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SCUTTLEBUTT 1328 - May 13, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. THEY MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT Once again, the entries for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) have eclipsed the previous year. The ARC2003 entry list closed after the 225th yacht the maximum number - was accepted Friday, 9 May, two weeks earlier than last year's record breaker. Hopeful entries in this annual migration across the Atlantic are now being placed onto a waiting list, and will only be accepted as yachts already entered withdraw during the build up to the start of the eighteenth ARC from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 23 November. The Port Authority of Las Palmas continue to improve facilities for yachts with ambitious plans to double the marina capacity over the next three years. We are also expanding the programme of social activities in St. Lucia this year, with the help of a new local committee that has been established with representatives from key organizations on the island. In addition, the Las Palmas programme has been further refined following feedback from previous years' participants to include a double-handed workshop, a Children's Optimist Regatta and a number of other social events." Oyster is back up to top spot as predominant maker in the fleet with a total of 19 Oysters entered. Hallberg Rassy come a close second with 17 yachts, but Nautor Swan has dropped from their spot as most popular make last year with 13 yachts, topped by Beneteau with a very healthy turn out of 15 entries. With two Volvo 60's, a Sydney 60 and four Farr 65's entered, the racing division looks to be the one to watch this year. Several key players in the world of yacht racing have also entered their own boats, including Peter Harrison with his brand new 115ft cruising ketch and Vincenzo Onorato, part of the Americas Cup Prada Syndicate, with his Swan 65, Mascalzone Latino XIV. This is the fifth consecutive year that the ARC has attracted well in excess of 200 yachts, and more than 20 different nations. The largest nation, making up just over half the fleet is Great Britain, followed by Germany and the USA. The ARC has also attracted entries from Russia and Japan and two boats from Israel. http://www.worldcruising.com/arc SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Swedish Match Tour leader Jes Gram-Hansen posted a 5-0 record on the opening day of the Toscsana Elba Cup - Trofeo Locman on Italy's Isle of Elba. "We had a good game plan going into today," said Gram-Hansen. "Steve (Flam) was looking for wind pressure down the course and Rasmus (Kostner) and I were calling tactics. It's great to be working together with them." Posting four wins on the day, and also advancing to the quarterfinals, was Sweden's Magnus Holmberg, helmsman for the Victory Challenge. Back with Holmberg this week is his long-time tactician Stefan Rahm, who was absent from the Congressional Cup as he recuperated from knee surgery. The light air, which peaked at six knots, contributed to a quiet first day for the umpires as well. There were no penalties assessed today, but chief umpire Gerard Bosse is certain that the action, as well as the wind will increase. "The breeze will be a bit stronger tomorrow and continue to build throughout the week," said Bosse. "The clouds we had today affected the sea breeze, but we're going to see more wind, and more action, as the crews get more comfortable in the boats." The 2003 Toscana Elba Cup - Trofeo Locman operates under a repechage format and features a single round robin followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. The event has a total prize purse of 206,500 Euros with 77,500 Euros, as well as the specially designed event trophy, being awarded to the winner. - Shawn McBride, http://www.swedishmatchtour.com/ Group A Standings: 1.Jes Gram-Hansen, DEN/Team Victory Lane 5 -0 2.Magnus Holmberg, SWE/Team Holmberg 4 - 1 3.James Spithill, AUS/Team Spithill 3 - 2 4.Sebastien Destremau, Le Defi Areva 2 - 3 5.Jesper Radich, DEN/Team Radich 1 - 4 6.Andy Beadsworth, GBR/United Airlines Sailing Team 0 - 5 SPRING SPARES It's the middle of a regatta or distance race, and your masthead unit's printed circuit board just packed it in, or you damaged the boatspeed paddlewheel running over a crab pot, or the old display with dim lighting just went dark, or the mast cable that might have been (probably was) damaged during haulout last Fall has begun to act up. No problem. Why? Because you contacted Ockam and put together a sensible spares kit for your boat. Smart. Email Tom Davis (tom@ockam.com) or see the Ockam website for your local dealer. http://www.ockam.com COMPETITION Last weekend 40 top skippers from around the world will be put through their paces in the second major skipper selection stage for Challenge Business' Global Challenge, which starts in September 2004. Calshot Activity Centre, in Southampton, UK, was the setting for the weekend's activities but, surprisingly, none of the assessment took place on the water. Instead candidates will be tested on their personal, management and leadership skills using a mix of mental and physical activities throughout the intensive 2 days. "This might all sound a bit strange," explains Simon Walker Challenge Business' managing director, "but having the right credentials to skipper a yacht in the Global Challenge is much more than being able to safely race a yacht around the world. "It's also about personal, management and leadership skills and managing the conflicting demands and expectations of the crews, sponsors, Challenge Business and their own individual objectives." It must rate as one of the most difficult jobs in the world, yet almost 350 people wanted to take up the Challenge. With the group already down to 40 men and women, they are competing for just twelve coveted places plus two reserves. This final selected group of skippers will then race around the world, sailing against prevailing winds and currents, with 17 crew, made up of men and women from all walks of life. But the skippers will have no say in the selection of their crew that is all organized by Challenge Business. - www.challengebusiness.com/global ISAF ELIGIBILITY CODE In November 2002, ISAF Council approved a new Regulation 19.2(c)(ii), which requires competitors participating in the: - Olympic Regatta - Regional Games approved by the IOC - Events with `ISAF' in their title - Olympic qualification events, and - Graded Match Racing Events to sign the Court of Arbitration for Sport waiver. At the present time, the actual implementation of this Regulation is being finalized. Therefore, unless otherwise stated in the Notice of Race or Sailing Instructions, Regulation 19.2(c)(ii) is currently deferred. With effect from 1 September 2003, all competitors will be required to comply with Regulation 19.2(c)(ii). ISAF will distribute full information on the requirement to sign the waiver from the Court for Arbitration in Sport to Member National Authorities and the Organising Committees of events subject to the Regulation. Full information will also be published on the ISAF website. www.sailing.org/regulations TYBEE 500 RACE Jay Sonnenklar and John Casey's Castrol came in well ahead of the 27-boat fleet in the Tybee 500 - a 500 mile race for small multihulls from Islamorada, FL to Tybee Island, GA. Tommy Bahama, Key Sailing and Alexander's were running alongside of Castrol when Castrol decided to cut back to shore in the light and dying southerly breeze. The other three continued out toward the Gulf Stream, near Key Largo. By the time the trio saw the breeze fill in by the shore, they were way back in mid-pack. The second boat to the finish was Halsey Lidgard with Paul VanDyke and Brad Cavanaugh. Fully Involved, skippered by Linda Bauman, with husband Les crewing, finished in third spot. - Catamaran Sailor website, http://www.catsailor.com/Tybee500/Tybee500.htm Event website: http://www.tybee500.com/results.htm NEW CAMET ARUBA SHORTS The new design of Camet Shorts are a plain front style made out of fast drying Supplex® nylon, with a reinforced Cordura® seat patch for an optional foam pad. Features include a roomy right side cargo pocket with Velcro® closure flap, an internal phone pocket, two deep side pockets as well as Velcro® waist adjustment straps. Gusset design for full range of motion. Fabric has a UV rating of 40, blocking 97.5 % of UV rays for excellent skin protection. See the Camet shorts in different styles and colors and the Coolmax shirts on their web page. - http://www.camet.com TEAM RACING Team racing's most storied trophy was claimed by the New Forest Pirates over the weekend. Sailing as GBR 2 in the February's ISAF World Championships in Auckland, the team was precluded from competing in the final four because GBR 1 had a better overall record and the regatta rules stated only one team per country could make the semifinals. This time around, however, no such rule applied-four British and four American teams made the quarterfinal round-and the New Forest Pirates won the Wilson Trophy for the second straight year. The team they beat 3-0 in the finals was none other than the reigning ISAF World Champions, the American Whishbone team. - Grand Prix Sailor, http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_article.php?articleID=1824 Event website: www.wksc.org.uk NEWS BRIEFS * The 80-foot ketch Tempest - designed by Sparkman & Stephens, originally built by Palmer Johnson in 1974 and rebuilt in 2000/01 - has joined the fleet registered for this June's DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge, a 3,600 nautical mile offshore race from Newport, R.I. to Cuxhaven, Germany and on to Hamburg. It has been chartered by a syndicate of three partners: Arthur Bugs Baer of Madison, Conn.; Dr. F. Karl Van Devender of Nashville, Tenn.; and Dr. William A. Dunn of Stuart, Fla. - www.dcnac.de. * DynaYacht, the company that developed and patented the Canting Ballast - Twin Foil (CBTF) technology has changed its name to CBTF Co. With two new CBTF equipped maxZ86 class sloops under construction, President Chuck Robinson said interest has exploded, which prompted the name change. "This will allow us to more rapidly expand CBTF into the production cruising boat and mega-yacht market," he said. In addition to movable ballast, CBTF features two moveable foils - positioned fore and aft at the optimum point of a moving hull's wave form - which provide the steering and anti-leeway functions. MID-YEAR ISAF MEETING Next week, from 21-25 May 2003, the Mid-Year Meetings of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) will take place in Oslo, Norway. Key discussion items at Council will include submissions deferred from previous meetings, including, ISAF Relationship with Continental Sailing Associations and consideration of bid from Great Britain to host the 2006 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship; approval of the new Anti-Doping Code which will be effective 1 January 2004; consideration of the Court of Arbitration for Sport Waiver; revised Olympic Classes Contract; participation at World Championships; approval of the 2002 Accounts and finalization of the 2003 Budget, amongst many other issues. The Events Committee will focus on reports on current ISAF events including the ISAF Sailing World Championships, Team Racing World Championship and Youth Sailing World Championship, a report from the Olympic Equipment Selection Working Party who have undertaken an objective appraisal on how the event and equipment used for each event at the Olympic Regatta have met the ISAF criteria for the selection of Olympic Events and Equipment, a presentation on a electronic system for detection of OCS (on course side), a report from the working party on the selection of events for the 2008 Olympic Regatta (note: the selection of events for the 2008 Olympics will take place in November 2003, with the equipment selected in November 2004), an update on the development of Ice Sailing, amongst many other issues. All agenda papers are available on the ISAF website at - http://www.sailing.org/meetings/2003midyear/default.asp WEATHER ROCKS! Sailing Weather Services is ready with proven experience to help your team succeed at its next important race. Race weather support packages for the DCNAC, both Mac races, Fastnet, Volvo Baltic 2003, and many others. Sailing Weather Services -- complete meteorological support for competitive sailors worldwide. info@sailwx.com or http://www.sailwx.com GET WELL GARY As earlier reported in Scuttlebutt (Issue 1316), internationally known sailor, author and television commentator Gary Jobson has been recently diagnosed with lymphoma. Since that time, nearly five hundred notes had been posted on a get-well card that had been on the Scuttlebutt website. On behalf of Gary and his family, we here at Scuttlebutt headquarters want to thank all our readers who contributed their incredible stories of hope and encouragement. We have removed the get-well card off the website to provide Gary a chance to get caught up, and will provide you an update on his condition when it becomes available. If you missed Rich Robert's original article on Gary's health, it's at http://www.yachtracing.com/richroberts/042403.htm 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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Bob Merrick (Re: Carl Schellback's question): US teams qualified for the Athens test event (aka: Pre-Olympics) by wining the Pre-Trials regatta. This is a process that mimics the actual US Olympic qualification. You will be hard pressed to find a US Olympic class sailor that doesn't think the American qualification process is the best and most fair in the world. With regards to the fact that Alison/ Leech/ Icyda are already in Europe, other Yngling teams would also be there if it were not for shipping problems. I'm sure we will see more US Yngling teams racing in Europe later this spring. Sailing Medallist has write ups from all of the Pre-Trials regattas. http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/SailingMedallist/ Curmudgeon's Comment: It should be noted that Bob Merrick is a US Olympic Silver Medallist. * From Jeff Tompkins: According to their sponsor list, Gull Lake YC has raised over $100,000 in sponsorship fees for the Star Western Hemisphere regatta. How in the world could you possibly spend that much on a regatta? I want to be invited to the regatta committee wrap-up party! More power to them! * From Alistair Cowen: Very disappointed that you chose to print Greg Christie's letter with regard to the capsize of the Yacht "Excalibur" and the subsequent tragic loss of life. Not only did his letter show a lack of understanding of Australian east coast conditions, but was factually inaccurate and insulting to the families of those who perished. Mr Christie should perhaps wait until the coroners report is published. I would also direct him to an article written by one of the survivors in a recent edition of Australian Sailing. There are a lot of factors involved in any tragedy. Blaming the victim in this case is both incorrect and inappropriate. * From Phil Coveny: I'm a Kiwi and probably reflect the position of a lot of my countrymen as I cringe when I see our "dirty washing" discussed seemingly endlessly around the world. In reply though to the posting of Mike Titgemeyer in 'Butt 1326 remember that the TNZ challenge had a large proportion of public money invested in it so there is a duty to explain to the investors where things went wrong. Off course, as it was also said in the same 'Butt issue, such (public) explanations are newsworthy and so they are splashed about for all to see. As far as I know this was the only campaign so funded. No doubt Oracle and the other losing syndicates have had similar moratoria, possibly equally negative but no-one outside the syndicate gets to read anything. As to other NZ sources dealing out rough statements to ex and current team members they are often very parochial comments from, largely, non-yachties. There is still a large section of the NZ yachting community who are very proud of our sailors whoever they sail for. * From Bill MacNeill: I am so sick of the "Loyal" NZers who keep insisting that TNZ's "secrets" were stolen or their former crews were bought. Other than Coutts, Butterworth ,et al., I did not think that the Alinghi syndicate stole anything. I thought that One World was accused of everything! Coutts et.al. served NZ well prior to 2003 and only left because they thought they could do it better than everyone else, which they proved. They should be honored by the people of New Zealand. If not for them, the cup would not have been there in the first place! * From Mike Blecher, (re: Jeremy Pape's letter relating how tired he was of reading about this past Americas Cup and TNZ's 'issues'): See? See, Curmudgy? I'm not the only one who feels this way! There's a bunch of us out here that are just plain done with this subject, even if it does happen to be "Sailing's Premeir Spectacle!" I say, let's move on. Summer's almost here, there's a whole lot of other sailing going on, and we should let these crybabies deal with their disappointments (as well as their next career moves) in private. If Scuttlebutt, with its huge sailing readership doesn't give this subject a rest, that same sailing audience might end up burned out on the subject in time for the next go 'round. It would certainly be a shame if ESPN and OLN also felt that America's Cup coverage could be saturated. We might end up watching re runs of county championship basketball, or turkey hunting shows, or (for heaven's sake) more powerboat racing. Curmudgeon's Comment: Judging by the e-mail I'm receiving, Mike and Jeremy definitely seem to be in the minority on this issue. But Mike (and others) should remember that Scuttlebutt is like a buffet table - it's OK to skip over the things that don't interest you. * From Alan Blunt: In the progress report on Great America II, 'Butt 1327, Rich Wilson mentioned the problem of inspecting a cotter pin that had been coated in silicon to prevent chafe. Not only is it difficult to inspect, it's almost impossible to remove. Silicon gets between the legs so they cannot be closed sufficiently for extraction. (This is a problem with overbent cotter pins as well.) Make your boat safe in case of a dismasting and only spread cotter pins 15º. If chafe is a problem cover the pin with easily removed tape. Also, re the Curmudgeon's Observation, in Butt 1326 - the only way I know of to nail Jello to a tree is to freeze it first. Can I do this to a teenager? THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Why do they call the boats that push barges, 'tug' boats? |
