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SCUTTLEBUTT 2095 - May 16, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.FIRST BLOOD Valencia, Spain -- America's Cup holders Alinghi drew first blood in their keenly anticipated match with the new boat from BMW Oracle Racing, the team expected to be the strongest of the 11 Cup challengers next summer. For the Louis Vuitton Act 10 regatta in Valencia, Alinghi put their old but still potent SUI 75 up against BMW Oracle's USA 87. There appeared to be negligible difference between the teams, although the clock showed Alinghi leading after the first downwind leg. BMW Oracle gained ground over the second leg, upwind, but Ernesto Beratelli's Swiss team held on to win by 21 seconds. Alinghi's victory will have a significant bearing on the eventual result of the Act 10 regatta, but the more intriguing point is how USA 87 performed against the high standard set by the Swiss. In recent days it has been possible to see that the boat has an aft rudder located well forward and that the boat is capable of turning very fast. The most likely explanations for having a mast some six feet further forward than normal are either that the boat has very full-chested front hull sections or that another appendage has been added there. Conditions at the regatta were also perfect for the boats to test their speed - for 12 minutes from an even start, they sailed on one tack in six-eight knot winds. -- Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, http://tinyurl.com/lhvwy * The remaining two flights of racing in Act 10 will take place on Tuesday and there is also a match remaining between +39 Challenge and BMW Oracle Racing that must be made up, either on Tuesday or the reserve day, which is Wednesday. FLIGHT 8 Luna Rossa beat Areva Challenge, 00:18 seconds Desafío Español 2007 beat United Internet Germany, 00:20 Alinghi beat Shosholoza, 00:21 BMW Oracle Racing beat China Team, 04:38 Emirates New Zealand beat Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia, 00:32 Victory Challenge beat +39 Challenge, 00:15 FLIGHT 9, Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia beat Areva Challenge, 01:31 Shosholoza beat +39 Challenge, 00:57 United Internet Team Germany beat China Team, 01:50 Luna Rossa beat Victory Challenge , 00:55 Emirates Team New Zealand beat Desafío Español 2007, 00:54 Alinghi beat BMW Oracle Racing , 00:21 LEADERBOARD 1. Alinghi, 8-1 1. Emirates Team New Zealand, 8-1 1. Luna Rossa Challenge, 8-1 4. BMW Oracle Racing, 7-1 5. Victory Challenge, 6-3 6. Desafío Español 2007, 5-4 7. Team Shosholoza, 3-6 7. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team, 3-6 9. Areva Challenge, 2-7 9. United Internet Team Germany, 2-7 11. +39 Challenge, 1-7 12 - China Team, 0-9 Event website: http://www.americascup.com View some comparison photos provided by photographer Thierry Martinez from Act 10: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0515/ WHAT DOES IT MEAN? BMW Oracle Racing versus Alinghi, Challenger of Record versus Cup holder, could this be a preview of the big show in 2007? As the match panned out it was clear that the differences between the two were very small indeed. At the start Ed Baird managed to squeak a half boat length advantage as the gun went, just enough to maintain control up the first beat by holding the Americans out to the left hand extreme of the course and banging the corner. Alinghi's tactics might have been a fraction better, but it was BMW Oracle's boat handling and crew work that stood out throughout the race. For this to be visible against the frequently flawless Swiss team is a mark of both how good the USA team has become and how small the crucial differences are at the top. -- Excerpts from a story by Matthew Sheahan on the Yachting World website: http://tinyurl.com/ksd8y THIS IS WHAT YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR………… The essential Mount Gay Rum gear for the boat and beyond – available by calling Lands’ End Business Outfitters (with its sailing heritage and penchant for quality) at 800-490-6402 for Mount Gay Rum jackets, polos, bags, fleece items, and more. All with the legendary Mount Gay Rum logo! Your focus is on sailing and you need gear for your sailing experiences. If you’re looking for that special gift for Father’s Day, Mount Gay Rum gear is what you want. Look for information on the Mount Gay Rum brand and the 2006 list of sponsored regattas at http://www.mountgay.com TEMPERATURES RISING Temperatures are rising as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet begins to free itself of headwinds and start to make real miles towards the scoring gate for leg seven at the Lizard, off the south western tip of the UK. The Gulf Stream has come into play and water temperatures have risen to 20 degrees C (68F) instead of the 5 degrees (41F) which the fleet has been experiencing on this leg until tonight. Warmer water mixes the wind better, and as the wind will be light under the high pressure ridge, boat speeds should increase and the strong current of the Gulf Stream will give the fleet an added push in the right direction. Movistar seem to have broken through the high pressure ridge at last and at 1855 they tacked towards the east south east and are now up to 12 knots in a wind of about the same speed from astern. They look to have more wind to come in the next few hours, but they have massive miles to overtake ABN Amro One. However, their position in the north could give them a big advantage. It's not over yet for the Spanish boat and they could come out smelling of roses after all. The fleet - apart from movistar - is split over 48 nautical miles north to south, with Brasil 1 well ensconced in the north and Brunel well down in the south. Brasil 1 has taken a dramatic turn to the north recently and will be making ground towards the fresher winds that movistar might be bringing up from the west - plus of course making better ground towards the finish. If you are watching the progress on Virtual Spectator (the download is free), take a look at the whole of the Atlantic to see how the tactics will play out in the big picture of the whole ocean. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org Volvo Ocean Race Positions at 2200 Monday: 1. ABN Amro One, Mike Sanderson, 2120 miles to finish 2. Ericsson Racing Team, Neal McDonald, +25 miles 3. Brasil 1, Torben Grael, +41 miles 4. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard, +69 miles 5. ABN Amro Two, Sebastien Josse, +94 miles 6. Brunel, Matt Humphries, + 108 miles 7. movistar, Bouwe Bekking, +146 miles QUOTE / UNQUOTE “It has been anything but easy to this point. I lost track of the days of incessant beating. Slamming on waves just enough to virtually eliminate any good sleeping. Unless you are Barney Walker of course, who can clearly sleep through anything. Including one well timed tack that he slept through. I am surprised the Coast Guard hasn’t chased us down for some sort of noise violation because the boy can snore with the best of them.” -- Kenny Read, Ericsson Racing Team “Mmmm, mixed feelings onboard movistar. What do you prefer slamming upwind in 30 knots or drifting in 3 knots? Please give us back 30 knots. We haven't managed to escape the high-pressure system. We have done everything to get as far as possible east, but the high has swallowed us up. The boats in the south and further east have more pressure and a better wind angle, nothing we can do about that. Not sure how this will effect us, but the outlook is not very promising, we might lose a couple of hundreds miles.” -- Bouwe Bekking, movistar skipper FORMAT CHANGE Race entry packets for "four races in one" - Del Rey Yacht Club's new format for its 19th biennial International Yacht Race from Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta next February - are available online on the new race website. the longest and oldest enduring race to Mexico's mainland, with continuing sponsorship from Corum, will incorporate the scope of several other popular races to Mexico by marking the approximate finishing points of those shorter races with navigational “crossing lines.” Without stopping, the boats' times will be scored automatically by signals to shore from transponders mounted on the stern pulpits. The segments will be Marina del Rey to Ensenada (159 nautical miles), Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas (669) and Cabo San Lucas to Punta Mita at the entrance to Banderas Bay (280). Prizes will be awarded in Puerto Vallarta to the boats with the best corrected handicap times at each crossing line. From Punta Mita the boats will continue the final 17 miles into the bay to complete the race off the beach in front of the Westin Regina Hotel for a total of 1,125 nautical miles. Prizes will be awarded in Puerto Vallarta to the boats with the best corrected handicap times between crossing lines, but the segments will not be factored into the total race result. The crossing lines will be positioned perpendicular to the rhumb line course and far enough offshore that tactical navigation is not compromised. The Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas crossing lines will extend 70 miles out to sea. While Racing Division boats will not stop, Salsa Division competitors also will have transponders to report the time of its two scheduled stops when a boat crosses the finish line of Leg 1 at the north end of Cedros Island and the finish line of Leg 2 abeam of Cabo San Lazaro. -- Rich Roberts, full story: http://www.pv07.com HIGH SCHOOL SAILING Difficult light air conditions challenged the sailors on the final day of competition at the High School Double-Handed National Championship for the Mallory Trophy at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. In their first visit to the event, Antilles HS from St Thomas, VI edged Newport High School (CA) and Severn School (MD). Newport Harbor suffered a disappointing DSQ in a protest decision that knocked them out of first place by a single point and created a tie for second place with Severn. Newport gained the second place award on a tie-breaker that two ISSA officers and two ISSA district representatives administered. Following Severn in the Top Ten were, in order: Point Loma HS, Tabor Academy, Naval Academy Prep School, Milton Academy, the Hotchkiss School, Corona del Mar HS (CA) and Pine View HS (FL). . -- http://www.missa.net; photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0514/ BREATHE EVEN EASIER...THERE IS NO SALES TAX While everyone else is offering you a free pair of Blade sunglasses when you order $149 worth of Gill gear, Sailing Pro Shop is seeing that offer and raising it! Purchase $149.00 ($189 CAN) worth of Gill Breathable gear and receive: a free pair of Gill Blade floating polarized sunglasses AND free freight and no sales tax (even in California) this week only! Shop online or stop by our store to see our expanded line of gloves, boots, jackets, and technical shirts along with the new Olukai sandals, Suunto watches, and UV protection products. Contact: 1-800-354-7245, 1-562-594-8749 (International), http://www.sailingproshop.com THE END IS IN SIGHT After 175 days of sailing non-stop round the world against the prevailing winds and currents, solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari, 33, is now approximately 72 hours from realising her dream of becoming the first woman ever to successfully complete what was once called “the impossible voyage”. Dee Caffari onboard Aviva is expected to cross the official finish line* on 18 May 2006. Caffari has sailed 28,560 miles and aims to complete the circumnavigation by crossing the finish line south of The Lizard, UK. She must cross within sight of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) observer**, so the circumnavigation and new world record can be officially ratified. Then she will make her way to Southampton, UK to celebrate her triumphant homecoming with family, friends and supporters in Ocean Village. However, another serious autopilot failure on Saturday ensured it will be a fight to the very end. The fault occurred in rough conditions making a repair attempt impossible, so Caffari was forced to steer manually through the night. Far from reflecting on the voyage in the closing stages, the solo sailor now faces sleep deprivation and exhaustion as frequent alarms force her to steer the yacht herself. -- http://www.avivachallenge.com SAILING SHORTS * The damaged hull of Gipsy Moth IV is en route from Tahiti to Auckland, New Zealand on a ship. The voyage will take six days. UK Sailing Academy skipper Richard Baggett will be managing the repairs in New Zealand which is scheduled to be finished in time for the 53 ft ketch's departure for Sydney on 23 June. The yacht was severely damaged when she was thrown up on a South Pacific reef while on passage from the Marquesas to Tahiti. -- Yachting Monthly, http://tinyurl.com/kgjfw * Virtual Spectator is making available free Volvo Ocean Race Video iPod podcast downloads on the iTunes website(www.itunes.com). These reports give viewers a first hand, in-depth look at the around-the-world race with commentary by Gary Jobson, video footage from aboard the racing Volvo 70s and graphic animation from Virtual Spectator?s 3D VS Raceviewer. Virtual Spectator recently launched the website www.vssailing.com where sailing fans can download the 3D VS Raceviewer, allowing users to experience the race in 3D, watch VS Report with Gary Jobson streaming from the Internet, and download the updated and archived VS Reports to their iPod. * The Melges 24 North American Championship gets underway this week in Santa Cruz, California, with the top Melges 24 crews from across North America and several European teams challenging for this biennial continental championship. Reigning North American Champion Argyle Campbell and his crew from Newport Beach will be defending their title. Locally based Philippe Kahn's Team Pegasus is putting forward three boats to challenge Campbell with Samuel 'Shark' Kahn, Dave Ullman and Philippe Kahn helming. Daily news reports and photographs will be posted at: www.melges24.com * The top two US 470 men’s teams both submitted reports on Monday, which are posted on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/us470reports * Freelance graphic designer and illustrator Robert Bausch chose seven Nathaniel Herreshoff designs to present a slightly different view of sailboat art. Enjoy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0511 * Annapolis MD -- Ten top teams of women match racers are scheduled to compete in J/22s in the BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup on May 31 - June 3. Hosted by Eastport Yacht Club and sponsored by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.), the confirmed fleet includes Christelle Phillipe of France, Australia's Katie Spithill, and Mariani Lorenza and Giulia Conti of Italy. Americans Liz Baylis, Katy Pyle-Lovell, Carol Cronin, Jo Ann Fisher and Deborah Capozzi are also included in the fleet as well as Canadian Jen Provan. * Correction: In yesterday’s Scuttlebutt, the website address for Ribcraft was not working. If interested in their new line of recreational RIBs, information is available at http://www.ribcraftusa.com/rec REGATTA WEATHER Contact Sailing Weather Services for race weather forecasts and advice for North American and European events. Bermuda, TP52 MedCup, Mackinac races, and more. Exclusive high-resolution GRIB data for major offshore races. Experienced yachting meteorologists at Sailing Weather Services are ready to help your team succeed. mailto:info@sailwx.com or http://www.sailwx.com A CLASSIC One of the oldest offshore yacht races in the entire Pacific Rim, the Swiftsure International Yacht Race is one of North America’s most challenging overnight offshore competitions. The Juan de Fuca Strait offers a daunting combination of occasional fog, unpredictable winds, strong tides, and tricky currents that test the seamanship, strategy, stamina, tactics, and teamwork of skippers and crews. This year it all happens starting with the first Barge Party on Thursday, May 25th, with the race sequence beginning at 1000h on Saturday, May 27th. Last year’s race was one of the fastest on record, with light winds freshening quickly after the start, and retiring over 60 of the 238 yachts that crossed the starting line. Back for its third year is the Inshore Classics Race, for yachts designed prior to January 1st, 1975. New this year is the Inshore Rosedale Rock Race for yachts launched after January 1st, 1975. Other courses include: - Swiftsure Lightship Classic – A 140.4 nautical mile (NM) course to Swiftsure Bank and back. - Cape Flattery Race – A middle-distance race to the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Strait and back, with a distance of 103.4 NM. - Juan de Fuca Race – A 78.3 NM course designed for the smaller racing yacht, now including multihulls. For 2006, Swiftsure offer a major deployment of “transponder” technology, which will monitor continuously the position, course, and speed of 185 yachts racing in the long courses of Swiftsure, to increase race safety, while providing valuable information to race organizers, followers, and the general public. -- Donna F. Randall, http://www.swiftsure.org/ 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 Steve Dair: In the article titled outside the box about Matt Jones speed sailing event they wrote as though this Idea was something new. Its a great event to run but not at all a new idea in calif or the USA. around the years When I was about 15 many years ago at Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club they would run speed trials two times a year. At the time Steve Dashew of Cabrillo Beach YC held the sailing speed record in his D cat. I remember sailing with Roy Seaman on a Big Nacra D cat trying to break the record in thirty knots of wind we had many trap wires with two people on each wire. The mainsheat system was so overloaded we had to head upwind sheet in then fall off to course. We knew we were going faster than the record at the time but could not get across the course without the hull flying to high and having to break the traveler loose throwing the traveler guy across the tramp and the pile of us on wires were tossed as little dolls. Steve Dashew was the only boat out with us when the wind picked up. He added people to his wires to but the extra weight just put his fine bowed boat completely underwater. Any way his event sounds fun I’m going to try and make it with our parasail catamaran were working on. * Guy Doran: Richard Johnson's idea of Roy Disney recruiting "a crew of AARP members to show the differences between how his kiddie crew and the geezers handle similar situations" in a Transpac played out for real in the 1965 race. And the geezers won. That year, the Cal 40 "Psyche" took overall corrected time honors by a whopping five hours with a crew whose youngest member was 44 years old. And it blew like stink the whole way. That triumphant crew of geezers included Don Salisbury (owner), Ben Mitchell (navigator), George Griffith, Jack Jenson, Connie Doran and Wade Hill. Interestingly, a full-on kiddie crew responded in the 1969 Transpac race when Jon Andron’s Cal 40 “Argonaut” won overall with a crew of teenagers from Santa Barbara. * From Enrico Ferrari: Richard Johnson had a great idea for a film premise, putting AARP members up against the promising youth crew that Disney is putting on a TP52. All it would take is a second boat. The support team would need enlarging but not an entire additional team. That would be a fun film script. The older and theorhetically wiser group handicapped with old bodies driving a technological identical wonder-boat competing head to head with the young hot rods who 'know everything' and have bodies that haven't let them down yet. CURMUDGEON’S COUNSEL Next time you are too drunk to drive, walk to the nearest pizza shop and place an order. When they go to deliver it, catch a ride home with them. Thanks to Mount Gay Rum, Sailing Pro Shop, and Sailing Weather Services. |
