Team One Newport catalog. If you’re not on their catalog mailing list, you should be. However, now Team One Newport’s catalogs are totally online. If you can’t wait for the mail, click on the ‘Catalog Online’ link in the lower left corner of their website.” -- Scuttlebutt, http://www.team1newport.com BRRRRR Sir Robin Knox-Johnston lost considerable body heat as he was forced to dive into the chilled waters of the Southern Ocean to free a rope from the keel of his Saga Insurance. Rounding off a miserable day for the 67-year-old, he lost third in the Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world race as Kiwi Graham Dalton passed to the south. Even at 45 degrees south, in the midst of Roaring Forties, rubbish in the sea is a problem and it was Knox-Johnston's misfortune to get caught in a fishing net. He spent a fruitless six hours hanging over Saga Insurance's side with a knife lashed to sail battens to free debris 4.5 metres under the hull. "I spent the night thinking but knew that there was only one way I could get at the problem and that was by going swimming," recalled the man who was the first to sail non-stop around the world nearly 50 years ago. This involved a drysuit, sealed at the neck and wrists, but with little thermal clothing to reduce buoyancy. His solution involved sending two long ropes over the side and a propane gas cylinder as a mastshift float to winch the net to the surface to cut once he got back onboard. – Tim Jeffery, the Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/ygxgrs * Victorious in Leg One of the Velux 5 Oceans, Bernard Stamm has finally had a chance to relax and enjoy himself after 42 days 23 hours and 18 minutes at sea. Second-placed Kojiro Shiraishi on Spirit of Yokoh is 604 miles from the finish and is expected to arrive in Fremantle after Thursday afternoon, December 7. Race website: http://velux5oceans.com THE STORY OF THE COMPROMISE MAYDAY RESCUE [David Dawes, Mirabella V Master, tell his story of the rescue of the crew from the Nicholson 32 Compromise participating in the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers). The Mayday was called when the crew became seriously concerned for the mental health of the skipper, Jos Brosnan. Here’s an excerpt from the story posted on the Sailing World website.] When you receive a Mayday by satellite, you always wonder if you are the closest. We plotted ourselves as 160 miles from the scene but going generally that direction. We informed FCG of our position and what sort of vessel we were. FCG asked us to divert, which we happily did. We did expect to be released from this within a few hours when a better asset checked in and made themselves available. But alas, nothing came up, so we carried on. Next day we got an updated position from FCG. The yacht had moved significantly as they wrongly thought we were doing 16-18 knots and didn’t think their speed mattered. They then hove to and we started our second engine and increased speed to 13 knots with a jib out. At this stage, we realized that is was in fact going to be us doing the rescuing and made preparations. I calculated that we could get to them an hour before dark. A night time transfer was doable but that much harder. By the time we reached them, I had permission to evacuate them from FCG, and agreed to take all three crew aboard M5. We ran through several ideas for getting Compromise back to safety, because we were in fact only 300 miles from Cape Verde Islands. I had crew eager to sail her there and claim her as a “prize”, then fly to Antigua to meet us. We eventually rejected all these ideas. – The rest of the story: http://tinyurl.com/sflow FOLLOW-UP Events surrounding the rescue of three people, from the Nicholson 32 Compromise competing in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, have raised the question, “Do rallies and races, in which non-professionals take part, need to have more stringent entry requirements.” Andrew Bishop, ARC organizer and World Cruising Club Director, told BYM News that the event has stringent safety requirements concerning the yachts, that insurance is an obligation and that at least 50% of the crew must have undertaken a 500 mile passage prior to the event. There is, however, no entry requirement concerning the skipper and crew’s health and Bishop, quite rightly, pointed out that people with conditions such as diabetes and asthma, which require regular medication, have participated in long distance sailing events, without problem. Bishop also said that, to the best of his belief, the Compromise’s two crew members were aware of Brosnan’s mental condition, when they all took the decision to sail across the Atlantic together. He added “the World Cruising Club will investigate this incident and may make changes in the future.” Other questions concern the fitness of the crew to make the voyage. Quinney was described by Bishop as “not experienced, but she had sailed before” and Murphy has been described as “a retired fisherman”. There is, however, no indication as to whether Murphy had much, or any, sailing experience and whether his fishing career was such that he would have had navigation experience. The Mirabella V’s captain, quite naturally, wanted to have the doctor on board, to care for Brosnan, but – even prior to that – it seems apparent that Quinney and Murphy did not feel they were capable of handling the Compromise, without input from its skipper. At present, there is no obligation for an ARC entrant to produce evidence that the skipper and 50% of the crew have completed the required 500 mile qualifying passage; all that is required is a declaration on the entry form. Asked about the fate of the Compromise, which could be a hazard to shipping, Bishop said “That’s up to MRCC Falmouth. It was their decision to let them abandon, without scuttling.” He said that he had asked for details of the yacht’s insurers and would be contacting them, if Brosnan was unable to do so. Falmouth Coastguard has denied that they “authorized the abandon, without scuttling.” A spokesman said “We are not in a position to do that. Our role is to preserve and save lives, not vessels. We have no jurisdiction over the way a rescue is conducted. Once we have arranged for a vessel to make a rescue, it is the master of that vessel that takes the decision as to how it is conducted.” The Mirabella V did not take Compromise in tow, because there are difficulties with a big boat towing a small boat in rough weather. The towing vessel has no control over the towed vessel and could be rammed, if a wave accelerated the smaller yacht. -- Maian Martin BYM News, full story: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=1109 TORNADO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP San Isidro, Argentina -- The first day of racing at the Tornado World Championship started with light and shifty wind conditions. The RC postponed on the water the start of race one until the conditions improved. Seven of the 48 Tornados that started the light SE 6-8 knots wind race were OCSs including Olympic Medalists USA John Lovell & Charlie Ogletree and NZL Aaron McIntosh & Bruce Kendall. Lovell and Ogletree took a 15 place in the second race. Top five after two races: 1. FRA, Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon, 7 pts 2. AUS, Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby, 8 pts 3. AUT, Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher, 9 pts 4. GER, Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz, 16 pts 5. NED, Mitch Booth & Pim Nieuwenhis, 16 pts Event website: http://tornado2006.cnsi.org.ar/ HEAD NORTH TO GET BUFF Want a free Buff from North Sails? Shop online in Air Necessities and we will send you a free Buff with all orders over $60 (excluding tax & shipping) through December 11. Made famous by the reality show "Survivor", wear the Buff any way you can...! Mention "Free Buff" in the comments box during check-out to get this free, fun product! http://na.northsails.com/an/AN_catalog.taf?_function=list&category=06. SAILING SHORTS * Victory Challenge, the Swedish America’s Cup challenge, will be joining the Alinghi syndicate in Dubai for their winter training. Örn (SWE 63) and Orm (SWE 73), which weigh 24 tons each, will be transported by air between Spain and the United Arab Emirates. This will take place in less than ten days, using two Antonovs – enormous Russian transport planes. Victory Challenge already has small team in place in Dubai preparing for this logistically complicated operation. Historically, winter sailing conditions in Dubai are similar to those in Valencia during April and May. http://www.victorychallenge.com * In addition to the Volvo Open 70 ABN Amro One, the former Brunel, now named Ichi Ban, will be sailing in this year’s Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, now with a heavier bulb, new sails and electric winches. * It looks like Newport Harbor YC’s 800-mile March race to Cabo San Lucas will have the biggest field for a Mexican Race in recent memory. There are now 52 official entries including seven of the venerable ULDB 70s. NHYC has extended the entry date from the end of December to January 5th, 2007… just in case Santa leaves someone a new boat under the tree. * The French Sailing Federation paid tribute to Lionel Lemonchois at the Theatre Edouard VII in Paris by naming him Sailor of the Year for 2006 following his stunning success in the 8th Route du Rhum, the legendary transatlantic solo race between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre. On 6 November last, at the helm of Gitana 11 and after only 7 days 17 hours 19 minutes and 6 seconds’ racing, the skipper shattered the former record set by Laurent Bourgnon by more than 4 days. – Sail-World website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/y67qqm * According to a report in the Swiss magazine Bilan, America’s Cup defender and Swiss biotech billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli has been “pipped” on the list of Switzerland’s richest people by Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian aluminum and petroleum magnate and collector of diamond-studded Faberge eggs. A newcomer to the list, Vekselberg joins this discreet 97club of 118 billionaires in third place, with some 14-15 billion Swiss francs, moving Bertarelli down to fourth. According to Bilan, Bertarelli is likely to rise in the rankings next year once the $13.3 billion sale of his family's stake in Serono to Merck is completed. – Guardian Unlimited, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yaxxkp * OYS Service, Inc., a Florida-based company specializing in superyacht rigging systems and sail-handling equipment, has reached an agreement to be acquired by BSI A/S of Haderslev, Denmark. The new company will be named Global Rigging Service, Inc., and will operate out of facilities in Riviera Beach, Florida; Portsmouth, Rhode Island; and Trumbull, Connecticut. Colin J. Kiley, founder of OYS Service, has been named president of Global Rigging Service; Bernard “Jay” Kiley, Jr., will continue as general manager, and Tony Hawker will remain the service manager. Carsten Friis, managing director of BSI A/S, will serve as chairman of the new company. http://www.oysservice.com * Yale Rope Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yale Cordage, has announced the completion of a licensing arrangement with Orion Ropeworks, Inc., of Winslow, Maine. Under the agreement, Orion will manufacture POLYPLUS® three-strand combo rope products in the United States, and will market the products world- wide. CURMUDGEON’S CONFESSIONS Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. Special thanks to Team One Newport and North Sails/Air Necessities. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
