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SCUTTLEBUTT 2063 - March 31, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.NINE MORE TO GO Ellen MacArthur and her three crew passed the finish gate off Jeju Island, South Korea on Thursday at 18:14:13 GMT to complete the first of ten legs of the Asian Record Circuit, establishing the first leg record in a time of 5 days, 11 hours, 10 minutes and 51 seconds. The 900+ mile leg from Yokohama, Japan to the gate off Jeju Island, South Korea has proved to be a challenge for the crew onboard the B&Q trimaran. Said Ellen, "We did not leave in the most favourable weather conditions, which meant that we were fighting a constant battle to stay on track and on target. The gale force conditions and damage to the rudder meant that we lost a lot of time and it has been an upwind slog all the way towards this finish gate." Just 3 days into the record, the B&Q team tangled a fishing line that did some severe damage to its starboard rudder, forcing it to be replaced with their spare. Later it was necessary to take shelter in the lee of Yaku Shima island to hide from the strong north-westerly gale that saw winds continuously over 40 knots and gusting 48 knots. They were able to leave the shelter of this island in the early hours of Wednesday morning to navigate their way through a string of further islands off the southern Japan until they were in open water. Stated Ellen, "Its great to reach this first landmark on our circuit - shame its pitch dark but there you go. We are not stopping here but continuing straight into the second leg to Dalian on the north-east coast of mainland China. The weather is looking more favourable for this leg as the wind is expected to shift into the east and then further south in the next 12 hours so it won't upwind and we could get to Dalian within 48 hours. Hopefully, we will be able to get out of these survival suits soon." The team has a planned stopover after this next leg, which will be the second of ten legs of their Asian Record Circuit that will take Ellen and the crew throughout Japan, China, Taiwan, Malasia, and Singapore. - http://www.teamellen.com A-CUP BOWSPRITS Regarding BMW Oracle Racing's latest boat, Scuttlebutt reader Jean-Paul Churchouse had asked in Scuttlebutt 2062: "I was under the assumption that bowsprits were illegal on AC boats. Can anyone clarify the ruling here?" In response, Ken McAlpine, ACC Technical Director, kindly submitted the following information: The relevant parts of the Version 5 of the America's Cup Class Rule is copied below: 2.5 (e) - "Bowsprit" means a fixed spar extending beyond the stem at or above deck level for the tacking of a sail or leading of a spinnaker foreguy. 28. Bowsprit 28.1 - A bowsprit, if fitted, shall be removable from the hull without damaging the structural or watertight integrity of the hull. 28.2 - The bowsprit, if fitted, shall be fastened to the hull by mechanical means only (bolts, rivets, etc.) This requirement shall not preclude the use of small quantities of non-structural sealing compound at the point(s) of attachment to the hull. 33.4 - A tack line attached to a spinnaker may be lead to or through a bowsprit or the deck at a point not more than 1.25 x J forward of the forward face of the mast in its aft most position. This tacking point shall be defined by the intersection of the centreline of an imaginary stay from the mast head with the top of the bowsprit or deck. Curmudgeon's Comment: Ken noted that the above is provided as documented information only, and is in no way intended as a ruling, nor should any inference be taken from it. BACK IN THE SADDLE Pete Goss, the sailor who carried out one of the great rescues at sea during the 1996/7 Vendee Globe and, in turn, was picked up from the radical wave-piercing catamaran Team Philips in 2000, is making a return to ocean racing. He is teaming up with the versatile and enthusiastic Australian, Paul Larsen, to race one of the new Seacart 30 catamarans in this summer's Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Race. Larsen was one of six Team Philips' crew members rescued in the north Atlantic after the 102ft catamaran started to break-up during her qualifying passage for The Race 2000, the no-limits round the world event.Days later, and undaunted, Larsen went to sail in The Race with Tony Bullimore and since then has worked tirelessly on his SailRocket project, which he hopes can set a new record for speed under sail over a 500-metre course - currently 48.70 knots. It was Goss' heroic rescue of fellow Vendee Globe competitor Raphael Dinelli, deep in the Southern Ocean, 10 years ago which made him a household name and helped him secure backing for the ill-starred Team Philips project. Since then, the former Royal Marine has slipped from the limelight and has been thwarted in his bid to raise £350,000 for an Antarctic expedition, trekking to the South Pole. Created in 1966 by the late Colonel Blondie Haslar, and run by Plymouth's Royal Western YC, the 2,000-mile two-handed Round Britain & Ireland race is one of the home waters' classic shorthanded trials. Four stages take competitors in a clockwise circuit of the British Isles, with 48-hour stopovers in Kinsale (Ireland), Barra and Lerwick (Hebrides and Shetlands) and Lowestoft (Suffolk). - by Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraphy, full story: http://tinyurl.com/gt9jb OF COURSE, THEY'RE WEARING A MOUNT GAY® RUM HAT! Every sailor wants to have a Mount Gay Rum hat from the regatta they race in and also the exclusive Mount Gay Rum gear offered by Lands' End Business Outfitters. Call 800-490-6402 today to place an order for Mount Gay Rum gear items (except regatta hats!!) - fleeces, jackets, polos, bags, and much more. All with the legendary Mount Gay Rum logo. The gear you will want when on the boat or when you are having a Mount Gay Rum drink at the bar. Apparel for the boat and beyond!! Look for the calendar of Mount Gay Rum sponsored regattas at http://www.mountgay.com VOR: COURSE AND DISCOURSE Brasil 1 navigator Marcel Van Triest has seen a lot of things change in the five times he has raced around this track. One difference over the last race is the addition of Baltimore as the stopover after Rio, instead of Florida - even though the fleet has up the Chesapeake before, in the 1997-1998 event and last time too. Here he gives his thoughts on some of the tactical decisions that lie ahead for the fleet as they set their sights on the inland finish. "The other legs so far have been alright. I've done them all before, so in my head I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, but this next leg is different. We are going to Baltimore instead of Florida and that changes the leg quite a bit and I'm still getting my head around what it means. Basically, you can power reach across the north-east tip of Brazil round to the Caribbean, curve it in a little bit as the wind then lifts and aim for the Bahamas, cross the Gulf Stream and you're in Florida. "Now, however, once you are at Bermuda, what do you do then? You have the Bermuda High which could be between you and Baltimore, or come all over you by the time you are halfway. You have to start planning for that. Then, if you start planning for going around, do you go all the way for the Gulf Stream or not?"- Volvo Ocean Race, http://tinyurl.com/j37pu Navigators are already looking at their routes for the fifth leg to Baltimore, but Jules Salter of Pirates of Caribbean has a few added pressures to contend with as he prepares for the next round of racing. First, the course north through the tradewind belts of the north and south Atlantic Oceans, which are separated by the Doldrums followed by the Bermuda Triangle then the tricky passage through Chesapeake Bay, is not one that Salter has ever sailed before. Secondly, his skipper Paul Cayard is an American and especially keen for a good result in front of a home crowd. Finally, his sponsor is American film giant Disney who naturally want as much as exposure in the US as possible to promote their upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, which is due for release in July. And there's one more thing. The mistakes made in the In Port race in Rio, which saw Pirates come in last, knocked their confidence a little though, as Salter explained, there was a valid reason for the error. "We realised after the problems on the first two legs, that our only chance of winning the whole race was to win the Rio inshore race, so we were probably trying too hard to win it and overstepped the mark. That was our last chance and now ABN AMRO One cannot be caught." - Volvo Ocean Race, full story: http://tinyurl.com/kl9r7 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar NEWS BRIEFS * The new boat was shrouded in secrecy as it was wheeled out of the Swiss yard on the truck and trailer (in all 25m long), provided by Alinghi's official supplier, the transport company Planzer, that is shipping it to Valencia, Spain. She is the first of two new boats that the Defender will build for the 32nd America's Cup in 2007 and has taken 25 boat builders from both the boatyard and the Alinghi shore crew almost 20,000 man hours to complete. - Photos and story at http://tinyurl.com/jahgm * The March 22 issue of Scuttlebutt carried information on the events surrounding Tracy Edwards & the Oryx Quest 05, which spurned some lengthy comments from an alleged former employee of Edwards, and from John Harwood-Bee, who represented French catamaran builder Multiplast at a recent meeting of Quest International Sports events creditors. If interested, here is a direct link to the thread: http://tinyurl.com/gzbgn * The International Rolex Regatta, which was completed last week at the US Virgin Islands, is now playing on http://www.t2p.tv * The Volvo Ocean Race mobile portal has to date recorded over a quarter of a million page downloads on mobile phones. The portal is now available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. On average every day people are reading over 20,000 pages of mobile content race information including over 6000 downloads a day of a variety of content including video clips, audio interviews, mobile phone sailing games and sailing wallpapers. A further 3,000 core sailing mobile enthusiasts are receiving SMS news alerts whenever a story breaks. Information is available at http://mobile.volvooceanrace.org/vor/web/flash/index.html * Aviva Challenge is 650 miles from the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), approaching the waters affected by the Agulhas Current, a notorious spot where westerly winds and the current can clash to cause boat-breaking conditions. However, present conditions for skipper Dee Caffari appear to be moderate as she continues her attempt to be the first woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. Distance to finish is 7,094 miles, with her most recent 24 hour run at 128 miles aboard the Challenge 72ft Class yacht (see Google Earth link for route). - http://www.avivachallenge.com * Correction: In the Mini Transat story in yesterday's Scuttlebutt (Issue 2062), the email version of the newsletter wrongly stated the skipper's name of Acadia USA 575. His name is Clay Burkhalter. - http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/0328 SAILOR BEMOANS POOR PERFORMANCE Jen Oha-Luffing of Point High Yacht Club lost her Bermuda race after her poorly trimmed sails failed to get her across the finish line ahead of her opponent "Dialed In." "If only I had brought some Antal Snatch Blocks with me," she said after the disappointing finish. "I could have tweaked my sails for optimum performance and won. That will not happen to me again." Be prepared for all conditions and angles in your upcoming Bermuda Race with light and strong Antal Snatch Blocks, winners of the 2006 Freeman K. Pittman Award for Innovation. Find them at http://euromarinetrading.com/modules.php?name=Antal 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. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Robert Johnston, New York City: How is that Switzerland, a country without an ocean or sea, could bring home the America's Cup? I once asked a crew tying up beside me in Viareggio (Italy), with a Swiss flag on their backstay, how they came to be sailors from Switzerland. Their quick answer: "Not much water, but plenty of money!" * From By Baldridge: Oracle's latest AC hullform is obviously a development on Abracadabra USA 50. The common thread is Ian (Fresh) Burns design input on both boats. Abra had the headstay on the bow and a platform for the bowman to work and as a foreguy point. Abra was a very promising hull that never reached it's potential due to lack of funds for appendage research and sail development. The sprit is legal as long as the forestay is not attached to it. * From Peter Dreyfuss: One thing I did notice on the comparison photos of USA-76 and USA-87, which is seemingly a big difference... Where the forestay, if extended to the waterline, intersects the water relative to the hull is not the same. On 87, it appears to be forward of the hull, while on 76, it appears to be at the hull/water intersection. I assume this points to that missing piece of bow as well? * From Paul Hewitt: Edward du Moulin was truly a man of great stature in every way. To know him was to be inspired by him. He will live on in our hearts. Deepest condolences to Richard and his family. * From H. P. "Sandy" Purdon: Edward du Moulin was a mentor and a person of wonderful insight to the America's Cup "game". He will be missed but always remembered for what he gave to the NYYC teams in the 70's & 80's and our Stars & Stripes teams in the late 80's. * From George Bailey: As someone who contributes to various venues, I have developed the following theory: as a percentage of the group, racing sailors have less sense of humor than others. Of course, there is some evidence over the last several years that reading Scuttlebutt contributes to this, since here there is a pretty low recognition of humor. Of course, low recognition reflects on the quality of the humor as well, but that is another story. BTW, ad hominen is a fallacious form of reasoning and supposedly is banned on Scuttlebutt, except in special cases, such as humorless replies. * From Tony Cellamare: I get no enjoyment from reading Scuttlebutt anymore. Your paper has strayed farther and farther from the current sailing agendas to commentaries from non-sailors about baseball and such. Scuttlebutt use to be a good sailing site. Stay the course and keep us informed of the latest sailing experiences and people. This last issue was terrible. * From Richard Clark, Masterton, New Zealand: (re, Kiwis being too nice, and Aussies being like Americans) Surely being the only member of this 'exclusive' sailing club who has lived 20 years in New Zealand, Australia, and America, now 2 months back in NZ, it saddens me to agree with this sentiment. I even notice the NZ Sports Minister calling for Kiwis to be more like their Trans- Tasman neighbors, a call to adopt the Ozzies "Killer Instincts"! Unfortunately American developers and Malibu residents have discovered NZ and are speedily turning it into another California. If you would like to see what California looked like 100 years ago go to my Blog at kiwicafe.com to see the pristine nature of the Kiwi Coast. My Scuttlebutt Burgee will soon fly above my Stables/Vineyard. * From Reynald Neron, Sydney, Australia: (re Ted Livingston's comment about Aussies being a bit too much like Americans.) Ted Livingston should come Down Under before giving his judgment on Aussies... Could you please avoid the cheap insults :)) in an otherwise great newsletter? Aussies are nothing like Americans, and thank God for that. We are nice, open-minded, we accept the cultural differences, we have a democratic society (not one that "pretends" to be democratic). We are laid back, are adventurous, welcome people from anywhere on earth, we do not put people in jail in Cuba without a proper trial. Do I need to say more? Yes there are things not too good down here, put compared to the US, this is heaven on earth. Actually no, it is better than that. Curmudgeon's Comment: Now that we have heard from the Kiwis, the Americans, and now the Aussies, it would seem wise to close the door on this thread. If you have more to say, take it to the Forums: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated, but not be able to say it. Special thanks to Mount Gay Rum Gear and Euro Marine Trading. |
