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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 682 - November 3, 2000PETE GOSS REPLIES TO MIKE CALVIN(Team Philips skipper Pete Goss wrote a story for the UK's Daily Telegraph replying to the concerns of Mike Calvin that were printed yesterday's Scuttlebutt. Here are two excerpts from that story.) * It's not every day that you wake up to find your project on a platter with your head in its mouth, all coated in a rich and emotive glaze laced with words such as cursed, madness, obsession and risk to life. As with most things in life it's all about perception. Mine happens to differ with Mike Calvin's, a Mail on Sunday journalist who so publicly resigned from my crew in an article in his newspaper last weekend. Friends and supporters treat it as if there has been a death in the family and ask in hushed tones if I'm ok. Granted his article and the headline, in which Calvin doubted the safety of Team Philips, had scant regard for its consequences to those that he has left behind. However, that is perhaps the line one crosses when stepping from participant to observer. I knew his resignation was coming for some time and chose to give Calvin the freedom and time to wrestle with his demons. It is always hard to face up to one's personal truths. Many drift through life without doing so and the truism that "it takes a big man to say no" is one that has always had my deepest respect. Team Philips has always been an emotive project, challenging the norm will always be controversial. That I accept, even welcome. For it can do no harm to promote thought and search for answers provided one has clear guidelines and principles to work within. In our case it has always been safety and will remain so. It's down to Team Philips now, she has had her pound of flesh and it's up to her to do the talking. It's an opportunity that she deserves as I don't believe in gagging potential, people or speculation. You don't know until you try and we've just got to the point where it's all coming together. My position is not unusual. Every skipper from a frigate to a day boat carries the same weight. Theirs is "the sole and inescapable responsibility for the safety of the vessel and all within it". They also have the authority to say no. That decision can only be based on fact, not fiction (to date we have not had our lives at risk) and requires hard evidence before those who have the knowledge and experience can make a judgment. * In a sense Mike and I are both right and have the courage to stand by our convictions. In my case, this is not with blind regard for the consequences. I knew that we had set ourselves a huge challenge at the very coalface of innovation and technology. In this arena, the word persistence holds more gravitas than obsession. We have done a complete audit of the boat and feel that most of the pain has now been suffered. Future issues will be able to be resolved by the crew on board rather than having to go all the way back to Totnes. We now have a rolling programme reviewed on a daily basis against a clear goal that has been in place for the last five years, to do The Race. That Mike found it impossible to participate under that environment is sad but understandable. But for the sake of a little patience he is destined to watch while we carry on with the banner that we are so proud and privileged to hold. Whatever the outcome we can hand on heart say to ourselves that we truly did our best. - Pete Goss, Daily Telegraph, UK Do yourself a favor and read the whole story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001648423620749&rtmo=VDg3M86K&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/11/2/soyots02.html VENDEE GLOBE Postponement? Maybe! -A low pressure system with South West winds up to 40/50 knots is heading to Les Sables d'Olonne for this week end. The 4 to 5 meters waves will not help the organisation to give the start of the race, and it might be dangerous for the competitors and for the spectators boats to go to out to watch the start. - http://www.vendeeglobe.com/home.asp?lang=us KEEP YOUR MEMBERS INFORMED We all look forward to our daily issue of Scuttlebutt to keep us in touch with the sailing community as well as share opinions and ideas with other sailors. Well, now you and your members can have access to club news and information 24 hours/7 days a week! This is one of the many benefits LifeCast.com affiliates enjoy. With over 800 affiliate clubs, LifeCast.com is the industry leader in providing online communities for private clubs. Find out how to get your club online by visiting us at www.lifecast.com. AMERICA'S CUP 2003 Whether Russell Coutts' new America's Cup challenge is legal will have to be decided by an arbitration panel. But an irritated Coutts claims his old yacht club has taken too long to clear the Swiss Challenge's entry into the 2003 cup regatta - holding up his team's progress. The Societe Nautique Geneve, the yacht club of Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, lodged its challenge with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in August, but its entry still hangs in the balance. The whole issue revolves around Switzerland's landlocked geography. The Deed of Gift for the cup says if a challenging yacht club is not based on a coastline, it must at least hold an annual regatta on an arm of the sea. The Societe Nautique Geneve, one of the oldest yacht clubs in Europe, usually races in the freshwater of Lake Geneva, but it held its first sea regatta in Cannes, France, this year. But that is where the problem lies. The vice-commodore of the RNZYS, Bill Endean, said the regatta was held after the Swiss lodged their challenge. So the tender issue has now been referred to an independent arbitration panel, which is still being put together. "The squadron is simply looking for guidance on this. But we don't understand where Russell Coutts is coming from. The Swiss challenge has agreed to submit the question to the panel," he said. "We need to get this clarified, because it could impact on the way future challenges are treated." Coutts, who left Team NZ for the Swiss campaign, accused the squadron of immediately banking Bertarelli's cheque for the $US150,000 entry fee. But the squadron says the cheque is still sitting at its headquarters. Coutts' comments in Bermuda this week infer that the squadron, the club he twice won the America's Cup with, may be standing in his way. ' Endean said the legality of another entry was also under consideration, but he would not disclose the identity of the challenger. - Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed may be edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Zach de Beer - Reading about the race it does not take a genius to see that if the Race does start there will be big problems. It has always fascinated me that in the sailing world people will attempt things like the race with the minimum if any proper testing of gear, equipment and structures, I come from the Aerospace industry and I just shake my head in total disbelief. In a rational world the Race would be preceded with a few MINI RACES where the competitors and designers can work out where they are in a lower risk situation, maybe 3 mini races in 18 months. If most of the crews and boats make it through the last mini then go for the big one. Disaster is never far from a combination of hype and poor preparation, especially in the Southern Ocean. The first brave man has stood up and said no so the rest should get on with it. -- From Nicholas Longhurst (edited to our 250-word limit) - Mike Calvin certainly cannot be faulted for his personal withdrawal from the Team Phillips crew in The Race because of his awareness of the sobering dangers which face not only Goss' crew but any and all of the sailors who find themselves on a hugely untried beast of a boat ripping around the southern ocean, or any of the other unfriendly waters these boats are to race over, for that matter. As time progresses towards the planned start, the race becomes more and more quixotic in nature, and because the new boat designs break so much new ground, especially in terms of loadings and performance in heavy seas, which none of them have really been subjected to, a year's delay makes a huge amount of sense. I have spoken to a couple of potential race crewmen and it does seem that there are huge areas of safety concern that have not been thought through. Have designers, pushing the edge of the technology envelope, taken this whole event the wrong way. All other factors being equal, in a race of attrition --as this will undoubtedly be-- the most durable solution will win and I just don't see a hell of a lot of durability. The race has the potential of attracting a huge amount of morbid interest in our sport as these things crash and burn with possible loss of life - and we can't let that happen. -- From Mike Ratiani - While I did not get involved with the rules, nor have I spoken directly to those who framed the new rules, I can only surmise that the change of the use of the X flag to R to signal individual Recalls can be explained as follows. The newer system of flags and signals for starting, calls for all flags to be removed at the starting signal. While it takes some getting used to, we have used this system at St. Francis Yacht Club quite successfully. There have been several articles about the various pros and cons of both the new and old systems, but change seems to be coming. Therefore, in the absence of all other flags, the most readily visible flag would the R flag with its more visible red background. Especially as most RC boats are white, against which a red and yellow flag do show up better. Therefore, if you look at the RC Boat and see no red and yellow, or no blue and yellow (First Repeater) it was a clean start. -- From Tom O'Conor - Since there is discussion regarding Race Committee signals, here are a few observations and suggestions: 1. Why does the "X" flag have a "+" while the "M" flag has an "X"? Switch the flags to reduce confusion. 2. Change the "I" flag to a "K" flag. After all, it means "Keep back". 3. Why use a "Y" flag when safety is a concern? Just hoist a lifejacket (excuse me- a PFD) and the meaning will be very clear. 4. One thing that needn't change- the "black flag" says it all. -- From Mark Harris - The Multihull Racing Assn thinks the proposed change of the individual recall flag from the "x" flag to "R" another example of what others have said, a problem looking for a supporter. Not at our events, not now, not ever!!!!!! -- From Scott Ridgeway - Have I missed something? US Sailing's Annual Meeting has been over for a couple of weeks now, but based on their press releases printed in 'Butt, all they did was to present a couple of trophies and awards. Is that why I'm sending them $40.00 each year? CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: According to the ISAF website, this submission comes from Canada, specifically from the CORK week people. They say that they have substituted Code Flag "R" for years and say it is more visible: http://www.sailing.org/meetings/2000november/subs/137-00.html -- From Jane Pegel - Paul Daniels in Butt No. 681 has touched a point that has long been a disappointment to me. Sailing is a sport in which women are capable of competing against all comers. In the 70's the IYRU Women's Committee had the opinion that separate women's events would make available for women $$$ funding to compete, especially if there were women's sailing events at the Olympic level. The committee was correct, and there are now separate Olympic events for women and women seeking funding of all sorts have better results raising funds when they target women's events. It is a shame because in the real world women and girls compete very successfully at all levels. Sailors who have competed against Dawn Riley, the Backus sisters, Jody Swanson, Jan O'Malley, JJ Isler, Pease Glaser, Hannah Swett, Susie Pegel, and an army of others, including myself, know that women can and should be competing in open competition at all levels. Eventually sponsors will come to realize this and progress will have been made. In the mean time, get a good start and sail the lifted tack. -- From Elyse Olson - Paul Daniels wrote, "People say to let women compete on their own, as an individual, not specifically as "women". I would caution, 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.' " Gee Paul, the last time I checked, there were not any restrictions or labels about women sailing in PHRF, America's Cup, One Design etc. Be careful what we wish for? You make it sound like we have no chance to win against men, then you go on to tout the winning finishes of global circumnavigators like Isabelle Autissier and Ellen MacAurthur. I will bet that neither of these women wants to be viewed as a "woman sailor" rather then simply a sailor. I am a woman who enjoys yacht racing. I compete against men and women in PHRF and One Design boats. I have never, ever felt a competitive disadvantage because I am a woman. I also participate in all women's events because they are fun, and I get a chance to get to know other women who share the same passion that I do. Isn't that part of what this sport is all about? Can we kill this thread yet? I really don't care to see my favorite news to read in the morning turn into a lengthy gender politics discussion. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Yes, we can kill it. I'm not sure how this thread got reopened, but I've just shut it down again. SAILING YACHT SYMPOSIUM The fifteenth biennial Chesapeake Sailing Yacht Symposium (CSYS) will be hosted by the United States Naval Academy and St. Johns College in Annapolis Maryland on January 26 and 27, 2001. The CSYS is an international forum for technical research concerning the design, construction, and operation of sailing yachts. Over the years CSYS papers have spanned a broad range of subjects, from reviews of the latest scientific design and analysis techniques to discussions of design, construction, and historical issues of interest to all yachtsmen. The 15th CSYS will feature authors from Australia, Germany, England, New Zealand, Japan, and The Netherlands. Domestic authors will include representative of Mystic Seaport, Stevens Institute of Technology, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, US Sailing, and several corporations and private consultants. The symposium is sponsored by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), US Sailing, The Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA), and the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron (NASS). Highly technical papers will be presented in conjunction with an open meeting of the SNAME Technical Panel on Sailing Craft at the US Naval Academy on Friday, 26 January 2001. Papers of broader interest will be presented at St. Johns College on Saturday, 27 January 2001. Complete list of papers and authors: http://wseweb.ew.usna.edu/nahl/csys CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * November 8-11: Mumm 30 World Championship, hosted by the Storm Trysail Club at the Miami Beach Marina in South Miami Beach. A record number of 40 boats from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States are expected to compete. www.mumm30.org * November 13-24: 505 World Championships, Durban South Africa. North America is sending 12 boats - among these are 1999 World Champions Howard Hamlin and Mike Martin. However, Howard and Mike will be driving their own boats. Howard is sailing with Peter Alarie, while Mike has teamed Steve Bourdow. 1999 World Championship runners up Ben Benjamin and Andy Beeckman will be there along with Dave Shelton and Bruce Edwards of Santa Cruz, and Andy Zinn and Dan Thompson from Long Beach and Newport Beach respectively. Conditions in Durban are typically wild and windy this time of year. Daily updates: http://www.int505.org QUOTE/UNQUOTE "Any serious, and viable, America's Cup campaign for 2000 needed at least two training boats out on the water and two new boats in operation for at least two years. The team that did that best was Team New Zealand, which did it for three or four years." - Chris Dickson, Grad Prix Sailor EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW IS RIGHT HERE! The last time you bought a sail did you ask about the cloth? Sailcloth.com is a new web site by Bainbridge International designed especially for the boat owner and sailor. It is packed full of easy to follow information and handy tips to explain why you should be talking to your sailmaker about a better quality cloth. http://www.sailcloth.com ILLBUCK AC CAMPAIGN (Following is an excerpt from a story in the Frankfurter Allgemeine about Germany's just launched illbruck America's Cup campaign.) Enormous amounts of money have been spent in the past on efforts to win the coveted trophy. The 11 entrants in the last America's Cup are said to have spent a total of around DM1 billion ($0.4 billion) between them. Illbruck does not want to put itself under pressure to succeed, at least not the first time round, but is planning ahead: "We're focusing on winning the following America's Cup," says Michael Illbruck, chief executive partner of the Illbruck firm, which employs around 3,200 people in 15 countries. The 40-year-old has both determination and a long-term strategy. Although the teams are permitted to build two racing yachts for one campaign, Illbruck will be building only one. But a second is to follow in spring 2003 (which will still be credited to the first campaign, even if it is not used). By building another two boats for the 2005/06 race, the team will have a total of four yachts available. Previous German efforts foundered regularly on the problem of lack of money, but Illbruck plans to finance most of the campaign itself. The group is using the sport of yachting as a marketing tool and "image bearer." It hopes to raise around DM7 million in funding from sponsors in both 2001 and 2002. One of the major advantages for the Leverkusen team is the fact that it does not have to start "from scratch," but given the current preparations for the Volvo Ocean Race has instead already built up the structure needed for an enterprise of this dimension. The technical, management and sailing teams are to remain unchanged for the America's Cup campaign. For two years now, the Illbruck team has been training and testing with two identical training yachts, while the construction of the actual VO60-class racing yacht started recently. Skipper in both competitions will be American John Kostecki. The 36-year-old veteran of Whitbread and America's Cup campaigns has "overall responsibility for sporting matters." He has gathered a crew around him consisting mainly of experienced New Zealand sailing professionals, complemented by one Dutchman and one Spaniard. The only German on board so far is Toni Kolb. Under America's Cup regulations, the non-German sailors have to change their permanent place of residence to Germany. - Walter Wille, Frankfurter Allgemeine Full story: http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub={B1311FCF-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88}&doc={77FB1846-AF1D-11D4-B99D-009027BA226C} AMERICA'S CUP BRIEFS * Jochen Schumann has joined the Swiss Challenge for the America's Cup in the position of second helmsman, supporting Russell Coutts. In addition this Olympic medalist (three golds and a silver) will be in charge of the crew's technical and physical support * Recurring dock talk suggests that Seattle's Corinthian Yacht Club will not be the sponsoring Yacht Club for Russell Belden's Seattle Challenge America's Cup campaign. OUTTA HERE The curmudgeon is leaving later today to race in the Pro-Am Regatta at the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gordo in the Caribbean. It looks like a truly incredible event - the other skippers include Rod Johnstone, Peter Holmberg, Russell Coutts, Lowell North, Paul Cayard, Butch Ulmer, J.J. Isler, Keith Musto and Peter Isler. While I'm gone, my friends at Boats.com will be producing and distributing 'Butt, and I'll be sending in regular reports directly from the British Virgin Islands assuming I can get my email cranked up. Now, does anyone have a tuning guide for a Freedom 30? THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Spontaneity is frequently the result of good planning. |
