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SCUTTLEBUTT 1822 - April 21, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest 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. HEATING UP Valencia - Over the past month the temperature has rocketed up (to 77F one or two afternoons), more of the teams have moved to Valencia and started sailing, and the Darsena Interior is unrecognizable from just one month ago. Many Cup teams are sailing on the waters off Valencia now. The Defender Team Alinghi, BMW Oracle Racing and Luna Rossa are all sailing out of the Yacht Club in Valencia. Desafío Español began sailing out of the commercial port at the end of March, and the Italian +39 team is the first to come to the Darsena Interior, setting up shop in front of the construction of its base. Further down the coast France's official team, K-Challenge is also sailing. Away from Spain, Emirates Team New Zealand andSouth Africa's Shosholoza are training hard in the Southern Hemisphere, while the Italian Team Capitalia begins it's program on the island of Elba off the coast of Italy. Sweden's Victory Challenge is hard at work, despite the long winter. Sailing Manager Magnus HOLMBERG is recruiting the sailing team, and the builders will begin modifying the boats shortly. From March onwards, the sea-breeze weather pattern of building winds beginning just after noon each sunny day has begun to assert itself strongly. Information collected through the innovative MDS (Meteorological Data Service) over the past couple of months shows a Northeast to Southeast wind beginning to build at 1300, usually increasing from ten to 15 knots during the afternoon. The wind typically begins to decrease at 1800. This sea-breeze pattern is the weather the sailors can expect for racing in the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts in June this year, as well as the 2006 Acts and all of the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup racing in 2007. As we move towards the summer months, the wind will build a little earlier, and blow a little stronger with higher temperatures inland. - http://www.americascup.com/en PROGRESS (The Daily Sail subscription website spoke to uber-designer builder Gilles Ollier and designer Franck Martin about maxi-catamarans - and the proposed new Team Qatar catamaran. Here are a few excerpts.) The new boat is believed to be around 130ft long, 10ft longer than Ollier's last creation - Orange II, that few would dispute is currently the fastest offshore boat in the world and is of course skippered by the founder of the G-Class, Bruno Peyron, with whom Tracy Edwards has been having legal skirmishings since her move into race organization. Ollier and his team are understandably proud of Orange II and her outstanding Jules Verne Trophy record. While Ollier acknowledges that to set such a record it takes range of factors to come good from the weather to the crew work, the success of Peyron and his team can also be attributed to lessons they learned from the first generation G-Class maxi-cats and development work they put in the intervening years. With Team Qatar Ollier says that there a number of further developments that they have in mind. Yet while we are as keen as anyone to see the progress of 'speed under sail' continue to improve, one wonders what the building of a 130ft catamaran will prove other than that, yes, surprise surprise, it is faster than Orange II and suddenly another generation of boats, possibly even including Franck Cammas' new Groupama III maxi trimaran that is yet to be launched, is obsolete. While this is good for the technical development of our sport and for the owner of the newest, fastest boat, it cannot be good for the commercial mechanics of the sport if boats this large and this expensive have such a short competitive life span. - The Daily Sail, http://www.thedailysail.com SHORT MEMORY Knut Frostad, a former Norwegian Olympic sailor, has a short memory. This is why he is preparing for his fourth round the world race. He will step onboard Brasil 1 as a watch leader during the Southern Ocean legs of the event, which starts from Galicia this November. "Only short memory can explain why I'm back," Frostad laughed. "But, seriously, these legs are the best part of the race. Arriving in Rio de Janeiro, looking back and seeing what you've survived," the sailor said. The Volvo fleet is scheduled to arrive in Rio around March 13th, after 23 days at sea.Frostad already has three round the world races in his resume. He was second overall in The Whitbread in 1993-1994 onboard Intrum Justitia. In 1997-98, he was the skipper for the Norwegian entry, Innovation Kvaerner, the team, which gave the opportunity for Brasil 1's Torben Grael to sail for the first time in the event. And, in the last Volvo Race, he was skipper of Djuice Dragons, sixth overall. - Full story: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/pages/news/news134.htm ULLMAN SAILS POWER 5 OF 7 CLASSES TO VICTORY Newport Harbor Yacht Club's Ahmanson Cup kicked off the new Ullman Sails Inshore Championship Series; over 66 boats competed in 7 classes. Winners flying Ullman Sails are: PHRF A / 50+ "Margaritaville" Jay Steinbeck; PHRF C "Power Point" Biff Bunny; J/105's "Rock & Roll" Bernard Girard; Schock 35's "Ripple" Jeff Janov; Sport Boat "Power Point" Biff Bunny. Are you ready for the "Fastest Sails on the Planet?" Check out "FiberPath" sails and the new Ullman Sails Inshore Championship Series by visiting your local loft or online at http://www.ullmansails.com LOCATING WIND SHADOWS (Following is a brief excerpt of a story by David Dellenbaugh posted on the Sailing Breezes online magazine.) Wind shadows, like the wind itself, are invisible, so you have to look around for clues in order to know where they are. Your best tool is undoubtedly the wind indicator on top of your mast (or on the mast of a boat to windward). This pennant shows the apparent wind direction and will give you a very accurate idea of which way the boat's wind shadow extends. In addition to determining the angle of the wind shadow, it's important to know its size. There are many factors that affect how large an area is covered by a boat's disturbed air. These include the wind velocity, height of the mast and speed of the boat. The length of a wind shadow is often measured in "mast-height" units rather than in boatlengths. For example, in heavy air a boat's wind shadow might extend four mast-heights to leeward. In light air, that same boat might cast a wind shadow for eight or more mast-heights. Even if you understand the shape of orientation of wind shadows in theory, this won't always work in practice. Often when it seems you should be in another boat's bad air you aren't, and vice versa. So keep looking for signs while you are racing. Sometimes, for example, you can see or feel bad air in your sails. When a boat is coming from astern, the first thing you may notice is a flutter in the leech of your main. If you are catching another boat, your spinnaker luff may go soft first. The ultimate measure of clear air, of course, is your speed relative to other boats, so keep a close eye on this. If you are going fast, then bad air is probably not a problem. But if you start to slow down, think about wind shadows. - David Dellenbaugh, Sailing Breezes online magazine, http://www.sailingbreezes.com/Sailing_Breezes_Current/Articles/July04/dell.htm CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar YIELDING RESULTS The Spanish VO70 MoviStar has rounded Cape Horn on her shake down passage to Spain. In just two weeks, she has sailed the 4,300 miles from Wellington to the southernmost tip of the South American continent, crossing from the Southern Ocean to the Atlantic; a journey during which the crew has faced every possible difficulty: "We have come across every sea and wind combination that one can encounter sailing; from winds over 40 knots with monster waves and snow, to dead calms, sailing at 5 knots with the sea like a mirror." This ocean training is proving to be a success in terms of the schedule established by Bekking and Pedro Campos, General Manager and inshore helmsman: "As far as Cape Horn is concerned, the balance is nothing but positive," said Campos. "It's great that we have been able to test the boat's behaviour in such a wide range of conditions, and we have collected a great amount of very valuable information. Furthermore, we have confirmed with satisfaction that the training schedule that took us so much time and effort, is starting to yield results". - Volvo Ocean Race, http://www.volvooceanrace.com/pages/news/news136.htm SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING? - An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. - Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age. - Butterflies taste with their feet. - Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10. - "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt." GET READY TO ENJOY GOOD TIMES WITH MOUNT GAY RUM! Good Times is about…sailing. Learn the latest sailing news and find Mount Gay Rum sponsored regattas in your area. Good Times is about…Barbados-the home of the sailors' rum. Re-live your Mount Gay Rum regatta moments and explore Barbados' vacation destinations and its fascinating history. Good Times is about…delicious food recipes and even better drinks-perfect for gathering with friends. Good Times is about this…and more. Become a member of the Mount Gay Rum community by subscribing to Good Times-Mount Gay Rum's seasonal newsletter at http://www.welcometomountgayrum.com NEWS BRIEFS * The IOC Executive Board has accepted the candidature of New Zealand's windsurfing legend and 1992 Olympic champion, Barbara Kendal. Kendall took on Australian swimmer, Susie O'Neill's position on the Athletes' Commission after O'Neill resigned earlier this year. She was put forward by the Nominations Commission as she was the athlete from Oceania who received the highest number of votes after O'Neill in the election to the Athletes' Commission in Sydney. The 19-member Athletes' Commission is the link between active athletes and the International Olympic Committee. - http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j17Fhy6/D&format=popup * The initial joy over the apparent elimination of domestic clearing in Mexico may have been a bit premature. As a new posting on the 'Lectronic Latitude website states, " …it wouldn't be Mexico if some port captains didn't interpret the Reglamento differently." 'Lectronic Latitude also has a summary of the best information available: http://tinyurl.com/bvczo * Tony Bullimore's Daedalus is sailing very slowly in painfully light winds - less than 50 miles from the Oryx Quest 2005 finish line. A dawn arrival looks likely, if not later. - http://www.oryxquest.com * CoastalSailing.net has been launched by White Seahorse, Inc. as an online resource dedicated to the sheer joy of sailing in whatever form it takes, including day sailing, racing, and cruising. The website provides monthly feature articles on topics of importance to sailors, information on cruising destinations and stories. It will include articles on seamanship topics and reviews of books on coastal cruising destinations. CoastalSailing.net will also provide overviews of products that have been tested by the staff and proven to be superior, innovative, or just plain exceptional for boating applications. - www.coastalsailing.net * The 9th annual Strictly Sail Pacific, the largest sailboat show on the West Coast that concluded Sunday, April 17, was marked by beautiful weather and crowds of showgoers from west of the Mississippi. Over 12,250 people attended the show, which represented a gate that was slightly down (3 percent) from last year's attendance for the five-day show at Oakland, California's Jack London Square. - http://www.sailamerica.com * Following the tragic death of Dave Ovington, the Ovington family have appointed and interim management team lead by Dave's son Adam Ovington (Managing Director). The team comprises Martin Jones (Commercial and Strategy), Ray Outterside (Composite Production and Quality Assurance) Dave Hall (Sales and Marketing) Veronica Brown (Finance). Founded in 1975 Ovington Boats the business has built a wide range of products including 49'ers, 29'ers, Musto Skiffs and Flying Fifteens. * Grey Goose Vodka has become the title sponsor of this September's ISAF Team Racing World Championship, which will be hosted by the New York Yacht Club from its Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, R.I. The 2005 Grey Goose ISAF Team Racing World Championship will be sailed Vanguard 15s, with the opening ceremonies set for Sunday evening, September 25. http://www.nyyc.org/teamracingworlds FOR SALE Blue Moon is a 54' Aluminum Motorsailer, designed by Paul Kotzebou. Superbly built (1987) and maintained twin diesel motorsailor that sails well on all points. 3 staterooms, beautifully finished interior, top quality gear list. Exceptionally priced at $495K. Lying: San Diego. Contact Neal Esterly, Fraser Yachts Worldwide, 619-823-9034 or mailto:neale@fraseryachts.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. 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 Tapio Lehtinen, Helsinki, Finland (re comparing the number of dinghies built and sold - edited to our 250-word limit): I guess that the popularity of skiff sailing (St. Francis YC is expecting to have 120 participants in the 2005 29er Worlds) has grown enough that some people in the old 420 establishment have gone from the ignorance & laugh mode to the fighting mode. I can't see the point of questioning the success of the niner classes by comparing the numbers of old established world wide classes (btw, according to the ISAF statistics, it was 359, not 450+ 420s built in 2004 - but still very impressive!). I have nothing against the traditional boats, I race a 1936 six meter when not sailing 29ers, but I think that Julian Bethwaite has done a great service for the sport of sailing by designing 49er and 29er which give modern, fun & fast alternatives to the old classes. I am convinced that as a result we get a bigger total number of people participating in our sport in the future. ISAF and IOC should also support this trend by giving also females a high performance dinghy class in the Olympics and ISAF should add the 29er as one of the classes used in the ISAF Youth Worlds accordingly following the logic of having 470 and 49er as Olympic classes. So, please, let's co-operate, not attack each other's classes. We should promote sailing as a whole, not waste energy starting fights between different classes. (Was it John Lennon who told us to make love, not war?) * From Max Hazelwood: I'm Confused! - Read so many reports and stories lately that I'm about to do an involuntary jibe. I've been an avid America's Cup follower since Gretel. Is there any one site that I can dial into that lists the current or likely entrants at this date by Country / Boat Name / Sponsor / Skipper? Curmudgeon's Comment: Sure: www.americascup.com/en/ * From Eric Hall (re Ted's Twister): I cheated. I checked with Archimedes this morning. He said no change. He said that the amount of water displaced by the boat with the rock and piece of wood in it is the same as the amount of water displaced with the rock and piece of wood in the water outside the boat. (But only if he threw the rock "over the side" into the water, not, say, onto the beach. Hope he's right. * From Peter Rugg: Ted Hood knows well that the level of the pond is unchanged. Tossing objects overboard reduced the displacement of the dinghy, but the same displacement is still in the pond. * From Bob Cox: Since the pond is already being displaced by both the rock and the block of wood before being ejected, the ponds level remains the same. The same effect can be seen in a glass of ice water with ice over the brim. As the ice melts the level remains the same. * From Ed Buerger: Pond level was unchanged as the rock at the pond bottom raised the pond level the same amount as the pond level was lowered by the boat riding higher. The same holds true for the piece of wood. However if the wood and the rock were on the beach when they were tossed in, the pond level would be altered. Curmudgeon's Comment: Ted Hood's teaser truly filled the curmudgeon's mailbox, and although we still have pages of interesting responses - this thread is now most definitely officially dead. * From Steve Gregory: I think I finally got it about the Panama Canal locks. A boat entering the Panama Canal floats into the first lock at sea-level, then needs to be pushed up to the next lock level. The displacement of the boat is already handled at the first lock, so all that happens after that is pushing the bottom of the water up to meet the level of the next lock, or if the boat is exiting the locks, pulling it down. Boat size doesn't matter once it is inside the locks. You can say that boat displacement effects the rise or fall of the water level on the shoreline outside of the locks, but not inside the locks. A helpful video is available at: http://www.pancanal.com/eng/general/howitworks/index.html Curmudgeon's Comment: OK - this thread is also officially dead. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "If you start well, sail well and finish well, then at the end of the day you have done well, regardless of where the fleet is." - Justin Kelleher |
