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SCUTTLEBUTT 1475 - December 10, 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. GUEST EDITORIAL By Geoff Stagg, President, Farr International, Inc. I have been following the recent bashing of ISAF over various issues. As the developer of the Mumm 30 and Farr 40 classes, we too have had our share of controversy with ISAF. We initiated the move to receive recognized status with ISAF so that we could run bona fide world championships for the respective classes. In doing that we also wanted to seek the support, services and protection of ISAF in case of conflict with event organizers, to process future rule changes and protect existing class rules. While no one can question President Henderson's passion for our sport, his technique at times can be very unsettling although you definitely know where you stand with him. Through better communication with ISAF, the classes and ISAF have recognized the difference between the Olympic classes and international/ recognized classes. This has resulted in more autonomy for our classes with sensible ISAF regulations which enables the classes to get on with the business of carrying out, through their class constitutions, the majority wishes of owners. There was a big difference between the Olympic classes which have so much at stake both financially and in terms of prestige that is either IOC, government or sponsor generated, and the recognized classes and there needed to be clarification of that fact. The support that both the Farr 40 and Mumm 30 classes have received this year from ISAF and President Henderson in particular has been most encouraging. We have a new system for approving rule changes and the personal support from Paul Henderson when we were having serious problems over the Mumm 30 world championship was really gratifying and resulted in the class having a PRO and jury of their choice. That support validated our membership in ISAF. He was a good man to have on our side. While at times ISAF can be a cumbersome bureaucracy, I believe that it is moving with the times and trying to better understand how to more efficiently serve the classes and owners. To have the status of an Olympic class and the right as an international or recognized class to run a world championship comes with a cost. That cost is membership in ISAF and working with them to do what is right for sailing and it is a two way street. As the year draws to a close, I would like to thank ISAF President Paul Henderson for his considerable support of the Farr 40 and Mumm 30 classes this year and wish he and all involved with ISAF a healthy and prosperous 2004. FOR THE RECORD Francis Joyon's rather fast singlehanded passage around the Globe will take on a new turn today as he feels the effects of his first Southern Ocean depression (see above). The last 24 hours have seen him rack up another good day - this time covering 385 miles. To give some indication of how far ahead Joyon is over Michel Desjoyeaux's existing record - on day 17 of the 2000 Vendee Globe PRB was at 10deg 45S 28deg 56W some 1,900 miles away as the crow flies - this is to the east of where Joyon was on 3 December - six days ago! - The Daily Sail, full story: http://www.thedailysail.com TRIVIA Dennis Conner likes repetitive numbers; he has raced America's Cup boats with the numbers 11, 55, 66, 77. - http://www.americascup.com/en/acup/ HOLIDAY HOISTING Hoist a few for the Holidays! Not eggnog - too fattening. Instead, try hoisting a Laser or a kayak. Too big to squeeze into a festive mug, but fit just fine on the garage ceiling in the slings of a Harken Hoister! Why leave your poor kayak or Laser living by the wood pile under a foot of snow when they can enjoy the winter inside your garage? Remember; always hoist responsibly: Brought to you by your friends at Harken. http://www.harken.com/hoister/hoister.php THE SKINNY ON SCURVY In 1498 Vasco da Gama's crew suffered from the first widely noted outbreak of scurvy. He wrote of Arab traders offering oranges to the afflicted sailors and of the men making miraculous recoveries thereafter. Again in a voyage across the Indian Ocean da Gama's crew fell victim to scurvy and this time thirty men died. Once again relief came only after the ship reached land the crew feasted on oranges. Despite the overwhelming evidence, da Gama, European explorers and men of science believed that unhealthy air was the cause. Magellan's crew also seriously suffered from scurvy, in fact scurvy continued to plague sailors for more than two hundred years, killing thousands of men at sea. Finally in 1746 a Scottish naval surgeon, James Lind, conducted the first clinical trials on record. His research found that indeed "good effects were perceived from the use of the oranges and lemons". However Lind still concluded that a cold wet climate clogged the pores and set the stage for the disease. Not until 1795 did the British Navy finally insist that sailors receive a daily ration of lemon or lime juice to combat scurvy, a practice leading to the term "limeys" referring to the British sailors. Still this was an act of faith, not science, it was not know why fruits and vegetables prevented scurvy. It was not until 1932 when three medical researchers, W.A. Waugh, C.G. King, and Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, were able to synthesize ascorbic acid and offer a scientific explanation of vitamin C's effect on the body and show how a vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy. (Over the Edge of the World, Laurence Bergreen) - provided to Scuttlebutt by Cameron McIntyre NEWS BRIEFS * Multi-tasking - Ellen MacArthur will officially co-open the Schroders London Boat Show on January 8 - and on the same day she will also be launching the new 75-foot B&Q trimaran in Sydney, Australia. MacArthur will co-open the show from Sydney via a satellite link whilst Keith Mills, CEO of London 2012 and Olympians will be on site to open the show at ExCel in London's docklands. * The Nanny Cay Marina in Tortola, British Virgin Islands is being dredged to 14 feet for next year's BVI Spring Regattas. The sand taken from the dredging will be used to expand the beach between the swimming pool and the breakwater creating an area larger than the existing regatta village site. This additional space will provide an ample "dinghy park" for the beach cats and enough room for a new and improved regatta village. "With more depth in the channel, all of our large visiting racing boats will be able to come into Nanny Cay," said BVI Spring Regatta chairman, Bob Phillips, www.bvispringregatta.org * US Sailing has signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with Dry Creek Vineyard, naming the family-run winery an Official Sponsor. The agreement provides Dry Creek Vineyard with marketing rights as well as benefits to select Adult Championship events. Additionally, Dry Creek Vineyard will use this partnership to support its Regatta label, a wine brand specifically created by Dry Creek Vineyard for sailors and sailing enthusiasts, and donate a portion of the proceeds from the label's sales to US Sailing's education programs. * The two raging favorites to reach Hobart first are the brand new New Zealand 98 footers, Zana and Skandia, the two biggest boats ever to contest the Australian blue water classic. While Victorian maxi Skandia reeled off a series of line honors wins in its initial appearances on Australian waters last month, Zana has yet to appear in a major competition. - nzoom.com, http://tinyurl.com/yccw * Scott Lindblom, Chairman of the 2003 Buzzards Bay Regatta (BBR), will present a $4,000 donation to the Community Boating Center, Inc. (CBC) today. The BBR has donated close to $10,000 to CBC since their relationship began in 2001. CBC was founded in 1996 and officially incorporated in 1998. They have facilities at Ft Tabor, Clarks Cove and at Popes Island, and their fleet consists of over 30 boats including 420's, Optimists prams, Capri 14's, Mariners, a Sonar and a variety of support boats. DEFI ATLANTIQUE The easterly fleet of IMOCA Open 60s has been 'enjoying' big winds while the more westerly boats have suffered dramatic losses - struggling to move on their windless course. "I guess I changed sails too many times in an effort to stay on the pace and ended up laying on the cockpit floor just trashed physically ... have strained a muscle in my back which is a little uncomfortable ... these boats are people eaters," said Nick Maloney, Team Cowes. Standings at 1500 UT on December 9: 1. Vincent Riou, PRB, 2028.1 miles to finish 2. Mike Golding, Ecover, 13.9 miles to leader 3. Sebastien Josse, VMI, 71 mtl 4. Jean-Pierre Dick, Virbac, 99.6 mtl 5. Nick Moloney, Team Cowes, 105.5 mtl 6. Alex Thomson, AT Racing, 215.3 mtl Event website: http://www.defi-atlantique.org/fr/ FAST SAILS DEMAND FAST CLOTH Why are Ullman Sails the fastest sails on the planet? Simple, fast designs demand fast cloth! At Ullman Sails we choose only the best sail cloth from Contender, Dimension / Polyant and Bainbridge International. What good is a fast sail design if the cloth can't hold the shape? Our fast designs combined with superior sailcloth continue collecting trophies for our customers. If you and your crew are ready, let Ullman Sails bring our speed technology to your sails. Call your nearest Ullman Sails loft or visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com NEW ZEALAND SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR Russell Coutts was reportedly the topic of hot debate when the judging panel for the Halberg Awards met. Speculation has been rife over whether the former Team New Zealand skipper, who then switched allegiance to lead Alinghi to victory in the last America's Cup, will be a finalist for the New Zealand sportsman of the year award. Under new eligibility criteria, holders of a New Zealand passport are able to be considered for the awards whether competing for their country or not. The judging panel of media and former award winners had their first meeting to finalize the nominees on Tuesday and both Radio Sport and Newstalk ZB reported that the Coutts situation caused "robust" discussion. The finalists are due to be announced publicly around the New Year. - NZ Herald, http://tinyurl.com/yi8d IN MEMORIAM The sailing community suffered a great loss on Saturday night when Will Glenn unexpectedly passed away at the age of 59. An active member of the Sonar and Laser Classes, veteran of many ocean races, bluewater cruiser, and a pied piper and passionate advocate of junior sailing, Will was a consummate sailor, shipmate, husband, father, and friend who embodied the values that keep us all going back to the water. He grew up sailing at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Junior Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, NY. He became the head instructor and later the chairman of the Seawanhaka Junior Sailing Committee. For the rest of his life, Will served as a dedicated volunteer in the junior racing program. Will was also an active member of the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club in Rhu, Scotland, the Apalachee Bay Yacht Club in Shell Point, FL, and the Cruising Club of America. Will spent his last day sailing Lasers at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club 2003 Gulf District 13 Laser Championship. He decided not to sail in the afternoon because "it was blowing more than half my age." He died in his sleep after a warm, wonderful dinner with friends. He will be sorely missed. More information, including details on services and donations, can be found at http://willglenn.metacism.net/ PROMOTE YOUR 2004 EVENT Use the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar to get the details of your event out to the 'Buttheads. Over three thousand views last month (and this is the slow season). Position your event alongside Key West Race Week, SORC, the NOOD events, Mackinac races, Sydney-Hobart Race, Farr 40 Worlds, Etchells Worlds, Snipe Worlds, Melges 24 Worlds, etc. Boat shows too. Add your event at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar REFLECTIONS ON KEY WEST RACE WEEK Invigorating ocean spray, awesome breezes, staggering comebacks, exhilarating victories, competitor camaraderie, tiki bars, sunsets... and a lot of cool rope. Nice. Brought to you by Aramid Rigging - Serious Rigging for Serious Sailors. Onsite at A&B Marina in Key West, January 14, 2004. Advance orders delivered, call 401-683-6966. http://www.aramidrigging.com 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 Tony Bessinger: Maybe its time re-think what defines a schooner and what the proper names of its masts should be. After all, two well-known books on seamanship disagree about what makes a schooner in the first place. Chapman Piloting & Seamanship states the masts of a schooner can be of equal height, and The Annapolis Book of Seamanship declares the foremast must be shorter. Toss into the mix the fact that the largest schooner ever built--the 395-foot Thomas W. Lawson--was rigged with seven masts of equal height (from bow to stern: fore, main, mizzen, jigger, driver, pusher, and spanker), and now we're all a little confused. As far as Mari-Cha IV is concerned, the two masts are of equal height so it's probably okay to call it a schooner. Those involved with, and sailing on M-C IV designated the names of the rigs, and most likely named the forward mast the "main" mast because it has a visibly larger chord than the after mast, and has been designed and engineered to shoulder the entire righting moment of the 140-footer. While the names of Mari-Cha IV's masts may not mesh with traditional thought, they do make perfect sense. * From Mike Esposito (re: defining a "schooner"): The early definition of a schooner was "a small vessel with two masts and a fore-and-aft rig." If the vessel carried square topsails on one or both masts, it became a "topsail schooner." No mention was made of the height of the masts, though in the 20th Century a short foremast/tall mainmast became accepted as a "schooner rig." Under the earlier, broader definition however, both yawl- and ketch-rigged vessels (taller main and shorter mizzen) could be considered schooners--fore and aft rig, two masts. A variety of vessel shapes have been called "schooner," in the late 19th and early 20th Century the term "schooner" included longer vessels with three or more masts (up to six!), fore-and-aft rigged. It hardly seems wrong to apply the name to Mari-Cha IV. * From Jeremy Wyatt, Manager, World Cruising Club (re: letter from Andy Aitken, SB1474): What a perverse thought that someone might actually set out and plan to break a yachting record. Who knows what might happen next in the sailing world? Perhaps someone will buy a yacht and try to break the Jules Verne record, or the tranatlantic record? Let's have a little less sniping from those sitting comfortably in an armchair and offer congratulations to all sailors actually getting out and taking part, rather than watching and winging from the sidelines. Sailing is after all a participation sport! * From Julie Hahnke: Rules 44.1 and rule 36 aren't necessarily in conflict. For a given rule breach, consider two scenarios - in the first, the offending boat knows she's wrong; in the second, she either thinks she's innocent, or she's unclear. Rule 44.1 applies to the first scenario. Rule 2 - Fair Sailing, requires the boat take the appropriate penalty and in the case of serious damage, rule 44.1 tells us that retirement is appropriate. Rule 44.1 does not apply in the second scenario, because a boat unclear of her innocence/fault always has the right to a hearing and is never required to take a penalty (so 44.1 can't be broken by the failure to take a penalty.) In this second scenario, rule 36 provides indemnity for a boat unsure of her fault, should she be protested over a race that was restarted. If there was serious damage in a race that was later restarted, I think the question becomes - did you know you were wrong? If yes, rule 44.1 governs. If no, rule 36 states you can't be penalized. * From Wayne Kennedy: OK this arm-chair sailor is now very confused. No wonder weekend sailors fear the protest room when there appears to be so much ambiguity as to how to apply the rules. Can Scuttlebutt seek out some collective expert opinion and provide a definitive answer? I personally would like to know the "roadmap" that such experts might use to arrive at their decision. Hopefully that might provide some useful insights into how us lesser mortals can understand which rules are seen as having precedence over others, especially when they are seemingly in conflict as to outcome, fair or otherwise. Or does the whole protest process simply come down to how experienced the protest committee is and whose argument sounds the more authoritative (even if its not) in the protest room? Curmudgeon's Comment: Let me assure all of our readers that some of those who wrote to 'Butt on this issue are at the very top of the 'judging pyramid.' And on that note, we declare this thread officially dead. Perhaps we'll have a new rules quiz tomorrow ;-) CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Some people get ulcers while others are only carriers. |
