|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1962 -- November 8, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.BIG NEWS FOR DISABLED SAILING ISAF has announced the UD-18 as the new two-person keelboat of the Paralympics. The UD-18 is a lead-assisted skiff with similar lines to the, 29er or 49er. With a tube-launched asymmetrical spinnaker and a modified 29er rig, the boat promises to be an exciting addition to World and Paralympic Competition. Able-bodied and disabled athletes alike will enjoy this platform and more severely disabled sailors will welcome the ability to compete on an equitable level. The Functional Classification System for the Two-Person Keelboat was recommended by the IFDS Medical Committee, endorsed by the IFDS Executive Committee and approved by the IFDS Recognized National Authorities (RNA's) during the AGM and will be distributed promptly to enable countries to compile crews. Additionally, Carl-Gustaf Fresk (SWE) and John Twomey (IRL) have been elected to stand on the IFDS Executive Committee for a 3 year term. -- http://sailing.org/disabled MACARTHUR TAKES EARLY INITIATIVE
MacArthur and Jourdain have had little sleep since the start from Le Havre on Saturday. When either of them has rested, it has been a case of lying on the cabin floor in full foul-weather gear. "We thought things would be quieter last night and we'd have some time to rest," MacArthur said, "but every time one of us slept, it seemed that we were woken by the other far too quickly." Edward Gorman, Times on Line, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-1862040,00.html The former lead boat in the Open 50 monohull class -- Kip Stone (USA) and Merfyn Owen's Artforms -- informed the race organization they are diverting to Lorient to repair their mainsail but all is okay on board. -- Event website: http://www.jacques-vabre.com/ Standings at 1844 Monday: ORMA Multihulls 1 Groupama 2, Franck Cammas & Franck Proffit 2 Foncia, Armel Le Cléac'h & Damian Foxall, 1.8 Miles to leader 3 Géant, Michel Desjoyeaux & Hugues Destremau, 3.2 mtl IMOCA Monohulls 1 Sill et Veolia, Roland Jourdain & Ellen MacArthur 2 Ecover, Mike Golding & Dominique Wavre, 4.8 mtl 3 Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick & Loïck Peyron, 9.2 mtl Multihull Class 2 1 Crêpes Whaou!, Franck-Yves Escoffier & Kevin Escoffier 2 Acanthe Ingénierie, Anne Caseneuve & Christophe Houdet, 33.3 mtl 3 Gifi, Dominique Demachy & Philippe Langlois, 74.3 mtl Monohull Class 2 1 Gryphon Solo, Joe Harris & Josh Hall 2 Artforms, Kip Stone & Merfyn Owen. 26.8 mtl 3 Vedettes de Bréhat, Servane Escoffier & Bertrand de Broc, 31.5 mtl You've got to look at these photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/tjv-start/ CAMET ARUBA SHORTS The new design of Camet Aruba Shorts are a plain front style, made out of fast drying Supplex® nylon, with a reinforced Cordura® seat patch for an optional foam pad, roomy right side cargo pocket with Velcro® closure flap, and 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, blocks 97.5 % of UV rays, and provides excellent skin protection. Check out the Camet shorts, in the different styles and colors, and the Code Zero shirts at http://www.camet.com A PIRATE'S VIEW (Paul Cayard gives his take on yesterday's first in-port racing in the Volvo Ocean Race in a story now posted on the Daily Sail subscription website. Here are two excerpts.)
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS Traditional beadwork and the two oceans that define South Africa's formidable coastline were the inspiration for the exuberant graphics that surge across the hull of yacht Shosholoza RSA 83. "I wanted something that would immediately say "Africa" to the world," says Captain Salvatore Sarno who, as the mastermind behind Team Shosholoza, spent three years intricately planning every facet of SA's debut challenge for the world's most prestigious sailing event - the America's Cup. "The America's Cup is rated among the top 10 world events as media spectacles - among them the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup. In 2007, the America's Cup will have a cumulative TV audience of 4-billion. The graphics had to say it all," says Sarno. And as in all things he does, Sarno - an accomplished artist who still manages to pick up his paint brushes despite an impossible schedule as both chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company, SA, and managing director of Team Shosholoza - wouldn't let up until he had found the perfect design. "I briefed a number of graphic designers but none of them could interpret what I wanted so I decided to do the job myself," said Sarno who devoted his weekends to drawing up one design after another. In further collaboration with advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi in Cape Town, the design was worked up to meet Sarno's personal vision and made to stretch right across the hull of SA's first challenger Shosholoza RSA 48. Today the distinctive graphics fire the imagination of all who see it, and yacht Shosholoza has become one of the most photographed yachts in the America's Cup. -- The Star, full story: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=327&fArticleId=2977968 COMMENTARY The pages of Scuttlebutt have frequently contained thoughts and ideas about growing our sport. I can't help but think that 'happenings' like the Dry Creek Vineyard's Pro-Am Regatta at the Bitter End YC in the British Virgin Islands have exactly the proper mix of ingredients to help get that job done. This annual Caribbean event has truly turned into a 'summer camp for adults' - a place where sailors renew acquaintances with old friends - but more importantly - meet and enjoy many new friends with similar interests. Where else can you race on warm water as a crew for sailing celebrities like Chris Law, Robbie Haines, JJ and Peter Isler, Lowell North or Butch Ulmer? And when the BEYC guests weren't sailing with the rock stars, they were having breakfast, lunch and dinner with them, attending numerous hosted parties with them and competing against them in small boats in the Musto-sponsored Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship Regatta that has become a part of this weeklong adventure. It's an environment where the losers always applaud the winners, and the judges and umpires are under-utilized. I have to believe that low-key fun events like the Pro-Am are doing great things for growing our sport in a very healthy direction. - The Curmudgeon BEAT THE HEAT WITH ARC In its ongoing commitment to high performance racing sailing, New England Ropes raises the bar again with the introduction of ARC, its new hybrid abrasion resistant cover. ARC is a durable Technora cover that is blended with a combination of Nomex and polyester to improve grip and aesthetics. Used over one of New England Ropes' popular Dyneema or Vectran cores, the result is a rope that is extremely abrasion resistant and has excellent resistance to melting due to surging or excessive friction. To learn more about ARC or any New England Ropes product, call 1-800-333-6679 or visit http://www.neropes.com NEWS BRIEFS * Fast Track Sailing has been appointed by the International Sailing Federation as the exclusive commercial partner to secure sponsorship for the 'Sail the World Festival' and 'Sailor of the Century Awards', as part of their centenary year celebrations. In 2007, ISAF will commemorate its centenary year with a variety of activities to pay tribute to the worldwide appeal of sailing, and to encourage more participation in the sport. The 2007 festivities will span the globe to embrace the cultural, social, and educational aspects of sailing as well as demonstrating ISAF's ongoing commitment to developing the sport. * As the Clipper round the world fleet race towards the southeast towards Durban, South Africa, the weather is becoming much colder which is certainly a change from the last leg when staying cool was about the hardest thing to achieve. Thin silk sleep sheets and t-shirts have been replaced by thick sleeping bags and thermals. The wind is not providing any favours either as the latest forecast continues to show either very light winds or strong headwinds. Westernaustralia.com leads the nine other raceboats, some 25 miles ahead of both Qingdao and Uniquely Singapore which are running neck and neck. http://www.clipper-ventures.co.uk/n05_06/homepage.php * After a relatively fast upwind trip covering approximately 4,000 miles from Papeete, in Tahiti to California, USA in twelve days, Olivier de Kersauson's Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo arrived in San Diego, California. The boat will now undergo major preparations to ensure she is in optimum racing configuration for the upcoming Transpacific, Los Angeles to Hawaii record attempt, currently held by Bruno Peyron (FRA) at 5 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6~Fh0612 * Finn North American Championship, Clearwater Yacht Club, final results (8 races with 1 discard - 18 boats) 1. Chris Cook (CAN) 7 pts; 2. Zach Railey (USA) 17 pts; 3. Aaron O'Grady (IRL) 29 pts; 4. Andrew Casey (USA) 31 pts; 5. Darrell Peck (USA - Master) 34 pts. -- http://www.clwyc.org/FinnNA05/finn_results.htm * Annapolis, MD -- Hillman Capital J/24 East Coast Championships, Final results (8 races with no discard - 50 boats) 1. Brain Cramp, Mike Ingham, 48 pts; 2. Flying Squirrel, Chris Crockett, 60 pts; 3. WIP, Mark Hillman, 72 pts; 4. Rabbit Season/Duck Season, Ted Eiedeke/ Paul Scalisi, 77 pts; 5. Bomba Charger, Brian Bissell, 79 pts. -- http://j24fleet8.org/ECC2005/racing/index.htm * Sanxenxo (Spain) -- ´Tommy Hilfiger´ won both races today at the second day of the Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix series in Sanxenxo. Skipper Randy Smyth and his crew were in great form in the light airs and were the boat to beat Monday. The team of Carolijn Brouwer, who won all three races Sunday finished second in the first race but took a DNF when they missed the time limit in the finale. They still lead the regatta by seven points with three more race-days to go. -- http://www.volvoextreme40.org/ * A 73-year-old former Olympic sailor who had faced several molestation charges involving three minor girls was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison after pleading no contest to one of the charges Wednesday. Norman Douglas Freeman was also ordered to serve 23 years of sex offender probation following his release. Assistant State Attorney Vicki Nichols on Friday said prosecutors considered his age and failing health in negotiating the plea deal, which included the state dropping three lewd and lascivious counts. "We are looking at this as a life sentence," Nichols said Friday, adding that the victims' families supported the plea. -- http://tinyurl.com/9bht7 * The 98 foot super maxi yacht Konica Minolta (previously known as Zana), owned by New Zealand businessman Stewart Thwaites, will contest line honours and overall handicap win in this year's 61st Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race. the super-maxi after she was forced to retire from the 2004 Rolex Sydney to Hobart, whilst she was just hours away from taking line hours, at the tip of Tasmania following damage. Amongst the star studded international crew will be world renowned sailor Gavin Brady who will be onboard as joint helmsman for the race. THE 2006 RICK TOMLINSON CALENDARS NOW AVAILABLE. The Portfolio wall Calendar features the best of Rick's recent work with 12 stunning images from all over the world. The Desk Calendar is free-standing and is ideal for home or office. Both calendars are available individually or for company overprinting - ideal Christmas gifts. See http://www.rick-tomlinson.com or email mailto:cathie@rick-tomlinson.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 Ray Medak: Our sport has gone through many technological advances in the past 4 decades, all to make the sport faster, lighter and easier (and more expensive). But no true advances have been made to make it safer, unless you include the MOB feature on the GPS and EPLRB's. Why couldn't we have an electronic device that detects a man having gone over board. For instance like a kill switch that is tethered to a body on an outboard or PWC, instead stopping the motor 1.) A siren will be sounded on board. 2.) The GPS would activate the MOB feature. 3.) The horse shoe, MOB flag and strobe light would be automatically deployed. 4.) A "300' life line tether" or longer would be deployed behind the boat. 5.) A transponder would be activated on the person who went over, so one may find the victim by radio signal in the dark (similar to a beeper in avalanche country). We talk about putting them on boats for long distance races (Transpac,etc), so the general public can follow the boats on the internet and to keep the role call with boat positions an honest game. ---- Isn't life safety more important than public curiosity and deception. I know electronics are not the most reliable things on water, but there's got to be a way to make technology work in saving lives, instead of making it more dangerous for lives by just increasing the speeds that make the boats so much more exhilarating! * From Tom Cain: Is the use of long teathers…that allow the crew to go forward without having to reclip to the boat….really a convenience factor? Why not mandate short teathers (3-4 feet?) when the wind and sea are up. A bowman could carry two of them…clip on… clip off…his way to the front. Slightly more of a hassle, yes, however, safety processes can be perfected. Result…no man overboard. No one drowns in 30 seconds by being dragged behind the boat. * From Spencer Ogden: Someone going overboard is going to be 300 yards away after 30 seconds of sailing at 20 knots. That's an awful lot of distance, even if you have an EPIRB. You also have to assume that you could bring one of these boats to a rapid stop without causing more carnage, something that seems unlikely with a canting keel. I imagine the standard crash tack or gybe would put the boat over 80 degrees or so. I don't know what the answer is, but being separated from your boat in the Southern Ocean doesn't seem like a good one. * From Magnus Wheatley: Stevan Johnson's comments regarding a final race showdown and a series of quarter and semis is flawed by one crucial fact. All the sports that he mentions are played on a semi-level playing field where the same conditions, be they track, pitch, or field can be standardized for all competitors. Sailing is certainly not like that and I stand by my original point that the competitor leading the field going into the last race is at the mercy of the elements, good fortune, and gear breakage. This is patently not a true reflection of finding a gold medalist having already completed a series of 10 or 14 races. And as for the corner bangers, well, if I was lying in tenth place having been outclassed all regatta by the likes of an Ainslie, Percy, Scheidt or Grael - that person would be me, especially in Qingdao...I'd be off like a rabbit to left field...which incidentally is where I always am! The ISAF Conference is next week in Singapore and the President's proposal must be stopped for the good of Olympic sailing. * From Henry L. Menin: (RE: Olympic sailing) I agree with Brad Dellenbaugh's comments that sailing needs to be more visible and understandable in the Olympics for John Q. Public. But I think the discipline should be match racing, where A sails against B and whoever crosses the line first is the winner. The last man/woman standing is the winner - and it 's all decided in the last race sailed. In team racing, A, B, and C are a team and if A crosses the line first, John Q. Public has to wait to see where B and C finish to know who won. Match racing is sailed along sea walls, bulkheads, etc. The obstructions add to the excitement and John Q. Public, as a spectator, is right on top of the action. Match racing is cheaper for the Olympics. The match race team consists of 3 people in one boat. In team racing, you have 6 people in 3 boats per team. Match racing is perfect for spectator viewing (set up stands - sell tickets to the event), easy TV coverage and sponsor visibility. There is already more TV coverage of match racing than any other aspect of sailboat racing, so the TV companies are comfortable with it. Add Virtual Spectator and Andy Green as commentator and you have a spectacular media event. Match racing could save sailing in the Olympics. Weymouth harbour in the UK (venue for 2012) is perfect for match racing and close spectator viewing. * From Kate Mardel: My reaction to the news of Gerry's death was pure bewielderment. This is an absolute tradgedy. Not only have his family lost a great father, husband & son, the sailing community has lost a talented & deadicated sailmaker but human kind has lost a wonderful spirit and the people who had not yet had the pleasure of meeting, working with or being around Gerry are the ones who have really lost. I did not know Gerry half as well as most but found his positivity, energy & enthusiasm engaging. Truely a great, great guy. My sincere condolences to his family and team mates. CURMUDGEON'S COUNCIL Don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up! |
