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SCUTTLEBUTT 2069 - April 10, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary,
opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
BONANZA
If the (America’s) Cup organizers are enthusiastic about what Valencia
offers to the competition, civic leaders are positively ebullient about
what they think the races will do for their city. "Millions and millions
of people will hear the name Valencia now," says Alberto Catala,
president of the executive committee of Feria Valencia -- Europe's
largest exhibition facility which hosts about 50 trade fairs a year. In
the next two years, many, many people who had never heard the name now
will have. This is the biggest marketing [project] we could do," Mr.
Catala says.
Similar energy and enthusiasm bubbles out of the offices of Mayor Rita
Barbera Nolla -- who boasts of the city's Roman roots in 137 B.C. and
complete municipal archives dating from 1226 -- and of the regional
government, based in a beautifully restored 15th-century building with a
suit of medieval armor in the lobby. A similar air of anticipation is
found on the streets, where there is an almost universal expectation
that the sailing competition will bring a boost to the local economy.
"The America's Cup will be very good for Spain and for Valencia because
there will be more work," says Leniurica Baroso, 35, a waitress who
emigrated from Cuba six years ago.
Even among the undocumented African immigrants who haunt the narrow
streets behind Valencia's main train station, the thought of the Cup
sparks hope for a better life. "The America's Cup is a top illusion for
[African immigrants]," says Bamba Sarr, president of the Senegalese
Association of Valencia and a self-described honorary consul devoted to
improving the image of his countrymen in Spain "It is the dream, that
there will be more jobs for them, in construction and other things."
Valencia's bid to become a world-class tourist destination started long
before a Swiss team won the America's Cup; in one ironic sense, it began
with a devastating flood of the Turia River that left central parts of
the city under several feet of water in 1957. Authorities subsequently
diverted the river away from the city center and transformed the now-dry
river bed into a six-mile stretch of beautifully landscaped parkland.
Recently completed at one end of that stretch is the City of Arts and
Sciences, a 1.5-mile-long complex including an opera house, planetarium,
music hall, IMAX theater, science museum and aquarium, all featuring the
sculptural architecture of Valencia native Santiago Calatrava.
Even so, Valencia has always felt overshadowed by Madrid and by Spain's
second largest city, Barcelona -- a feeling that has been felt all the
more acutely since the 1992 Olympics made Barcelona a top destination
for European vacationers. The desire to repeat Barcelona's achievement
gave extra impetus to Valencia's America's Cup bid, which was driven in
large part by the pro-business orientation of the conservative regional
government. -- Excerpt from a story by David W. Jones, The Washington
Times, full story: http://tinyurl.com/nxafc
Curmudgeon’s Comment: Treat yourself to a tour of the individual
syndicate bases in Port America's Cup as posted on:
http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/
HUNDRED YEAR-OLD DREAM
In 1891 Dilemma was launched, the first true modern fin keel deserving
of this name and with it, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff revolutionized the
science of naval architecture. By demonstrating the design could sail
effectively, he freed the creative spirit of numerous designers and
within a year his ‘invention’ had spread around the world. Dilemma also
generated some audacious interpretations, which at the time appeared to
be dead ends, including the twin-keel (fork or tandem keel). Who could
have known that a century later, these very designs would be hidden
under the skirts of several America’s Cup Class boats?
The most surprising 1992 America’s Cup Class boat in San Diego was New
Zealand NZL-20. Nicknamed the Little Red Skiff, NZL-20 was a Bruce Farr
design. It was drawn up from the very beginning with a twin keel and was
fitted with a small bowsprit. It was this small spar that would
apparently cause the defeat of the Kiwis, following a protest by the
Italians of Il Moro di Venezia ITA-25. On the verge of winning the Louis
Vuitton Cup, the New Zealand team was seriously destabilised by the
protest, and the Italians advanced to the America’s Cup. But that
doesn’t detract from the speed and efficiency demonstrated by the Kiwi
boat with its ‘twin-keel’.
Twenty five years after NZL-20, with the launching of BMW Oracle Racing
USA-87 in Valencia on Tuesday, March 28, 2007, speculation started anew.
The small bowsprit attracted the attention of everyone, but it was the
mast, fitted approximately one metre further forward than usual, that
really fuelled the rumours. Was USA-76 designed with a classic keel with
a forward-fitted rudder? That’s not very probable because it would be
too unbalanced.
Is it a ‘Z-keel’ with an oblique fin keel forward and a fore-fitted
parallel rudder? That assembly is usually too fragile. A canard forward?
This can’t be excluded, but the rudder has to be very small and fitted
far from the fin of the keel, which dramatically reduces
maneuverability. Is it a tandem or twin-keel? The lateral plan is moved
well forward, both rudders insure a good maneuverability, the keel is
fixed and does not move when heeling, the structure be lighter…this is a
possibility.
The designer Bruce Farr, design coordinator Ian Burns and skipper Chris
Dickson know the subject very well and it is clear this is a team with
the experience and resources to not have to exclude any option from
their planning. Is USA-87 an intermediate boat? A testing platform? A
kind of Lego boat that is able of accept any type of configuration
involving appendages mast position so that all options can be tested
before building the second BMW Oracle Racing boat later this year?
Will Farr, Burns and Dickson succeed in realizing a design first dreamed
up more than one-hundred years ago? We won’t know until unveiling day in
2007, but certainly this type of speculation is a big part of the magic
of the America’s Cup. -- Taglang and François Chevalier, America’s Cup
website, full story: http://www.americascup.com/en/
RUNNING RACES RIGHT: ULLMAN SAILS LONG BEACH RACE WEEK
Sailors complain about everything---the weather, their lunches, the
skipper's tactics---but one thing they are unlikely to complain about
June 23-25 is how the races are run. It's a tradition. US Sailing
presents the St. Petersburg Yacht Club award for excellence in race
management to one American club each year. Between them, the two clubs
running this event---Long Beach and Alamitos Bay YCs---have won five
over the years. The principal race officer (PRO) will be Mark Townsend,
one of the best. Register on line at http://www.lbrw.org
RAW POWER
Movistar and Bouwe Bekking was able to hold on and passed the scoring
gate at Fernando de Noronha at 2051 GMT Friday, in first place,
collecting 3.5 points. However, ABN Amro One (Mike Sanderson) was only
one minute and 25 seconds behind movistar -- and blew by them rather
quickly after the gate -- sailing a knot and half faster.
“It was a pretty awesome sight when then rolled over the top of us, with
a boat length in between us … raw power,” explained movistar skipper
Bouwe Bekking. “Once they passed us, we hooked onto their massive stern
wave, and our boat speed jumped up quickly, the performance went up by
20 % -- no wonder they getting passed us so quickly. The ‘Volvo 80’
(ABN) will gain a lot in the trades, but the race is not over until we
finish in Baltimore.”
The fleet order at the scoring gate was: 1.) movistar 2.) ABN Amro One,
3.) Pirates of the Caribbean (Paul Cayard), 4.) Ericsson (John
Kostecki), 5.) Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) and 6.) ABN Amro Two (Sebastien
Josse).
The whole fleet has now crossed the equator into the Northern
Hemisphere. King Neptune has so far allowed the fleet a gentle, but
steady passage through this notorious patch of ocean, where lack of wind
can sometimes keep boats floundering for days. ABN Amro One has dodged
the Doldrums beautifully and is now on their way in a building north
easterly trade wind. “It was a pretty painless Doldrums,” wrote watch
leader Mark Christensen. “The lightest winds we saw were six knots and
we only had to deal with one small cloud,” he added.
Volvo Ocean Race meteorologist, Chris Bedford, explains the weather:
“The fleet should be in the north easterly trade winds for a little less
than two days, during which they will be constantly looking for the
strongest band of wind, while planning their strategies for navigating
the Bermuda high – which lies between the trade winds and the entrance
to the Chesapeake Bay. Differing strategies will likely lead to some
diverging routes over the next few days.
-- http://www.volvooceanrace.org
Volvo Ocean Race Positions at 2200 GMT Sunday
1. ABN Amro One, Mike Sanderson, 2873 miles to finish
2. movistar, Bouwe Bekking, +29 miles
3. Brasil 1, Torben Grael, +69 miles
4. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard, +70 miles
5. Ericsson Racing Team, John Kostecki, +93 miles
6. ABN Amro Two, Sebastien Josse, +152 miles
ELLEN
The tour of Asia marks the last big commitment that Dame Ellen MacArthur
has to her sponsor, B & Q, and its parent company, Kingfisher, after
what has been an extremely successful relationship. MacArthur first
signed with Kingfisher in 1998, when she was starting out on what was to
become a glittering career. Since then, the company has backed all her
campaigns, including her 2000-01 Vendée Globe race, on board the
monohull Kingfisher, and her round-the-world record on the trimaran, B &
Q, which finished last year. While MacArthur has enjoyed the benefit of
the funding needed to design, build and campaign her boats, Kingfisher
has had outstanding returns on its outlay of £8-10 million, with one
independent assessment suggesting that the sponsorship has generated
media exposure for the company worth up to £150 million.
As MacArthur has grown more famous, people have increasingly wondered
how much she has been making out of the deal. The answer is: not much.
This is partly because money has never been a big priority for her.
While she would never disclose her earnings, what is known is that
MacArthur has been paid out of the same Kingfisher budget that has
covered everything else. This means a modest salary, at best, for her
and puts her way down the league of top sports earners, and nowhere near
the sort of salaries enjoyed by leading footballers. -- Excerpt from a
story by Edward Gorman, The Times, full story: http://tinyurl.com/hnwkw
Curmudgeon’s Comment: On Sunday afternoon, Ellen and the crew of B&Q
left Qingdao with 15 knots of wind from the north-northeast reaching at
9 knots -- going for another record: Qingdao to Shanghi.
MOTHERS DAY SURVIVAL STORE
Let Team One Newport insure the success of your sailing mom’s Mothers
Day celebration next month (May 14, to be exact). Click on the Women’s
Catalog link on their website to see some of the options available.
Shopping on a budget? No worries - go to the Under $50.00 Gifts link to
find a selection of affordable ideas. The Team One Newport website also
has categories for a Kids Catalog, Event Gear, and Collegiate Sailing,
in addition to men’s gear and a listing of their new products. Team One
Newport - your every occasion survival store:
http://www.team1newport.com
NEWS BRIEFS
* The coverage of next month’s Tybee 500 will include an internet
multimedia production including daily video updates of the race that
will be syndicated to a number of websites. A video player has already
been added to the race website www.Tybee500.com with previous year’s
videos, and the organizer will also syndicate the race videos to other
websites. Viewers may choose: www.CatSailor.com, www.AdventureOnline.TV,
www.1Design.Net, www.VelocitySailing.com, www.TeamSeaCats.com, and
undoubtedly other sites as well. The event consists of six days (May
14-19th) and 500 miles of open ocean catamaran sailing on 20 foot boats.
* American Larry Rosenfeld has joined the crew of Geronimo, the
Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran as navigator for the
forthcoming record attempt between San Francisco and Yokohama in Japan.
According to Rosenfeld, there is a window of opportunity to begin the
4800-mile attempt starting on Wednesday or Thursday, the 12th or 13th of
April. -- http://www.superyachting.com
* Asian Champions India led by skipper Mahesh Ramchandran booked their
passage to the Grand Final of the ISAF Nations Cup at the Royal Cork
Yacht Club in Ireland in September by the narrowest of margins today,
edging out Turkey to win the ISAF Grade 2 Regional Final for Asian in
Dubai, UAE. The two crews finished tied at 2-2 in the final after the
wind died for a second day in succession at Dubai International Marine
Club (DIMC), forcing race officials to abandon the decisive leg in the
best of-five showdown. --
http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6~Fh`B7~
*The Optimist South American Championship started Sunday in Cartagena de
Indias, Colombia. Present are 192 sailors from 18 countries including
Malaysia, Singapore and Switzerland all of which have South American
coaches. The reigning North and South American champions of 2005, Alex
Zimmermann (PER) and Diego Reyes (MEX) are still eligible and present as
is the reigning top girl Maria José Cucalon (ECU). Among other notable
participants is Mac Agnese (USA) who at 11 years of age is the reigning
Melges 24 World Champion (as a crew for James Spithill. --
http://www.suropti2006.com
* Online video reports from the Volvo Ocean Race and the BVI Spring
Regatta & Sailing Festival, presented by Nanny Cay are now playing on
http://t2p.tv
* The International Lightning Class raised $1,800.00 from a raffle at
their Winter Championship banquet to benefit the Gulf Coast Yachting
Association (GYA) -- devastated last year by hurricane Katrina. --
http://www.lightningclass.org
FLYING WITH AN EPIRB
From the Forums: “I am a full-time delivery skipper and have recently
purchased an ACR 406 EPIRB that is worn on my inflatable. I am soon
returning to the islands to begin bringing my ‘kids’ home for the
summer. I called TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to find
out if it is legal to carry an EPIRB aboard a commercial airliner, and
was told basically it is at the ‘discretion of the security screener.’
My fear is at the gate if I catch someone on a wrong day, I will not be
able to transport this vital piece of gear with me. Any experience with
this out there?” Click on this link to post your replies:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/0409
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 Debi Schoenherr (Re: CO2 cartridges ... bottom Line): Forget the
airline and TSA policies. Wherever you travel, they are bound to change.
It gets through on one flight, just to be confiscated on the next. As an
International Umpire, Judge and Sailor, I can't tell you how many I have
lost. In fact in Bermuda, they think it's actually funny, telling you
they have bins full of them at the end of the Newport Bermuda Race. Gee,
how did they all get there?
I charge the OA and Event organizers with the solution: Provide CO2
cartridges at the event, there are only 2 sizes I am aware of. Have some
boxes on hand, let officials and competitors score one and at the end of
the event return it unused (hopefully). Let's go with the easier
solution!
* From Graham Kelly (edited tour 250-word limit): I was heartened to see
the new TSA policy re inflatable PFD's, but we need to remember that the
issue of whether CO2 cartridges can be carried aboard is also subject to
rules of individual carriers. On the inflatable vest/ CO2 cartridge
issue, USSA has done their homework, at least up until mid-2003 when the
following was posted on their website:
http://www.ussailing.org/news/2003/PFDAirlines.pdf
Last week in Cabo, an alert Mexican baggage checker spotted the gas
bottle for my fanny-pack inflatable, which I had inadvertantly packed in
my carry-on (too much revelry, not enough sleep). She informed me that I
could check the bag on my Alaska Airline flight, but I declined, based
on the long lines I had already endured to get to that point, and she
confiscated the bottle.
Anyway, check the USSA website, and (if your'e anal) review tariffs for
individual airlines to determine whether or not the airline will permit
you to carry the bottles. It's probably a good idea to print and carry a
copy of the tariff provision, since the tariffs read like a phone book,
and it's pretty optimistic to expect gate personnel to be familiar with
all of the rules. I also have string tags for the bag and PFD
identifying the item, in order to make it easy for the checkers to
approve them ("This bag contains a PFD (personal flotation device), with
a CO2 inflation cartridge".)
* From Neil Harvey: Here is an excerpt from FAA re the transportation of
CO2 cartridges for the purpose of inflatable life jackets. "With the
approval of the aircraft operator, one small carbon dioxide cylinder
fitted into a self-inflating lifejacket, plus one spare cartridge, may
be carried by a passenger or crewmember in checked or carry-on baggage."
FAA National Operations and Training Manual for the Acceptance and
Transport of Dangerous Goods in Air Transportation, Appendix E, item 25
(http://www.faa.gov/fsdo/atl/willcarry.doc). CFR (Code of Federal
Regulations) Title 49 Part 175.10(a)(25)
(www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_99/49cfr175_99.html).
Now what in the hell do the TSA think is sitting below the cushion on
the majority of seats on commercial aircraft that fly over water these
days. If you pay attention to the cabin crew [or video] demonstration
prior to lift-off, you will observe the crew showing how to employ the
inflatable life jacket located underneath your seat ! Guess what
inflates [or is supposed to] that life jacket, after you have exited
from the plane?
* From David Aisher: One thing that I have never managed to get to the
bottom of is why the airlines have an issue with Life Jackets and gas
cylinders when there is one under every seat on the plane in the first
place!
* From Douglass Sisk: The curmudgeon’s question regarding performing
‘dead bands’ suggests he did not see the latest Rolling Stones Tour!
* From Capt. Michael C. Adams: I was the Capt aboad Ted Turner's Yachts
US 2121 & 6998 Tenacious. If people want to write notes on a yachting
based line please use proper nauticale terms. Not down stairs but "down
below"
* From Chris Wick: Olin Stephens is actually 98, not 95. At 98, he
recently stood for about 45 minutes and gave a talk at the Herreshoff
Marine Museum as part of the Classic Yacht Symposium on "The History of
Model Testing."
* From Janet Baxter, US Sailing President: I am enjoying US Sailing’s
new Sailor of the Week feature. It wasn't my idea and I don't pick 'em,
but it's a great chance to give a view of all kinds of sailors-big
players to little players, cruisers to racers, etc. Ours is a diverse
sport! I know that our writer was trying not to write about US Sailing
and to write about Faye Bennett instead, but I have to point out that
Faye is a recipient of the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy, US Sailing’s
most prestigious award. It is awarded annually to the individual who has
made an outstanding contribution to the sport of sailing in this
country. For anyone involved in the administration of our sport, from
flipping burgers at the junior regatta on up, this is huge. It says
everything that I can say about Faye - a pioneer, a contributor and a
never quit advocate for sailors.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
Don’t argue with an idiot -- people watching may not be able to tell the
difference.
Special thanks to Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week and Team One
Newport.
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