|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1561 - April 14, 2004
Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt 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.
AMERICA'S CUP
(The Daily Sail website has done a very comprehensive story of the recently
concluded America's Cup meeting in Valencia. Included in that piece was the
list of attendees.)
Alinghi (Sui) - Grant Simmer, Rolf Vrolijk and Jochen Schueman
Oracle BMW Racing (US) - Tom Ehman, Russell Green, Grant Davidson
Clan Des Team (It) - Cesare Pisotti
K Challenge (Fr) - Stephan Kandler, Dawn Riley and Thierry Peponnet
Le Defi (Fr) - Luc Gellusseau
Team France (Fr) - Bertrand Pace
Luna Rosa (It) -
Mascalzone Latino (It) - Tom Weaver, John Cutler, Vasco Vascotto
Toscana Challenge (It) - Gualtieron Pantani
Italian Chalenge (It) - Paulo Scuttellaro
OZ Boys (Aust) - Ben Wright
C7 (Aust) - Kristine Condell
Victory Challenge (Swe) - Bert Willborg
Team Dennis Conner (US) - Bill Trenkle
Sausolito Challenge (US) - Tina Kleinjan
El Reto (Sp) - Jose Luis Doreste Blancho
GBR - Leslie Ryan, Gordon Moultrie, Derek Clark, Gordon Clyde (rule/law)
TNZ - Andy Claughton, Marcelo Bottin
So what do we make of the above? Not present were the South African team
and the Polish team, presumably in slight disarray if Karol Jablonski has
indeed joined the Toscana Challenge. One time PlayStation boat captain, Ben
Wright subsequently with Le Defi Areva, is now with the OZ Boys, while
Kristine Condell was representing a potential challenge from Melbourne.
John Cutler has jumped ship from K Challenge to join Tom Weaver at
Mascalzone Latino. Despite Dennis Conner sounding off in Geneva at the
venue announcement last year about the America's Cup becoming "too
expensive" and not being there in 2007, Bill Trenkle was there waving the
Stars & Stripes. - The Daily Sail, http://www.thedailysail.com
CELEBRATION
June 2004 will be the fourth anniversary of Summer Sailstice - the global
sailing holiday founded by John Arndt in 2000 which every year increases in
both sailor participation levels and geographic distribution. In 2003, over
1,400 people signed up with Summer Sailstice from all over the world,
growing from 400 in 2002 and 200 in 2001. Sailors signed up from 12
countries, 40 states in the US, 5 Canadian provinces and sailed as far
North as Alaska and as far South as Venezuela. The furthest East and West
was Tel Aviv in the Med and Tokyo in Japan! One early bird sign up for 2004
will be sailing in Croatia.
Summer Sailstice is not simply about where you sail, how you sail or why
you sail - this global holiday for sailors is intended to celebrate the
freedom we all have to sail. If you haven't already planned to go sailing,
or racing or cruising on the weekend of June 19 & 20th, organize your
friends, your yacht club, your class association or your kids now and make
your Summer Sailstice plans.
This year, Summer Sailstice is offering a grand prize of a week long
charter courtesy of The Moorings located in the British Virgin Islands. In
addition to the Moorings Charter, Summer Sailstice 2004 prizes include a
$500 shopping spree at West Marine and over 100 others listed on the Summer
Sailstice website. Prizes are awarded by random drawing to those
participating in Summer Sailstice sailing on June 19th and 20th and being
signed up online at www.summersailstice.com
LOVELL AND OGLETREE JUMP INTO THE LEAD
Sixty two boats from 24 countries started the 2004 Tornado World
Championship in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The competitors had a sunny and
warm (68 degree) day for first two races, plus a nice sea breeze of 8-10
knots that picked up a bit later on. American's John Lovell and Charlie
Ogletree finished the opening races with a 5-1 to take a three point lead
over Santiago Lange and Carlos Espinola from Argentina, with France's Yann
Guichard Christophe Espagnon six points further back. "We are sailing fast
and we are very satisfied with our good team work. But this is only the
beginning of the event and we still have a long way to go," said John
Lovell. - www.cnarenal.com/regata.php
FACT VS FICTION
Why do RIBs cost so much? Some don't once provided with straight answers
and a real honest comparison. Consider these facts when comparing RIBs and
deciding which one to buy: Fact- Aquapro has been building high quality
RIBs for 14 years in New Zealand; Fact- In the last two America's Cup
Campaigns, four different syndicates used Aquapro Raider RIBs; Fact- Raider
RIBs are built using only Pennel 866 "Orca Hypalon Tubes" with a ten-year
warranty. Call 1-877-7RAIDER or make your own comparison at
http://www.raiderboat.com
FOR THE RECORD
The 11-man Geronimo crew has finally succeeded in crossing the 30°South
parallel, off the coast of Brazil, and has passed the anticyclone now
covering the Atlantic at this point. Their next objective is to reach the
permanent trade winds as quickly as possible, although these do not seem
very active at the moment. Much attention is also being paid to the
Doldrums, the extent of which looks worrying between now and Friday,
although they are forecast to disappear almost entirely after that. This
strange area of nothingness expands and contracts like a breathing lung,
but since Geronimo suffered from an expanded Doldrums on her southward
passage, she should, statistically at least, have a better experience on
this return leg.
The loss of their solent means that the crew must avoid sailing
close-hauled and search for better angles to the wind that will allow them
to use their still-serviceable gennakers. Day 47 summary: 200.25 nautical
miles in 24 hours, at an average speed of 8.34 knots. This places them
about 2 ½ days behind the recent track of Steve Fossett's Cheyenne. -
www.trimaran-geronimo.com
ANOTHER RECORD ATTEMPT
Ellen MacArthur was 380 miles east of Gaudeloupe yesterday and some 1,700
miles remaining to Long Island Sound in her maiden solo voyage in her new
75ft trimaran B & Q. Already her mind is on the next voyage: a bid to break
the solo transatlantic record some time in the coming three months. Is B &
Q the vessel to do it?
"We were overawed with her performance," said MacArthur. After B & Q was
launched in Sydney, the Nigel Irens-designed trimaran was tested in
Auckland and then sailed through the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn
with three crew before pausing in the Falklands from where MacArthur
continued alone.
"We pushed her really hard in the south and it was amazing to see how
sturdy she was," she said. "You could drive the boat at 25-30 knots down
into a wave and she never showed any sign of wanting to not come out or
flip over." - Excerpts from a story by Tim Jeffery, the Daily Telegraph,
full story: http://tinyurl.com/3xd7z
Curmudgeon's Comment: - the West-East transatlantic record is currently
held by Laurent Bourgnon at just over 7 days. The B & Q shore team will be
in New York to meet Ellen and start on the preparation work for the record
attempt whilst looking at possible weather windows for a departure from
early May.
SAFETY
When a small sailboat capsizes, the masthead is immersed and water begins
to intrude into the hollow core of the mast extrusion. This progressive
flooding causes an increase in capsizing moment and the boat eventually
turtles. When the boat is righted, the added weight of water must be lifted
clear of the surface. Once the mast reaches horizontal, the water begins to
flow toward the step. The reduced capsizing moment quickly drops well below
the applied righting moment and the boat snaps through vertical, often to
capsize again on the opposite tack. This could result in the crew becoming
trapped under the sail, which is definitely not good.
The Chicago Corinthian YC solved this problem on their 420s by inserting
closed cell pipe insulation into the masts, at a total cost of the project
was something like $6.00 per boat. The process with pictures is outlined on
the CCYC website: www.corinthian.org/junior/Retrofitting420Mast.html
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN SOMETHING?
Getting ready for the Bermuda Race isn't easy. But New England Boatworks
can race-prep your boat from top to bottom, from fairing the keel bulb to
repairing masthead chafe problems, and servicing your engine and electrical
system to avoid trouble offshore. Call NEB's Scotty Murray today at
401-683-6110. http://www.neboatworks.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
SENIOR SAILORS
Lloyd Sellinger is getting a crew together for the 2005 Transpacific Yacht
Race to Hawaii, but the likes of Brad Van Liew, Paul Cayard, Mark Rudiger,
or Peter Isler need not apply. Maybe they've raced around the world but,
sorry, they don't qualify. The primary requirement is firm. Only those born
before July of 1940 can cut it. Age 65 and over is it.
Sellinger, a Newport Beach resident and member of the Little Ships Fleet of
Long Beach, has owned a Cal 40 named Bubala since 1983. He never thought
about racing it to Hawaii until the last couple of years when two things
happened. First, Wendy Siegal, his next door neighbor in the Alamitos Bay
Marina, rounded up 10 Cal 40s for last year's Transpac to celebrate the
40th anniversary of their 1960s success in the race.
Then, as Sellinger wrote in a letter to a sailing publication recently, "I
sailed aboard a Cal 40, looking forward to being crew on her in last July's
Transpac. But, after awhile, the skipper asked me how old I was and what
condition my heart was in. "I felt those questions were very tacky, to say
the least. Needless to say, I didn't get a spot on the crew, which made me
really mad. 'I'll show them,' I said to myself, 'and take my own Cal 40 on
the 2005 Transpac - but with a difference. All the crew will be 65 or older.'
Sellinger is 71 now. He would have been 70 then. He'll be 72 in '05. So far
he has nine applicants, whose current ages range from 63 to 75. But, he
plans to sail with only six, including himself. - Rich Roberts, The Log,
full story: http://www.thelog.com/columnists/columnistsview.asp?c=102458
NEWS BRIEFS
* Henri-Lloyd, has been appointed as the Official Clothing Supplier to the
Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships. They have signed a two year
contract with ISAF and will be providing clothing for competitors and
organizers at the Volvo Youth ISAF World Championships in Gydnia, Poland in
July 2004 and and Pusan, South Korea in July 2005. Known as the 'Olympics'
of youth sailing, 300 sailors from fifty different countries take part in
the event, racing in the 420, Laser, Laser Radial, Mistral and Hobie Cat
classes. www.henrilloyd.com
* Residents of Oakland may find it impossible to miss the opening of
Pacific Sail Expo, the largest sailboat festival on the West Coast that
opens on Wednesday, April 14. Because the minute the gates of this five-day
festival open, the people of Oakland will hear it. On Wednesday, at high
noon, the Tall Ship Hawaiian Chieftain will make a dramatic entrance to
mark the opening of this West Coast happening--with canons blazing, canvas
flying, and crewmembers dressed as if they had just stepped out of the 18th
century. - www.sailamerica.com
* Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.), sailing with Kim Hapgood, Chafee Emory and
Heidi Ziskind, won nine of her 10 matches and was named champion of the
2004 Rolex Women's Match - an ISAF Grade 4 event organized by the St.
Petersburg Yacht Club. Second place went to Rachael Silverstein (St.
Petersburg, Fla.) Kira Devers-Jones, Trisha Birkenstock, Meredith Pelton,
while. Kristin Britt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) Evan Brown, Kelley Simpson,
Reguli Granger took third place www.rolexwomensmatch.org
* Rob Draper of Northern Light Films had become a 'Media Partner' of Bruce
Schwab's team for the Vendee Globe. Draper will provide the ability to
capture and send the highest quality compressed audio and video possible
during the Vendee, via satellite ISDN, to give sponsors and followers
exciting real-time content. Cameras mounted on a unique 16 foot tall radar
tower will allow a birds-eye view of the wild high-speed Southern Ocean
surfing. Draper has already shot a five-part series of interviews with
Schwab talking about the Vendee. It can be viewed: www.thecoastofmaine.com
CHEYENNE, FOSSETT AND MUSTO - WHAT A RECORD-BREAKING TEAM!
Congratulations go to Steve Fossett and his crew for their phenomenal
round-the-world, record-breaking achievement. Musto is proud to have played
such a vital part in helping Fossett achieve his life-long ambition - to
sail around the world faster than anyone else. Steve knew he was onto a
winner when he chose Musto foul-weather gear to protect himself and his
crew from the elements during their epic adventure. You don't need to sail
a 125' maxi catamaran to experience Musto. Give it a try next time:
http://www.musto.co.uk
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
(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 Arthur Bugs Baer: What a lot of hoo-ha about whether or not Cheyenne
should have paid a large entry fee to qualify for the Jules Verne trophy.
France is the most enthusiastic country in the world about long-distance
sailing. She has produced a wonderful series of sailors, designers, and
builders of long-distance boats, more than any other country. A champion
ocean racer in France is admired with her great football players, bicycle
racers and chefs as popular heroes, a status equaled in no other country.
So it was logical that France established the Jules Verne Trophy, and
congratulations to her. However, Steve Fossett, the greatest American
adventurer of the last fifty years, and comparable to the great British
adventurers who explored the world in the nineteenth century, wanted only
to set the record for round-the-world sailing.
There was no Jules Verne trophy when Sir Robin Knox-Johnston won the first
round-the-world nonstop race. And France does not have the right, any more
than any other nation, to unilaterally establish fees and rules for
attempts to set the record for a round-the-world record.
So Steve Fossett shattered the record in compliance with the official
round-the-world record keeper, but didn't pay the fee for Jules Verne
trophy eligibility. So what? Fossett doesn't get to to put a Jules Verne
trophy on his shelf, and the French administators don't get to list Fossett
as one of the trophy winners. That's that. Have I missed something?
* From Tim Kent (Regarding the current tussle over who gets what
record/trophy for racing around the world - edited to our 250-word limit):
There four different sanctioning bodies for boxing, and there could be four
heavyweight boxing champs. The general sporting fan neither knows nor cares
who the heavyweight champion(s) of the world is/are. Ditto the split in US
open wheel auto racing between the IRL and CART.
Right now there are a pile of races and records for racing around the
world; The Vendee Globe, Around Alone/5 Oceans, The Volvo Ocean Race, The
Race/The Tracy Edwards Quatar Deal, Chay Blyth's wrong-way race, Robin
Knox-Johnston's wrong way race, not to mention recently shattered around
the world records (Cheyenne), solo the wrong way around (Van de Heede), and
the amazing solo around the world record set by Francois Joyon. Now we face
the fact of two different outright around the world records - the WSSR
record just ratified for Cheyenne and the Jules Verne Trophy for the same -
or essentially the same - course, which is still held by a slower boat. And
Geronimo may be able to lay claim to the Jules Verne Trophy by beating
Orange, but still not have the fastest time around the globe.
If we want this sport to grow, the people who are managing these events and
records as well as those competing for them should be aware of the
confusion they are causing to sailors, sports fans, and to the sponsors who
support them. Their selfless stewardship is vital to our sport else it slip
into an expensive and irrelevant mess of acronyms and acrimony.
* From David K. Anderson, London (Re: Peter Jones' comments on the NYYC's
knowledge of the keel design of Australia II and the Commodore's subsequent
resignation): Commodore Robert G. Stone Jr. served his full term as
Commodore, most certainly did not resign from the club, and is still a
member. Furthermore, in the last month or so of the 1983 series the flag
officers of the club became aware of the design influence of nations other
than Australia and Ben Lexcen, however there had been so much controversy
all that summer that they decided to let the issue pass without any action
on their part. In fact there was a conscious decision to just sail the
event and decide the outcome on the water, not in the protest room or in
the press. With all due respect, Mr. Jones' comments are inaccurate.
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
Old is when an 'all-nighter' means not getting up to pee.
|
| |