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SCUTTLEBUTT 1762 - January 26, 2005Powered 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, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. CRUEL REMINDER A cruel reminder of just how much a race of attrition the Vendee is, came from the Cowes-based Australian Nick Moloney who lost his keel. His Skandia is Ellen MacArthur's old Kingfisher, in which she was runner-up four years ago. The frightening sound of cracking carbon fibre alerted Moloney to the problem and he stopped, dropped his sails and loaded water-ballast to calm the boat's motion. Moloney is 120 miles south-east of Rio de Janeiro, and the speculation is that the failure stems from high- speed collision between Skandia and a submerged object last week. - Tim Jeffery, The Telegraph, http://tinyurl.com/4exyz Note: Although a tow boat is standing by, the latest information suggests that conditions have moderated enough for Moloney to make for Rio under Skandia's own power. THE KEEL Skandia's keel is made of steel in a rather classical shape designed by Roger Scammel. This keel was a modified version of the original appendage made for Kingfisher, which went around the world successfully in the Vendée Globe 2000. This keel was replaced by a new one late in 2002 with the Route du Rhum in mind. Since then, the boat has taken part in the Transat Jacques Vabre and The transat. It was closely examined between each race. In March 2004, the inspection included taking it apart, removing the external skin and checking the internal structure visually and with a probe. The keel was a long way from the maximum allowed for this type of design and manufacture. It was not an avant-garde design, but a solid and tested one. - www.vendeeglobe.fr/popup.php?L=UK&T=depeches&I=3634 HOUSE HUNTING . . . AGAIN For Ed Baird, the America's Cup in 2007 will bring his career and lifestyle to the forefront of international sailing recognition. A lifelong resident of St. Petersburg, Baird has been hired to join the America's Cup team Alinghi as one of three helmsmen on the Swiss-based syndicate that will be defending its ``Holy Grail'' in 2007. ``It's the chance of a lifetime to go to work for the team that won the America's Cup in 2003 and to have a chance to defend the Cup,'' Baird said. Baird's family, wife Lisa and three sons Max, Ty, and Nick, have become immersed in the sailing lifestyle as Ed's job takes him across the United States and across oceans. Now, the Alinghi program will take the family to Europe for the next three years. ``There's a big job in front of us, moving out of our house of the past 12 years, moving to Spain, putting the kids into new schools and we have to learn about a new culture and a new language,'' Baird said. ``But the family has gone to New Zealand and California for past America's Cups. They know that moving around is part of what we do. ``The America's Cup is the greatest challenge in sailing with so many talented people putting everything into winning. You've got to be ready when it's time to go racing.'' Reaching the top of the sport of sailing has been a long and often bumpy road. In 1995, Baird was selected for Rolex Yachtsman of the Year honors, the most prestigious honor in U.S. sailing. And, despite winning eight world championships in boats ranging from 14-foot Laser dinghies to J/24 keelboats, Baird's passion and expertise has rarely paid off with the huge paychecks more common in other major sports. ``I've been really fortunate to make a living out of the sport even before if became professional with corporate sponsorships. I was writing, teaching and coaching,'' he said. ``I did work with a real estate developer for a few years in the 1980s, working on the growth of the St. Petersburg waterfront. There wasn't a clear opportunity until the late '80s to be a professional sailor.'' - Doran Cushing, TBO.com, http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGB2SAOGD4E.html SPOTLIGHT ON MIAMI All but two of the 11 Rolex Miami OCR classes were deprived of at least one of their scheduled races today due to a dying afternoon breeze and the 49er class did not race at all. Across the board, there were no lead changes from yesterday. USA's 2004 Olympic Silver Medallists John Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree posted two first-place finishes today giving them three victories in four races so far. Turning in a 1-4 today were the 2004 ISAF Women's Match Racing World champions Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Deborah Capozzi in Ynglings. After one throw-out they are now tied with Carol Cronin, Kate Fears and Jamie Haines with seven points each. Other class leaders: Andrew Horton and Brad Nichol in Stars who lead Eric Doyle and Brain Sharp by six points; Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) in Laser Radials; Chris Cook (CAN) in the Finn; Morgan Larson/ Pete Spaulding in 49ers; Brad Funk in Lasers; Amanda Clark/ Sarah Mergenthaler in 470 women's; Sven Coster/Kalle Coster (NED) lead the men's 470s; John Robertson/ Hannah Stodel/ Steve Thomas in Sonars and Stellan Berlin (SWE) in the 2.4 metre. For more information, including the latest results and photos: www.ussailing.org/Olympics/RolexMiamiOCR COME ON ELLEN, COME ON MIKE! What do Mike Golding and Ellen MacArthur have in common? They are both wearing Musto and racing solo around the world. Mike is competing in the Vendée Globe whilst Ellen is attempting to be the fastest solo sailor around the planet. Musto's HPX foul weather gear has already protected the skippers from the elements whilst in the heart of the Southern Ocean, where towering seas, sub-freezing temperatures, and hurricane force winds are the norm. It now just needs to see them across the finish line. You don't need to race solo to experience Musto. View the options at http://www.musto.com COMBACK After sailing most of Tuesday in very light winds, the breeze picked up again at night - into the teens - allowing Ellen MacArthur's 75-foot trimaran B&Q gain back some of the distance lost to the solo round the world record of Francis Joyon. MacArthur is now just 4 hours (21 miles) behind that record pace. Although MacArthur is desperately waiting for the south-east Trade Winds to take affect, she is already concerned about the next major weather hurdle that lies ahead, in the form of the Doldrums that can easily stall B&Q's progress northwards. The effect of the Doldrums is not certain as it is a constantly evolving weather phenomenom where the south-east Trade Winds meet the north-east Trade Winds, the other side of the Equator, effectively canceling each other out. MacArthur is now 4000 miles from the finish and Commanders' Weather is estimating that MacArthur will cross the Equator on Friday. "Also remember, strong trade winds, small doldrums, weak trade winds, large doldrums - we know trade winds are not good in the southern hemisphere now as Ellen is living that!" said Ken Campbell of Commanders'. For MacArthur, the light airs may be testing her mental resolve but she continues to find time for recuperation and reflection: "It's actually quite beautiful [out here], and having just a little time to rest, and recover in stable conditions has probably done me the world of good before what I am sure will be a stressful, stromy and tense final two weeks." - www.teamellen.com TIGHTENING UP Less than 800 miles to the south of the Azores and 900 miles west of the Canaries, Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) is putting a little more pressure on Vincent Riou (PRB). 27.6 miles are all that separate him this evening from the leader. Their routes are still some 200 miles apart, but Vincent has now started to head towards the north north east, which is taking him towards Les Sables d'Olonne once again. Remaining faithful to his strategy favoring a direct route, Jean was advancing rapidly, at more than 15 knots over the past four hours. Mike Golding, 91.5 miles to the south east of Riou is finding it difficult to keep up the pace, as he does not have the same angle to the wind as his predecessors. Golding tormented by a weeping sore on his foot, making it nigh on impossible for him to walk and he's bruised and aching from his six ascents up the 85ft mast. Leaders at 1900 GMT January 25: 1. PRB, Vincent Riou, 1927 miles to finish 2. Bonduelle, Jean Le Cam, 28 miles to leader 3. Ecover, Mike Golding, 92 mtl 4. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, 937 mtl 5. VMI, Sébastien Josse, 955 mtl 6. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick 2306 mtl 7. Skandia, Nick Moloney, 2975 mtl 8. Arcelor Dunkerque, Joé Seeten, 3169 mtl 9. Hellomoto, Conrad Humphreys, 3437 mtl 10. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 3782 mtl Complete standings: www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ HARD HAT AREA Mike Golding reported that the occasional rain squalls he's encountering are useful for washing the debris of the flying fish off Ecover's deck. These can whizz across the boat at speeds of up to 40mph but often they land on board or crash into gear on deck. "The boat is getting plastered with flying fish at the moment. They are coming on board in droves. Six or seven at a time. I've had a couple wiz past my ear, but I've haven't actually been hit although I've had a couple of glancing blows off my sleeve. It is when you get one full in the face that it really spooks you. You don't want to go out on deck with your mouth open!" Unlike some of the French skippers in the Vendee Globe Golding says he doesn't like eating flying fish as they're "too fishy", so sushi will not be on Ecover's menu. They can also prove awkward to clean up - if he misses and it is left to rot (a typical place is within a fold in the reefed mainsail) the smell is unimaginable. "They seem to make a B-line for things like the daggerboard slot. The other day when I stuck my hand in there…. It was a messy situation." - www.mikegolding.com THE LAST SLOT Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton today said the yachting syndicate still has one major sponsor to sign up to meet its planned budget for the 2007 America's Cup. He added that agreement with "an overseas company" could be reached within a month. "When we knock off that last slot, I'll be sleeping a little bit easier," Dalton said. "You can never have too much money, but once the next one is put down, that will be the last of the big sponsorships we need." Meanwhile, the gear problems that plagued Team NZ during their America's Cup defeat two years ago have stayed away during testing off Auckland so far this summer. Dalton said that there had been no structural issues with either NZL81 or the former illbruck yacht now known as NZL68. "We've given them absolute hell but we've had no breaks," he said. "I cannot think of one single breakdown we've had since we started sailing in December, not even a hydraulic leak, which is good. Our reliability seems good." - www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3166688a1823,00.html NEWS BRIEFS * Disabled sailors everywhere got a boost when Shake-A-Leg Miami (SALM) announced this morning it's launching of TeamPARADISE and its plan to utilize the talents of acclaimed Olympic medallists and world champions to create an advanced sailboat-racing program dedicated to elite disabled and blind sailors from around the globe. The program will be headquartered from the SALM facility near the US Sailing Center in Coconut Grove. World-class sailors such as Magnus Liljedahl, Freddy Loof (Sweden), Augie Diaz and Kevin Burnham have committed to spending time with the program and acting as ambassadors globally. * Athens Olympians Kevin Burnham, Charlie Ogletree, Lenka Smidova, Katie McDowell, Meg Gaillard, Pete Spaulding and director Peter Wells will be among an elite staff of instructors for the California Interscholastic Sailing Association's annual Advanced Racing Clinic April 2-5 at Alamitos Bay YC. CISA conducts the clinic each year for boys and girls ages 13 and older who are selected on the basis of their sailing résumés. Boats to be used are Laser, Laser Radial, Club 420, International 420, Club FJ and 29er. The deadline for applications is next Tuesday, Feb. 1. Applications and other information are available online: www.cisasailing.org * UK Broadcaster Channel 4 is in talks with the Volvo Ocean Race about broadcasting a reality-style TV program. Each boat will be fitted with ten cameras, and broadcasting partners from around the world will work with the race organizers to broadcast the minutiae of lives on board. Mark Howell, media director of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: 'We wanted to do something that went beyond sport. If you think Big Brother is close living, then imagine 10 people living in a space the size of a Big Brother bedroom dodging icebergs and living in extreme conditions.' - www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j1qFht,Cw * Want to crew on an offshore racing boat in Hawaii this July and August? "I can't get crew for a week the week after Transpac" is the most heard complaint in Hawaii's Yacht Clubs. So a lot of boats are looking for crew to race in the Waikiki Offshores Series. Imagine surfing down the face of four to eight foot seas in 20-knot warm, balmy tropical trade winds. Sign up on the new crew available board at the Waikiki Offshores Series website at www.waikikioffshores.com * Bruno Peyron and his 14-man crew aboard the 120ft catamaran Orange 2 have covered 494 miles in 18 hours at 27.5 knots of average speed on their quest to break the non-stop fully crewed round the world record. However Orange II slowed down after 20 hours. According to the Orange II website, "The conditions aren't as exciting as forecast." www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ WHAT DO YOU MEAN, FOUR BULLETS ISN'T ENOUGH? We love winning races. So when Dan Myers notched up four wins in PHRF-6 at Key West Race Week in his Beneteau/Moorings 38, E-Ticket, we were as happy as Dan and his crew...even if one bad race meant that E-Ticket missed first in class by one point. But Dan's new Doyle load-path sails were fast -- in short, Dan had jets. In fact, Doyle-powered boats at Key West took home trophies in the PHRF-4, PHRF-5, PHRF-6, PHRF-7, T-10, and J/120 divisions. Want to go as fast as Dan? Call us at 1-800-94-DOYLE and get your ticket to ride. http://www.doylesails.com DREAM JOB Denmark's double Olympic champion Jesper Bank has been chosen to skipper Germany's Team Fresh in the 2007 America's Cup in Valencia in 2007. "It's a dream job," said the 47-year-old Bank on Monday. "I'll be in charge of everything, including the choice of team and training," he told a press conference here. Team Fresh Seventeen, which has a budget of around €50-million, aims to make it through to the final against Swiss holders Alinghi. Discussing his prospective team choice, Bank said he wanted some sailors with previous experience of the event. I want to find five professional team-mates who if possible already have experience in the America's Cup," said Bank, whose contract runs till 2011 when the Germans hope they will win the trophy. One of these, he hinted, would be Jann Neergaard, who was part of the Alinghi team that won yachting's most prestigious prize in 2003. Bank was skipper aboard Swedish team Victory Challenge, which finished fifth to Alinghi. - iafrica.com, http://sport.iafrica.com/news/405969.htm IN MEMORIAM Surrounded by family and friends, Richard Daniels passed away last Sunday afternoon after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Richard and his wife Camille still hold the record for the Puerto Vallarta race in their McGregor 65 "Joss". Long time members of Long Beach Yacht Club, the Daniels were also early group owners of Ragtime. Burial at sea is planned for February 4th. - Conrad Banks 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. 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 Dave Culp (Regarding speed sailing): It's fairly certain that Yellow Pages Endeavour touched 50 kts during their 12-year old record run--their speed instruments said so. That windsurfers are doing nearly the same, today, is no mystery. Rich Boehmer statistically demonstrated, long ago, that top speed and time interval are closely--yet inversely--related. Given a 500 meter speed of "X", one can remarkably accurately predict the same boat will achieve a 24-hr speed of "kX" and a top instantaneous speed of "vX;" "k" and "v"being constants. Rich showed that a 500 m speed of 46 yields an instantaneous speed near 50. Plus-50 speeds aren't magic, especially for "high survivability" structures such as windsurfers--and kite surfers. These devices don't rely very heavily on fin lift, so can delay cavitation. They typically aren't sailing faster than the wind; they rely on their ability to survive very high winds for their speed. Regarding Ed Matus' concept of a "two stage" speed sailer, this is illegal under WSSRC rules. All parts which "accelerates from rest" must cross both the start and finish lines. Back in the 70's, someone tried to enter a hydrofoil--which jettisoned the hulls after taking off. "Ladder" foils are legal, where large low speed foils give way to small, high speed foils at speed. This was successfully used in the human-powered foiler "Decavitator." There are a lot of good ideas out there, but vanishingly few really new ones! * From Ken Guyer: In Butt 1761, Alan Peterson politely corrects the record that he, not Allen Donald is in the partnership which now owns the legendary yacht "Ragtime". He says that group includes Chris Welsh, Jon Richards, and Scott Zimmer. Then Chris Welsh says that Scott Zimmer is welcome to sail with him on the boat, but he is not part of the new ownership group. Any screen writers out there want to take a stab at this developing soap opera? With the future looking as intriguing as the past, it could be a hit! From Eric A Sorensen: The Vendee Globe has been a very exciting race to follow. The communication from the fleet with all the various anecdotes and strategy has been fun to read. Here they are 2100 miles left from a 20,000? mile race and there is only 100 miles between the top three! That is boat for boat with no handicap to worry about. Anyone who is stressed about their handicap should just strap one of these 60' and do this crazy race. The ultimate one design contest. CURMUDGEON'S OXYMORONS Professional Caregivers |
