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SCUTTLEBUTT 1421 - September 24, 2003Powered 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. FAST The race to reach the 50 knot barrier has become the equivalent of going supersonic in an aircraft. It is a milestone that many sailors and windsurfers have tried to reach, but so far all have fallen just short. SailRocket could be about to change all this with a totally new design and way of thinking about speed sailing design. Designed by Southampton engineer Malcolm Barnsley who has been involved in speed sailing for 25 years and piloted by Paul Larsen who already has five speed sailing records to his name, the team have the credentials to be taken very seriously indeed. They are supported by a talented team and companies including N.E.G. Micon, SP Systems, Compotech, Design Craft & Harken. Previous record attempts have used weight to counterbalance the force of the rig, so much of the driving force is used to counteract this drag. SailRocket has equalized the forces creating a perfect balance between the rig and foils. There is no heeling moment, so all of the drawing power is converted into speed. Over the last two years this theory has been tested and proved to work using a scale model and hours of tank and wind tunnel testing. The rig is very efficient through the air and will be capable of driving the design to above 50 knots. The team have identified that the limiting factor will be the foils. At very high speeds conventional foils have a tendency to cavitate or ventilate when the vapor point of the water is reached. Overcoming this will result in the record being broken. Various designs of foil are being considered and built ready for the team to test. Due to SailRocket only needing to run in one direction for a record attempt the foils are asymmetric and angled inwards to keep the hull in the water. The angle is adjustable easily as this is one of the most critical components of the design. In fact the entire planning area of the windward hull is interchangeable to get the hull form just right. - Mark Jardine, Yacht and Yachting website, full story: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/default2.asp?section=11&article=11129 ETCHELLS WORLDS Greenwich, Connecticut, USA - Kenny Read's 2-1-1-1 series in the 93 -boat fleet has propelled him to a 25-point lead in the nine race Etchells World Championship regatta. Standings after four races: 1. Ken Read, K. Anderson & S. Norris, USA, 5 2. Dennis Conner, P. Burton & T. Rey, USA, 30 3. C. Miles, P. Smidmore & J. Mayjor, AUS, 45 4. Jud Smith, H. Frazer & A. Wills, USA, 58 5. D. Kneulman, D. Smithers & H. Lammens. CAN, 68 Event website: http://www.etchellsworlds2003.org/ INTERNATIONAL TEAM RACING The US team (representing Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club) defeated the British team (representing the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Royal Thames Yacht Club) in the British-American Cup, the oldest and one of the most prestigious team racing events in the world. This year's event was held in Cowes and was raced in Sonars. The regatta was decided in the final race, won convincingly by the Americans with a combination of 1-2-3-6. The BA Cup is a 4 on 4 event, with 12 sailors per team. The members of the US Team were: Karl Ziegler (helm) with Colin Gordon and Mike Welch crewing; Ramsay Key (helm) with Peter Johnson and Andy Herlihy crewing; Tim Fallon (helm) with Andrew Buttner and Kyle Welch crewing; and Josh Adams (helm) with Randy Shore and team captain Dean Brenner crewing. TRIVIA QUESTION Why is the region at about 30º in both northern and southern hemispheres called the horse latitudes? (Answer below) MIRABELLA V HARKEN ENGINEERING BRIEFING At 247 feet, Mirabella V is the largest single-masted yacht in the world. "Mirabella V has been an exciting and challenging project for Custom Engineering," explains their engineering manager Steve Orlebeke. "Because her rig is the largest ever built, the loads were higher than any we had ever dealt with and required safe working loads up to 60 tons! For example, the mainsail headboard car is strong enough to hold up two fully rigged IACC yachts. Read about this gargantuan engineering challenge at: http://www.harken.com/company/mirabella.php ISAF WORLDS CHAMPIONSHIPS Cadiz, Spain - A cascade of gold and silver medals was pouring out of the Spanish sky yesterday on a rainbow day for British sailing in the World Championships of Olympic Sailing. Team GBR won two gold medals through Ben Ainslie (Finn) and the pairing of Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks (49er), added a bronze by Andrew Simpson (Finn), and is lying in silver medal position in two other events. Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell have already bagged a bronze in the Star class. - Stuart Alexander, The Independent, UK, Full story: http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/story.jsp?story=446372 The Finn championship is now concluded, and racing in the other classes is scheduled to conclude today. Standings: FINN - Final Results (82 entrants): 1. GBR, Ben Ainslie, 44; 2. ESP, Rafael Trujillo, 48; 3. GBR, Andrew Simpson, 75; 18. CAN, Richard Clarke, 192; 27. USA, Kevin Hall, 264. TORNADO (9 races; 72 entrants): 1. AUS, Bundock/ Forbes, 33; 2. GBR, McMillan/ Bulkeley, 37; 3. ARG, Lange/ Espinola 51; 10. USA, Lovell/ Ogletree, 85; 26. CAN, Johansson/ Curtis 203. 470-MEN (10 races; 98 entrants): 1. ITA, Zandona/ Trani, 42; 2 ESP, Martinez Doreste/ Wood 42; 3. AUS Wilmot/ Page 47; 13. USA, Foerster/ Burnham, 83; 63. CAN, Russell/ Macdonald, 168. 470-WOMEN (10 races; 55 entrants): 1. GRE, Bekatorou/ Tsoulfa, 21; 2. Petitjean/ Douroux, 50; 3. Armstrong/ Stowell 51; 30. USA, Mcdowell/ Kinsolving, 107; 33. CAN, Provan / Girke, 118. LASER (8 races; 174 entrants): 1. BRA, Robert Scheidt, 22; 2. POR, Gustavo Lima, 24; 3 AUS, Michael Blackburn 49; 7. USA, Mark Mendelblatt, 65; 27. CAN, Bernard Luttmer, 125; 112. BER, Alexander Kirkland, 217; 140. MEX, Julian Fernandez, 205. 49ER (14 races; 89 entrants): 1. GBR, Draper/ Hiscocks, 29; 2. GER, Baur/ Groy, 55.2; 3. GER, Baur/ Groy 61; 8. USA, Wadlow / Spaulding, 74; 63. MEX, Goeters / Goeters, 185; 66. CAN, Cunningham/ Paterson 202. Complete results: Event website, http://www.cadizworlds2003.com NEWS BRIEFS * Special guest on board SUI-64 during the Moët Cup, Loick Peyron - a world-class French sailor who is organizing a new French challenger team with Bertrand Pacé called Team France - confirmed that he was in talks with corporations to fund the 2007 Campaign. After he admitted "we've still got a lot of money to find", the French skipper said "since a few days, I'm more optimistic about our chances for funding a budget". - Cup in Europe website, http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007TF-LN.htm * Following a six week refit at her base in Brest, Olivier de Kersauson's giant Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Schneider Electric-sponsored trimaran Geronimo was put back in the water. De Kersauson and his team will now carry out further sea trials that will culminate in an attempt on the Route of Discovery east to west transatlantic record - from Cadiz to the Bahamian island of Salvador. The exact departure date for the record will depend upon the weather conditions but it is expected to be sometime mid-October. - The Daily Sail website, full story: http://thedailysail.com/ * The export group for the New Zealand marine industry has adopted new branding to take their marketing initiative into the future. Formerly known as New Zealand Marine Export Group, the group is now called New Zealand Marine. Information is available on their new website. - http://www.nzmarine.com * Forty teams came to Pensacola Beach, FL for the combined Hobie 20/ Hobie Tiger Continental Championship. In the Hobie 20 class it was a battle to see who could keep from getting another big score after the top four boats got an early OCS. Kirk Newkirk with crew Glen Holmes were the most consistent to take the Hobie 20 title. In the Hobie Tiger class, defending continental class champions Greg Thomas/ Jacques Bernier were consistent from the beginning which allowed them to cover their way home to another victory. - www.keysailing.com/sail/h20cont/results.html * The inaugural Senator's Cup Charity Regatta will bring world class match race to Annapolis during the US Sailboat Show. Two top-level teams led by America's Cup veterans Gavin Brady and Terry Hutchinson will compete in Nautor Swan 45s on October 10-11 in the Severn River over courses set near the US Naval Academy. A raffle will be held to give the winner a unique opportunity to sail on board. The proceeds from both the raffle and the event's Final Awards Party fundraiser will benefit the Annapolis Community Foundation and the Box of Rain Foundation. - www.senatorscup.com. PROFESSIONAL SAILING British yachtswoman Emma Richards has been signed as an Ambassador for the HSBC Education Trust for the next three years. The partnership has been agreed following Emma's successful involvement with HSBC earlier this year during her Around Alone campaign when she became the youngest competitor and first British woman to ever complete the world's longest solo yacht race. Richards' HSBC involvement will work in tandem with her on-going title sponsorship with Pindar who have sponsored Emma for the past four years and have recently acquired the Open 60 Hexagon for a series of high-profile ocean races over the next three years, starting with the Transat Jacques Vabre in November. The Trust, funded by HSBC, aims to raise standards in education by providing school children with inspirational experiences beyond the classroom. In her role as an Ambassador Emma will host an annual sailing school for children from all over the UK. FAST SAILS DEMAND FAST CLOTH! Why are Ullman Sails the fastest sails on the planet? Simple, fast designs demand fast cloth! At Ullman Sails we choose only the best sail cloth from Contender, Dimension / Polyant and Bainbridge International. What good is a fast sail design if the cloth can't hold the shape? Our fast designs combined with superior sailcloth continue collecting trophies for our customers across the country. If you and your crew are ready, let Ullman Sails bring our speed technology to your sails. Call your nearest Ullman Sails loft or visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com TRIVIA ANSWER Tradition states that sailors gave the region of the subtropical high the name "horse latitudes" because ships relying on wind power stalled; fearful of running out of food and water, sailors threw their horses overboard to save on provisions. LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (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 Gary Bruner: Last weekend a local channel here in in Portland, OR ran the story on the Saturday night news about 40 boats sailing laps around a very short course for two hours. It wasn't really a race, although the number of laps were being tallied by the RC. The prize winners were those who spelled a number of nautical words from the single letters flying from backstays, handed out by the RC. Why the publicity? Because we weren't "racing" for a pickle dish, but supporting breast cancer research. The event was called the "Sail For the Cure". Maybe those who bemoan the dearth of media coverage might consider some way to "serve" the community, instead of waiting to be "served". Remember, the NFL players got great publicity in years past, and much of it was public service announcements and ads for the United Way and similar organizations. Think it over. * From Marcos Weinstein: As a fan of sailing and the promotion of it, I could not agree more with Commodore Curmudgeon and his succinct summary of the Moet Cup in San Francisco. I drove up Friday from Long Beach just to watch the one day of racing, knowing that no matter where I was, I could see first hand the awesome sight of the AC boats up close. I was so impressed with the Golden Gate Yacht Club and the management of the Oracle Hospitality Center by Karen Brody that I hope this sets a standard for the event wherever it will be held next. Cheers Larry Ellison - Good on ya mate! * From Laurence F. Hopper (edited to our 250-word limit): As the Vice President Business Development for the Sailing Channel, my job is to get cable and satellite platforms to pay and carry our 24/7 sailing and boating network. We are literally the only ones in the world increasing media coverage of Sailing and at the same time making it a successful business model. We dedicate about seventy percent of our programming to sailing. Normally dedicated sports networks grow out of prevalent public general interest media coverage. We are taking the opposite tack, launching Sailing Channel before the "general" interest media pays much to Sailing. In two years we have signed carriage agreements with over twenty cable and satellite platforms across Europe who have over eighteen million subscribers and we are talking to several interested cable and satellite operators in the US. We believe that Sailing Channel has a well defined audience and enjoys broad appeal since it is a sport and lifestyle channel for anyone who likes boats and the sea. At first pay TV platforms were reluctant to sign us on because they felt that sailing is too niche but once they saw the way we present the program, they understood the value Sailing channel can bring to all their viewers. We try to make the sailing genre as fun as possible for the largest group of people who want to experience the nautical world. We obviously can't cover every sailing event out there but we can provide more coverage than any other network in the world. * From George W. Carmany: Re: Adam Loory's comments on the cancellation of last Saturday's racing at the Greenwich Cup: On the day in question it was gusting 28-30 (not 24). An easterly, which had the full fetch of Long Island Sound, had set up seven foot seas on a flooding tide, which would have gotten much bigger when it turned shortly after the scheduled starting time. While race committees may be hardier on the Solent, the gentlemen conducting these races have to use the equipment they have, which in this case was not exactly tug boat stout, and their chances of staying on station in the prevailing conditions were marginal at best. And while we may hate it, there are also liability issues which we didn't have to worry about in the good old days. One can always question this type of decision, but on this occasion the committee was certainly operating in the realm of reasonableness. Several competitors came up on VHF and criticized them on the spot. It would have been more thoughtful to consider for a moment the effort people put in to conduct these events for us, and to be supportive of them on the occasions when they have to make hard calls. * From Jack Thoms: I read with interest the views of Thomas S Griffin, Jr. in Issue 1418. As Solent based sailor, with a history racing and sailing on the West Coast of Scotland I have experienced a number of days of heavy weather racing (25-40 knots). These are not only challenging but are in the main enjoyable; especially afterwards in the post race social! The point, which Mr. Griffin has missed is that it is the responsibility of a yacht's skipper to assess the weather, the yacht, its equipment and its crew and make the decision whether to leave the dock or not. This is a responsibility that falls on the skipper every time a day on the water is contemplated, whether racing or not. It is not for the Race Committee to make that judgment and absolve skippers of their responsibility; unless the weather is so wild that they cannot hold station in the start vessel or lay marks to allow racing. If Mr. Griffin races a boat that does not have a Code 4 or a 1.5oz kite then he should decide not to race that day. Let those on the water with prepared boats and prepared crew go out and enjoy the challenge of a heavy day. * From Michael W. Fortenbaugh: From a business perspective, the America's Cup has always been a bit puzzling. Is there another sport in the world in which multiple people spend up to $100 million each in pursuit of a prize with no expectation of any financial return? * From Brent Foxall (Re. Canadian Olympic Sailing Team): It looks like the Canadian Sailing Team is having a shocker over in Europe. Is it budget cuts or are the kids focusing on hockey and soccer and not getting out on the water anymore? The year for our team would've been 1980 and Canada had all bases covered quite nicely, but we know what didn't happen that year. The Soling and FD crews were world champions then. 470 class had several runners up in the worlds during the Ullman era. Two Canadian Finn sailors were right at the front as was one Tornado team. Even the Star class had a pleasant surprise when a guy named Paul Louie read Buddy Melges book and went out and won Kiel week. The team did well in LA 84, but medals have been scarce since . No question the bar has been raised if the British Team is the best example. Let us hope that veteran Terry McLaughlin and his mob can successfully defend the Canada's Cup and put a bit of fire in the bellies of Canadian sailors. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Have you noticed that since our children have been forbidden to read the Bible in school, that an ever increasing number of them are encouraged to read it in prison? |
