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SCUTTLEBUTT 2023 - February 3, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.VOLVO IN-PORT RACE The Ericsson Volvo Ocean Race Team is busy squeezing in all the practice it can before Saturday's race in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne. Inshore tactician John Kostecki (US) has arrived and the team took to the water to practice manouevre training with Pirates of the Caribbean. As skipper Neal McDonald (GBR) confirms, Kostecki is very much the man in charge for the in-port races. "He's been with us since the start and he's got a good strength in both offshore and inshore racing." Ericsson returned to the water on Wednesday and the crew headed out to check all the systems onboard are in good working order - from the mast, to the rig and the canting keel system. Every single piece of titanium equipment on the boat has been scanned. The course for Saturday's in-port race will be a three or four windward-leeward legs depending on the wind conditions. With all the In-Port races so far, weather has been the decisive factor considering the two ABN Amro boats' dominance in anything above 12 knots of wind. In the Cape Town In-Port race the black boat tore the field to pieces in the kite-flying weather and in the offshore legs they have notched up one-two positioning on the podiums in both Cape Town and Melbourne. Should the early predictions of a 17 knot sea breeze prove correct, doubtless further interest will be paid to the Dutch bank's twin pace setters in this race so far. Though if Saturday's gusts can't blow the seeds off a dandelion, some sources reckon it could be as low as ten knots, then it will be pay-back time. Mike Sanderson, the ABN Amro One skipper, revealed that his team has been working on increasing their effectiveness in all conditions, not just the stiff breeze. "We have been doing some good stuff recently trying to improve our boat across the conditions. We want to do well right across the track. The use of our sails has been a key area and we are confident we are finding the right sails for the right conditions, and I'm sure that will start to take effect." Pirates of the Caribbean, who along with movistar are being considered favourites around the dock provided the wind sock sits limp on Saturday, is in good shape according to general manager Kimo Worthington, speaking after the boat measured within the legal limits following work on their keel. All eyes will be on Torben Grael and his Brazilian entry, Brasil 1, to see if they can make it to the start on time. The boat has made an epic 4000 km journey across Australia, only arriving in Melbourne yesterday. Since then the team have been working around the clock and Grael is positive that they will make the start line: "The boat might not be exactly how we want it but we will be out there." The newly re-branded and renamed Brunel (formerly ING Real Estate Brunel) skippered by Australian Grant Wharington has not only changed its colours but also a key player amongst their crew, as Wharington explains: "Fellow Australian Will Oxley will be our new navigator going forward and Matt Humphries (GBR) will continue to sail with us as a watch captain." Many of the teams have local sailors onboard for the in-port race, but as movistar navigator Andrew Cape explains this is not always a good thing: "Sometimes local knowledge can be a curse so we will just have to see what is thrown at us and deal with it there and then." Follow the in-port race day via the live audio commentary on the event website. Tune in to Guy Swindell's English commentary with guest Rob Mundle. Spanish speaking listeners will hear the events unfold through the voice of Amanda Blackley and guest Maria Bertrand. -- www.volvooceanrace.org THE RAMS (The Daily Sail subscription website did an extensive interview with Neal McDonald about the way ahead for Ericsson. Here is just a very few very brief excerpts.) An interesting aspect we have found while lurking around the boat park here in Melbourne is how the teams have been managing their respective crises. Much of the major breakage the VO70s have experienced over the last two legs has been associated with the canting keel rams or the structure of the boat, but how to deal with this? movistar for example have said 'enough is enough' and have reverted to their stainless steel rams. Will the extra weight versus the much improved reliability of this system really be a performance penalty in the coming legs? Will the change to stainless steel enable them to push the boat harder to make up the potential performance deficit? While movistar have reverted back to stainless another seemingly obvious course of action would be to change to Caribini's titanium ram package being used in various forms on both ABN Amro boats and on Brasil 1 and which to date has proved trouble-free. McDonald refutes this: "There is a lot more to it than saying, 'well, let's just buy one of those'. The more we have looked at it as a team, the more strange little bits and bobs seem to affect what you are looking at it. I don't think, even if it was an option to get a total system just bought and plonked in, I don't think that would necessarily be the safe or sensible solution. So it isn't that obvious. And it takes a very long time to build a new system." - www.thedailysail.com SPEED SAILING San Francisco Speed Sailing Management will launch a new annual sailing event on San Francisco Bay June 15-18, 2006, The San Francisco Speed Sailing Event. Expected to draw windsurfers, kite surfers, skiff sailors as well as mono and multi hull sailors from all over the US, the Event offers speed sailors a unique opportunity to offically record and document extreme sailing as it exists on a daily basis in one of the best international sailing venues, San Francisco Bay. The concept is simple: to go as fast as you can with your sail powered watercraft, straight line sailing through a 500 metre course (about one third of a mile), racing against the clock and the elements. The San Francisco Speed Sailing Event is open to all sailcraft: catamarans large and small, Olympic and international skiffs, windsurfers, kiteboarders and other types of sailboats. The speed course will be raced in a 'box', marked by bouys and set on central San Francisco Bay, east of the Golden Gate Bridge, and just off the beaches of Crissy Field in the Presidio and the San Francisco Marina Green. Recognizing that the course area is subject to constant tidal action and water movement, the Event has been scheduled to coincide with the strong flood tides of June. Prime conditions are expected in the afternoons when the strong winds and incoming tide combine to produce the flat and fast conditions conducive to speed sailing. Registration is available now online at www.sanfranciscospeed.com WHEN THE SHIP GOES DOWN... You'd better be ready. Remember that to-do list from the end of last season? Don't wait for everything to blow up during the first race to be left scrambling. Attack the list now. Annapolis Performance Sailing reminds you that preparation is the first step to better finishes. During February, APS will do its part by offering you an additional 10% off their everyday discounted Harken 2005 prices. That's right, they are also holding their 2005 pricing, but that's not all. They are also throwing in some sweet free Harken gear with Harken orders over $100... http://www.apsltd.com/harkensale SURVIVAL MODE Solo circumnavigator Dee Caffari and her 72-foot Aviva are currently battling to windward on her non-stop 'westabout' record attempt in horrendous Southern Ocean conditions with the prospect of even worse to come very soon. With the help of weather router Mike Broughton, Dee has managed to avoid the worst of a succession of really bad storms and hurricane strength winds, but with complex systems the options of how to avoid them can be very limited and can require abrupt changes of course. One result of beating to windward and dodging these systems is that the speed made good and 24 hour speeds appear low, when in fact the speed against actual distance sailed is very different. Southern Ocean currents are also a factor in that they could account for losses of as much as 30 miles in a day. During the last 24 hours Dee actually sailed 168 miles at an average speed of 7 knots, whereas the distance made good towards the next waypoint off New Zealand was only 86 miles. http://www.avivachallenge.com/ TORNADO NAs Xavier Revil and Christophe Espagnon (FRA) lifted the Roland Smith Trophy after a storming finishing at the ISAF Grade C1 Tornado North American Championship on Biscayne May, Miami, USA. The French duo edged out Olympic silver medallists John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (USA), although the American pair had the consolation of being crowned North American Champions. The final day of racing took place with a five to ten knot easterly breeze. Revil and Espagnon seemed to be in their element, winning races seven and eight, and then coming sixth in the final race, whilst Lovell and Ogletree had a 5-3-12 in the final three races. Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz (ESP) took third in the ten boat regatta. Interestingly, Lovell and Ogletree were the only USA team in the regatta while fifth place finishers Oskar Johansson/ Kevin Stitt (CAN) were the only other North American Team -- http://www.tornado.org/html/event_details.asp?EventID=114 NEWS BRIEFS * Nick Scandone, reigning 2.4mR World Champion and recently named US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, is tentatively scheduled to appear on NBC's Nightly News this Friday, February 3. The interview, which was taped partially at Scandone's home in Fountain Valley, Calif., and at Balboa Yacht Club (Corona del Mar, Calif.), is set to air during NBC's Nightly News which broadcasts between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Since Nightly News is a live news broadcast, stories could get bumped to a later date if there is breaking news. * The Canadian Yachting Association has launched their new look website. As before the website is available in both English and French language versions, and includes all the latest news from the Canadian Yachting Association, as well as information on Education and Training, the Canada Sailing Team, Clubs and Associations amongst others. -- http://www.sailing.ca/ *The Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race fleet is sailing into a generally NE airflow, varying in intensity between about 12 and 25 knots of steady breeze. Because it is still very much a tropical region, the area does have significant squall activity, with Mark Taylor, skipper of Jersey Clipper, reporting 50 knot gusts and some very unpredictable wind shifts under a squall cloud six miles in diameter. With 1600 miles still to go on Race 6 from Singapore to Qingdao, China, Westernaustralia.com leads the parade with Durban, Uniquely Singapore and Jersey less than 15 miles back. -- http://www.clipper-ventures.co.uk/2006/ * The International Metre Association will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the International Metre Rule at Cowes 23 to 27 July. 2007 marks the 100th Anniversary of the International Metre Rule. International Metre Rule yachts including the 2.4, 5.5, 6, 8, and 12 Metre Classes from all over the world are invited to celebrate this historic anniversary at an international regatta hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron. - Sail-World, http://tinyurl.com/7vvn8 * After five races (without a throw-out, yet) at the 68-boat Etchells Florida Midwinters Championship in the Jaguar Series, Kiwi Cameron Appleton as has four point lead over Judd Smith/ Henry Frazer (USA). 25 points further back is Bill Mauk, followed by Buddy Cribb, Peter Vessella and Stuart Hebb. -- http://www.etchellsfleet20.org/racing/results.htm * Craig Mitchell (Southampton, England) has been appointed Director of the World Match Racing Tour, announced Tour President Scott J. MacLeod. Mitchell, 32, joins the World Tour (successor to the Swedish Match Tour) after more than six years working at ISAF. He is both an International Umpire and an ISAF Race Officials Manager. Mitchell spent most of his time at ISAF in the Events Department, where he was responsible for the World Match Race Rankings, sailor classification system and the Match and Team Racing World Championship regattas. -- www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com KEY WEST PODIUM FINISHES FOR OCKAM Yet another great Key West Race Week for Ockam clients. Congratulations goes out to the crews of the TP 52's Rush and Windquest, the J-105 Savasana, and the J-109 Storm for their podium finishes. Kudos also goes out to the crews of the Swan 45 Vim and TP 52 Sjambok for their 4th place finishes. What do all of these excellent yachts have in common? Ockam Instruments! The superior Tryad processing delivers the most stable wind solution on the course, and when combined with Matryx display technology provides a distinct competitive advantage. Ockam… solutions for everyone. Contact mailto:lat@ockam.com 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 Manfred C. Schreiber: Jordan J. Dobrikin wants canting keels on Sportsboats. No problem. Has been done here in Germany. The Melvolution (Melges 24) has got a canting keel and sails very well. The system comes in a box. Relatively easy to install for a professional boatbuilder. Problem: Nobody wants it and the boat is still for sale. Maybe because it is lightyears ahead and we amateur/weekend sailors are very conservative? * From Malcolm McKeag: I was both in front of and behind the camera in putting sailing, from the Admiral's, America's and Kenwood Cups to the Olympics to club sailing and Thames barges, on television for about 15 years, as well as working occasionally on other sports. I knew we were on a hiding to nothing when, doing the Ultra 30s, the so-called most exciting sailing boats on the planet, we had to speed up the capsizes to make them interesting, when in all other sports you slow-down the crashes to give a better view. When the BBC did their 2004 Olympic tribute programme, featuring all sports in which GBR had won medals, even the bow-and-arrow brigade were taken seriously. Then came the sailing. Cue the music. Our sport and its footage were the musical interlude, the light relief, the only sport in the entire programme in which it was felt necessary to have background music. As the coverage of the Malmo Acts irrefutably demonstrates, no yacht racing is visually exciting when viewed in two dimensions, and any scoring system that has to be explained is by definition too complicated. If the only way yachting can stay in the Olympics is for it to be televisual, changing the scoring will achieve nothing. The boats and what is done in them must be changed. That might make interesting television - but of course it would not be yacht racing. * From Todd M. Hiller: So? Where is all of the media coverage from the Miami OCR? It's been a week. Charlie Ogletree brings up a valid point. If the media can cover a week long golf tournament with fancy camera angles and high tech graphics, where is the 30 minute finale of a week long regatta? Also, what did competitors think from other countries? * From John Harwood-Bee:Michael E. Blecher (Butt 2022) need not worry about his insurance premium. As with motor racing insurance having no impact on road insurance, Ocean racing insurance does not impact on the average sailor. Many 'round the world' racing yachts have been self insured by sponsor or owner. Others use specialist risk syndicates. Such underwriters consider the specific odds of the event rather than the 'umbrella' group risks of general marine insurance. It is rather like placing a bet. Crew often make their own arrangements or sign disclaimers. With the Volvo it is unlikely that the organizers do not have a rescue strategy in place. They may also be using one of a few highly proficient companies with world wide resources, on 24 hour alert, to whom one pays a significant premium to be ready to act in the event of an emergency. Coupled with the willingness of the worlds Navies to put their years of training to good use, the odds of a major claim are reduced considerably. Mr Blecher should concern himself more with the idiots who take to the water under power or sail with no training or experience whatsoever. They will affect his premiums far more than those plucky guys now out there on the Volvo. From Chris Bagin: In 'Butt 2020 Mark Reynolds said, "However, do you really want to take away a win from a team that has dominated all week long due to their performance in the last race?" At some point almost all sports turn to a "win or go home" environment and that's what makes them exciting. Just look at football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, or hockey. The Super Bowl is the biggest single sporting competition around and this year it doesn't include the teams that dominated the regular season. Perhaps a more fair middle ground is the baseball playoff system, where the regular season results are dropped and the remaining teams must win a short series playoff (3, 5 or 7 matches) to capture the championship. Why can't a sailing regatta have a similar "playoff" round? Image how boring the Super Bowl would be if the result was known by week 15 of the regular season! How much attention would the "Big Game" get then? * From Vincent Casalaina: I'd like to take exception to Stuart Streuli's comments about televising Olympic sailing. Its clear that its been a tough sell to get sailing onto television here in the USA. That's not because sailing coverage costs so much. Its a matter of choice for the television rights holder in each country. The host broadcaster prepares a daily feed of all the sailing that takes place -- its all there, everyday, just waiting to be airred. Each country's television rights holder then decides whether or not they will air the coverage. Gary Jobson worked hard and had some success at getting sailing on the air in the last Olympics. He got some time each night to give us a wrap up of the days sailing. Many of us time shifted the coverage by recording his report and watching it when we got up in the morning. I'd like to suggest the combined rights holders look at creative solutions to getting sailing coverage out to those of us who want to see it. We've seen niche programming take off on the internet. In the USA many sailing events are covered virtually live by T2P.tv (disclaimer - I work with T2P on a lot of their coverage). I'd bet that a lot of us would watch Olympic race coverage if it was available over the internet. Its certainly worth discussing, and maybe we can see a lot more of the racing in 2008. * From Gregory Scott: I am saddened to read about our loss of John Odenbach Sr. I know I speak for everyone who sailed on Heatwave expressing our condolences to the whole Odenbach family particularly John and Fritz. John Odenbach Sr. brought a wonderful element to our racing. His competitive annual campaigns added value to every trophy on Lake Ontario. During my years of racing against the black boats, the presence of the "old man" running the show from the power boat was as much a part of the racing as the sailing itself. Seeing John Odenbach, the children and grandchildren on the power boat watching the starts, following us all around the course then watching them all swimming off the transom between races added such an important element to what we all do. Hearing the after race stories about who got to drive contributed to their mixture of win and have fun and are lessons for all of us. John M. Odenbach Sr. will always be missed but his presence on the lakes will never be lost. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play. Special thanks to Annapolis Performance Sailing and Ockam Instruments. |
