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SCUTTLEBUTT 1894 - August 3, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT (The Daily Sail subscription website has a story about Juan Kouyoumdjian's new TP52 commission from Frank Pong. Here are two brief excerpts.) So far the latest crop of TP52s in Europe have included designs from Farr Yacht Design (Caixa Galicia, Aifos, Bribón, Atalanti, Bambakou, Siemens), Bottin & Carkeek (Movistar, Orlanda-Olympus, Balearia), Judel/Vrolijk (Cristabella) and Reichel-Pugh (Lexus, Patches). This is in addition to designers Alan Andrews, Grant Davidson, Brett Bakewell-White, Nelson-Marek and Jim Donovan who also have older generation TP52s built. New to this inter-yacht design house challenge comes Valencia-based Juan Kouyoumdjian with a new TP52 for Hong Kong-based owner Frank Pong. Kouyoumdjian has previously designed Pong's radical 115 footer, Maiden Hong Kong. In a class where there seems to be very little in the way of significant difference between boats other than waterline beam and appendages, the Juan K design looks very different with some ABN AMRO 1-like features such as a very slight reverse angle to the bow and ... chines? The designer says 'doing something different' is now becoming expected of him by his clients: "With TP52s you have two types of owner: You have the owners who like to buy the standard package and make the difference by having Coutts or Cayard on board and then you have the owners who want the boat itself to make the difference. I usually get contacted by the second group - never the first one! I either have to say them 'right we play this game like this and these are the risks' or we have to tell them go and get a Farr boat. But sometimes they don't want to go and get a Farr boat..." -- The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com BIDDING WAR The Open 60 monohull class association, IMOCA, has announced the result of a three-way bidding contest for the rights to run the proposed Europe-China race in 2006. All three bids, from Monaco, Brest and London were of excellent quality and the decision was a difficult one for the Executive of the Class. Finally the bid of Extreme Sailing, a company associated to skipper Mike Golding, was awarded the rights to run the 2006 inaugural event, which will see the Open 60's race, short-handed, from London to Shanghai, with possible stopovers in Brittany and Qingdao (site of Olympic sailing in 2008). Over 17,000 miles of hard ocean racing on a completely new track for the Open 60s. A new course but one that in maritime history has been a very important trade route, including the famous Tea Clippers of the 19th century. With rapid economic growth in China, a key market for many global brands, this inaugural race to the Far East is innovative step by the international Open 60 fleet. The IMOCA Class is increasingly present around the world. This coming weekend, 14 Open 60s will race in the classic Rolex Fastnet Race, and a fleet of up to 25 IMOCA 50 and 60' boats is expected to race this November in the Transat Jacques Vabre, from France to Brazil. These boats will head back to Europe in time for Christmas before preparing for the race to China that should depart late March, arrive in China by the end of May, and see the yachts shipped back to Europe in time for sponsor activities in the summer. IMOCA skippers and projects will then choose between the Route du Rhum in November 2006, or the 5-Oceans race (formerly the Around Alone / BOC). -- http://www.imoca.org OFF TO A GOOD START On Tuesday the 40 foot long catamaran, the Volvo Extreme 40 sailed her first mile. The boat was launched on the windy waters of Vastervik in Sweden (about 100 miles south of Stockholm). There were only 12-14 knots of wind, but that was enough for the monster catamaran to easily reach 22 knots under gennaker. A team of top sailors have been involved in the project; Englishman Derek Clark, Team GBR America's Cup Project Manager, was (again) the Project Manager; Creator Mitch Booth (two times Olympic medallist); Designer Yves Loday (gold medallist from Barcelona 1992) and World Champion and the man behind the whole idea Herbert Dercksen. Dercksen said: "The Volvo Extreme 40 is designed for Grand Prix Harbour racing. After boat shows in Holland (IJmuiden, at the end of August) and Southampton (end of September), five of these catamarans will be prepared for their first race in November. During the stopovers in the participating cities of the Volvo Ocean Race, people can see these catamarans sailing inside the ports themselves." The Volvo Extreme 40 weighs 1250 kilo's and the mast length is 62 feet with a sail area of 125m˛ upwind and 220m˛ downwind. Today six men made up the crew and even though there was only a light breeze it was easy to fly on one hull, which was very impressive. Skipper Mitch Booth said: "This cat [amaran] is like a sports car. She sails so fast, so easily and reacted quickly too. Really impressive." -- volvoextreme40.org SO, HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING? IRC is going to be part of your racing life. Which means, you'll be out on the racecourse surrounded by your competition ... and wonder: how are we doing? It's actually easy to figure this out: just use our IRC Calculator to create a competitor list that calculates time owed to/by each, based on the time elapsed since your start. You can do this without cost just by logging on our website. Simple and clever - like our Rules Quizzes and Screensavers (they're free, too). At least 3 more reasons to check out http://www.ukhalsey.com ONE OF HIS FAVORITES * Paul Cayard was the first American skipper in history to win the Volvo Ocean Race and the race also happens to be one of his favorites. "It was the most exciting race of my life, one that has left an indelible mark on my professional career and provided me with the most on a human level. That's why I decided to do it again", said Cayard. "Disney's involvement in the project has been another determining factor," Cayard continues. "It's an enormous opportunity to introduce the general public to sailing and to the Volvo Ocean Race. I simply couldn't say "no" to a proposal of this scope." The entry is part of a unique marketing alliance between The Walt Disney Company and Volvo Ocean Race supporting the July 2006 feature film release of Walt Disney Pictures'/ Jerry Bruckheimer Films' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The Black Pearl, the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest boat, is designed by Farr Yacht Design and is currently under construction at Green Marine in the UK. The launch of the boat is scheduled for the end of August. - www.volvooceanrace.org * Cayard is the beneficiary of two mitigating factors that normally count against last-minute launchings. One is his boat, named Black Pearl after the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, which is sistership to Neal McDonald's Ericsson. The second is the trickle of disaffected sailors leaving the BMW Oracle America's Cup team, which has allowed Cayard to sign a first-rate crew. All bar the navigator, tipped to be Briton Jules Salter, have done at least one round-the-world race. The elongated nature of the course and provision of 20 per cent of race points scored during in-port racing will give Cayard opportunities to catch up. - Excerpt from a story by Tim Jeffery in The Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/cgv34 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar FOR THE RECORD Hilary Lister, a quadriplegic sailor from Kent, has launched the boat in which she will make her attempt to become the first ever quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel. Able to move only her head, eyes and mouth she will have to overcome severe physical pain to navigate her boat unaided through one of the busiest and most treacherous shipping lanes in the world. The UK Sailing Academy (UKSA) have ensured that Hilary has undergone the necessary training and made the specific modifications to the boat needed for an attempt of this kind. While undertaking the challenge, Hilary, although unaided will be followed by a support vessel run by her sponsor, Pindar, supported by volunteer members from her yacht club. Hilary will make her attempt on August 15, and if successful, will enter the record books for completing the world's longest solo sail by a quadriplegic. -- www.hilarylister.co.uk NEWS BRIEFS * The defending champions of US Sailing's U.S. Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup, hosted by Chicago YC had reason to celebrate yesterday after winning the event once again. For double-handed sailors Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) and Kerry Gruson (Miami, Fla.), it was their third consecutive time winning the Championship, sailed in Freedom 20s. For US Disabled Sailing Team-member Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, CA), it was only his second time competing in the event and his second victory in the singlehanded event, sailed in the 2.4mR. -- www.ussailing.org * Three new events in diverse locations will be features of the 2005-'06 Swedish Match Tour's seventh season. The new events are the St. Moritz Match Race, the Monsoon Cup and the Brazil Match Cup, bringing the Swedish Match Tour to venues in Switzerland, Malaysia and Brazil, respectively, for the first time. They combine for $275,000 in prize money. A total of nine stages with prize money in excess of $825,000 comprise the seventh professional match racing tour, which will visit nine different countries. A BMW X3 3.0i, valued at approximately $54,000, from Tour partner BMW awaits the champion. -- www.swedishmatchtour.com * No racing was possible Tuesday at the Optimist Worlds in Engadin, Switzerland due to lack of wind. Two further racing days remain. -- http://www.optiworld.org/ * It didn't take Stephanie Roble from Wisconsin very long to figure out Marina del Rey. She logged finishes of 2-1-1 in the first three races of the 60-boat US Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship for the Leiter Cup at the California YC, to earn a six point lead over Maryland's Morgan Wilson. Sarah Lihan from Florida is just one point further back after a day of steady 8-10 knot breezes with only subtle shifts. -- www.calyachtclub.com/cms/RaceResults/Series149.htm * The Canadian Soling Championships were held July 30 - August 1 at the 3rd annual Bath Bowl, hosted by the Loyalist Cove Marina in Bath, Ontario under sunny skies with a good mix of wind conditions. The racing was closer than any can remember in recent memory, with several mark roundings four boats wide. Richard Huczek, David Hymers and Will Logan (Etobicoke YC) emerged the champions with 24 points, beating Scot Mundle, Craig Mundle and James Colburn (Loyalist Cove) by a single point. Ted Richards, Ian Watson and Gord Devries (CFB Trenton YC) won third with 26 points. -- www.soling.ca * Croatia's former Optimist World Champion Sime Fantela, with crew Igor Marenic, dominated the 470 Junior World Championship in St. Petersburg, Russia to take their second title in three weeks, winning ahead of sailors from 19 nations. The two stamped their authority on the Championship from the very first race and with their recent European title win and seven wins and three second places in St. Petersburg, have built themselves a perfect springboard for the ISAF Grade W 470 World Championship, which begins in San Francisco, USA in just under three weeks time. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j12Fh5,vD * Time is running out on a historic 1936 Abeking and Rasmussen ketch in Half Moon Bay, CA that is desperately seeking someone who will take over her restoration. Destined to be demolished, California Congressman Tom Lantos has been instrumental in temporarily saving the yacht that once rescued Jewish refugees from Germany. Originally named "Hamburg," she was one of eight German entries in the 1936 Transatlantic and Bermuda races. Launched as a yawl (her sister boat was the "Brema"), the 16.7-meter yacht is available for free but requires significant dedication and funds. Contact Colleen Page immediately if interested mailto:ashikaga94010@yahoo.com * Quantum Racing/ Lexus was the star of day two at the Copa del Rey-Agua Brava on the Breitling Medcup TP52 Circuit, achieving a lead of over two minutes ahead of second place Movistar-Pisco Sour. "We are starting to reap the rewards of the work put in to improve the boat and the sails during the season," said Quantum Racing/ Lexus skipper Russell Coutts. Copa del Rey-Agua Brava TP52 standings: 1. MoviStar (20); 2. Caixa Galicia (19); 3. Lexus Quantum Racing (16); 4. Cristabella (15); 5. Atalanti XV (13); 6. Bambakou (12); 7. Siemens (11); 8. Bribón (10); 9. Orlanda-Olympus (7); 10. Balearia (6); 11. Aifos (3). -- www.medcup.org BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL The Sailing Pro Shop needs to make room for the 2006 gear and has partnered up with some of their vendors to bring you deals that you will only find once a year and only through Scuttlebutt. This is all top of the line, first quality gear and once it's sold out there is no more. Stop by their clearance and specials pages to take advantage of this sale: http://www.sailingproshop.com/scuttlebutt05.htm 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 neither 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. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Peter Epstein: Where did all the reaches go? I am a 5o5 and Albacore sailor who recently has taken up keelboat racing. The windward-leeward legs may be more strategic for most keelboats (racing those too) and help eliminate the "Parade" but as I am primarily racing a J105, I think a course with reaches would be better suited to the boat's performance. It's a blast reaching with this boat, while I don't get the same sense of speed as on the 5o5, the feeling of power and speed on the reach does make me want to shout "Wooo Hooo." If I get the gist of Ken Legler's commentary, perhaps a compromise could be made by race management to design courses for the asymmetric boats that would bring back the "Yahooo." * From Chris Ericksen: (edited to our 250-word limit) As a PRO who runs my fair share of dinghy regattas, I agree with Ken Legler ('Butt 1893): reaches are just plain fun, but only in the right conditions. For myself, I will send dinghies on reaches when the wind is strong enough for the boats to plane--and that varies from boat to boat and on sea conditions. I ran the Southern California sailoff for the O'Day a few months ago and chose to send the Lasers on sixty-degree reaches when the breeze got up to about 14 knots; everybody had a great time, and there were some spectacular passes going on as positions changed when one boat got on a plane and blew past another that was not. Note that this was in relatively flat water inside the Long Beach Breakwater; had be been out in the ocean in waves, I probably would have sent them on runs as Laser sailors work the waves pretty aggressively. Running races for Thistles, on the other hand, or 5-0-5's or CFJ's, I'd have done the same thing in the same conditions--but set forty-five-degree reaches as they use traditional spinnakers. For 29ers or I-14's with asymmetrical kites, I'd have had them reaching in lighter air and on the hotter angles. But I rarely send one-design, spinnaker keelboats like Etchells or Olson 30's on reaches: as Mister Legler suggests, it is tough on the gear and the boats won't plane as readily (and for the Etchells, not at all). * From Scott Diamond: I am with Ken Legler ('Butt 1892) -- reaches have a place in sailing, reach legs in a dinghy can be the highlight of the race. I have seen V15 sailors reach around the starting line when it is blowing 20 knots and have more fun before the race starts. Any keelboat sailor who says a reach is just a parade is not working his boat hard enough. Even in a keelboat reaches are a great leg to consolidate. You don't just set sail and steer a straight line, your up, down, ease, trim, work the boat! * From Alexander "Ali" Meller (In response to Ken Leger, race management question): Why would you want to put reaches back in? Why would you want to try and make a boat go as fast as it can? What are you trying to do, make sailing fun! * From Kevin Hayes: I attended the meeting at Lakewood Yacht Club regarding the use of ORC Club as a rating system on Galveston Bay. I would like to clarify that the local PHRF committee did not vote on the use of ORC Club. I along with others from the board of PHRF Galveston Bay were present but we did in no way represent PHRF Galveston Bay. The Chairman of PHRF-GB, Jim Tichenor was not at this meeting. As of right now the use of ORC Club is only being regarded as an alternative rating system for our offshore races. Most notably the Harvest Moon Regatta which is 153 mile drag race down the coast in October. * From Bruce Gresham: I can't wait to go back to the Southern Ocean with Paul and his crew. And isn't Disney in the entertainment biz? How virtual we will be? Edited HDT quality video feeds from the Southern Ocean? Some day. Looking forward to watching the Volvo Ocean Race when spring comes to the Roaring 50s! Tim Dick: I'm in wholehearted agreement with adding reaching to keelboat races for several reasons. "Real sailing" and almost all ocean races involve reaching - so if buoy racing does not, it type-forms boats to upwind / downwind machines, not necessarily "good boats." That's OK for Grand Prix racers (almost by definition type-formed, or swap appendages for ocean vs. buoys) but not racer cruisers or those who do several kinds of racing and maybe some cruising. Reaching is fun and isn't that why we do this? We had an absolute Yahoo reaching across the Kauai Channel at 10 - 12 knots boatspeed in 23 - 27 true wind in big seas on our Beneteau 42s7. The fact that we won the race had nothing to do with how much fun the ride was. Reaching is a different challenge. With the right sails (full main & code zero in this case) it is a different kind of test of helmsman and sail trimmer. Yes, if we had crashed and burned, it would have been damn exciting in dark of the moon blackness (night race) but that's part of why we challenge ourselves. * From Ralph Taylor: J. M. Marta advocates a national & non-political rating system instead of PHRF. We already have such a system. It's the "Portsmouth Yardstick", nationally uniform and entirely statistical. * From Mike Gaber: Maybe the "head over heals in love" comes from the fact that sometime "love" starts with the heals over the head! Thus, head "head over heals in love" means relationship is past the "lust" stage. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Tomorrow is always the busiest day of the week |
