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SCUTTLEBUTT 1815 - April 12, 2005Scuttlebutt 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. PHENOMENON (Following are two brief excerpts from "The Phenomenon We Know As Ellen" - a eye-opening piece about the new solo round the world record holder, Ellen MacArthur, by James Boyd in the April issue of Sailing World.) While MacArthur's record was an extraordinary piece of sailing, just as spectacular has been the media rampage following it. The day after she arrived back in England, she was on the front page of every national newspaper, while the two top broadsheets, The Daily Telegraph and The Times, both ran 10-page sections dedicated to her and her voyage, a level of coverage normally associated with a general election or a royal wedding. The media furor wasn't limited to Europe. Even in the United States, the network television giants NBC and ABC were clamoring for footage of her, along with invitations for her to appear on talk shows such as CBS's Late Show with David Letterman. The deluge of media attention has changed MacArthur little, although for the last four years she's learned to carry a black marker pen in her back pocket to handle autograph demands every time she goes out in public. She's had the option of cashing in on her fame, through lucrative appearances and endorsements, but that doesn't appeal to her. "It's not about the money," says MacArthur. "It is absolutely not about that. I could have got £5 million after the Vendee. Nobody goes out and does this because they want to come home a celebrity. You do it because you love the sea. It is the same motivation now as when Robin [Knox-Johnston] did it." - James Boyd, Sailing World, www.sailingworld.com Curmudgeon's Comment: MacArthur has been named in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list for 2005. Ellen is right there with such diverse names as George Bush, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Moore and The Dalai Lama! The list recognizes 'global icons whose achievements, accomplishments and innovations are having the greatest impact in 2005'. - www.time.com/time/2005/time100/index.html AC UPDATE The April 29th deadline to challenge is fast approaching and prospective teams have just over three weeks now to have their challenge for the 32nd America's Cup accepted. Expect the rumor mill to be working overtime this month, as several prospective teams are still actively working to become Challengers. Many Cup teams are sailing on the waters off Valencia now. BMW Oracle Racing , Luna Rossa, and the Defender, Team Alinghi are all sailing out of the Yacht Club in Valencia. Desafio Espanol began sailing out of the commercial port at the end of March, and the Italian +39 team is the first to come to the Darsena Interior, setting up shop in front of the construction of its base. Further down the coast, K-Challenge is also sailing. Away from Spain, Emirates Team New Zealand and Shoshooza are training hard in the Southern Hemisphere, while Team Capitallia begins its program on the island of Elba off the coast of Italy. Sweden's Victory Challenge is hard at work, despite the long winter. Sailing Manager Magnus Holmberg is recruiting the sailing team, and the builders will begin modifying the boats shortly. From March onwards, the sea-breeze weather pattern of building winds beginning just after noon each sunny day has begun to assert itself strongly. Information collected through the innovative MDS (Meteorological Data Service) over the past couple of months shows a Northeast to Southeast wind beginning to build at 13:00, usually increasing from 10 to 15 knots during the afternoon. The wind typically begins to decrease at 18:00. This sea-breeze pattern is the weather the sailors can expect for racing in the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts in June this year, as well as the 2006 Acts and all of the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup racing in 2007. As we move towards the summer months, the wind will build a little earlier, and blow a little stronger with higher temperatures inland. - www.americascup.com/en/newsletter/003/newsletter03_print.html GETTING CLOSER TO 50 The World Sailing Speed Council has received new claims on both the Outright World Sailing Speed Record and the Women's Outright Record. The claims, subject to WSSR Ratification are: Sunday April 10th: at St Maries de la Mer, Finian Maynard, BVI, 48.70 Kts. Also on Sunday April 10th: at St Maries de la Mer, Karine Jaggi, SWI, 41.25 kts. The current Outright Record is already held by Finian Maynard and stands at 46.82 knots set in Saintes Maries in November 2004. Before Maynard broke the record last year it had been held for over ten years at a speed of 46.52 knots set by Simon McKeon (AUS). Babethe Coquelle holds the Outright Women's Record with a speed set over ten years ago in July 1993 in Tarifa of 40.05 knots. - www.sailspeedrecords.com/ RULES QUIZ 19 The racing season is beginning and you probably think there isn't time to learn what's happened in the racing rules. But there is time, and UK makes rules' instruction free and easy. Click on Rules Quiz 19 - http://www.uksailmakers.com/RulesQuiz/quiz_19.html - to get the animated action many have described as the clearest presentation of rules they've ever seen. This and our other quizzes cover one or more rules each, and new quizzes are added regularly. Already visited?: go back: we've added new quizzes and surprising upgrades. Try it now before some Protest Jury teaches you the hard way. THE MINIS ARE COMING This spring will mark the completion of the first entirely carbon composite mini transat hulls ever built in North America. The team of Kate Ambach and Drew Wood spent the last year building three boats at their small shop in Newport RI. Last July, the pair began their project by building hull number one for a customer, to offset the cost of building their own hulls. The owner of the first hull spent weekends assisting in the build, and is finishing his boat in New York. Since the completion of that hull in September 2004, Katie and Drew have built two more boats, one for each of them, which they plan to race in the 2007 Transat 6.50. The minis are built from the moulds of a successful 2001 Pierre Rolland design. Rolland has completely updated and modernized the appendages, structure, and internal ballast arrangements for this project. The boats will have a canting keel with single dagger board and centerline water ballast and were built in SP carbon and ATC core cell. The hulls are nearing completion, and will await fitting out for a possible launch date this fall. The team is looking forward to racing the 2006 mini season in Europe with hopes of qualifying "early" for the 2007 Transat 650. Although in France it is extremely common for mini hopefuls to build a boat of their own, no one in the US has ever both built and raced his or her own mini in the Transat 6.50. In fact, only five Americans have ever finished the "Mini Transat" which has run since 1977. Today, though, it appears minis are skyrocketing in popularity in the US and Canada. Currently there are more than half a dozen boats under construction in North America, although the Newport three will be the only prototypes among them. Katie and Drew are excited that their weekends of laminating hull skins will soon be ending and they can look forward to testing the little boats on Narragansett Bay! More information on the project is available on the team's website at: www.solosailor.com GET ORGANIZED A new tool has been launched on YachtsandYachting.com to make it easy to organize your sailing schedules and keep track of which crewmembers are sailing in which events on your boat. Campaign Manager allows you to select events you are taking part in, invite sailors to join your sailing squad and keep track of who is sailing in which events. It will also calculate the all-up weight of your crew for each event. Emails can be sent to each crew with their personalized sailing schedule where they can confirm if they can attend each event. A full introduction to Campaign Manager is at: www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/?article=16654. To start a campaign: www.yachtsandyachting.com/campaign/ ALPHABET SOUP The US 'alphabet soup game' just grew to include another handicapping system. In addition to IMS, PHRF, IRC ORR and Americap II, we've learned that the Swiftsure International Yacht Race is 'considering' using ORC Club as an alternative handicap system for the 2005 Cape Flattery Race. The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) has offered complimentary single event trial certificates to boats entered in the 2005 Swiftsure. Based on interest, the Swiftsure Committee will decide whether to include an ORC Club division on April 22, 2005. - www.norg.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=8 21,000-MILES, 12 BOATS AND THE CAMET SHORTS AND SHIRTS Global Challenge - the world's toughest yacht race. It brings the hardest conditions and the most amazing stories of adventure to life. There is nothing better then listening to great stories of past regattas with friends. At Camet we believe that the camaraderie and friends are what make sailing the best sport in the world. We thank you for letting us be part of it! Camet Clothing for lifestyles on the water! 619-226-6737 or http://www.camet.com CONGRESSIONAL CUP Three-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts will meet old colleagues and new rivals, some with similar aspirations, in the 41st Congressional Cup, presented by Acura, starting Tuesday. For now, Coutts is effectively barred from AC competition by terms of his recent settlement with Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli. But Chris Dickson (BMW Oracle), Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand), Philippe Presti (Le Defí 2007) and the Team Shosholoza sailors from South Africa crewing for the veteran Chris Law have their long-range sights set on Valencia in 2007. After a three-year involvement the Congressional Cup is no longer part of the Swedish Match Tour. As the new presenting sponsor, Acura will raise the purse to $40,000, up from $25,000 last year. The only American entry is veteran Chris Larson of Annapolis, who is stepping up to the wheel after calling tactics for Gavin Brady and Terry Hutchinson the last two years. Brady is not competing, but Hutchinson---a Team NZ member---will call tactics for Barker. While Chris Law is sailing with Team Shosholoza in the Congressional Cup this week, he has no further commitments with the team. The invitation to members of Team Shosholoza to crew with him at the Congressional Cup is a follow up to a match race regatta in Denmark last year when Chris invited four members of the team to crew for him. Team Shosholoza accepted this invitation in order to sharpen their match racing skills. Team Shosholoza skipper Geoff Meek accepted invitations to compete in the Swedish Match Tour for the same reasons last year. The skippers for the the 41st Congressional Cup are: Dean Barker, Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson, Scott Dickson, Chris Larson, Chris Law, Staffan Lindberg, Lars Nordbjerg, Philippe Presti, Mathieu Richard. - Rich Roberts, www.LBYC.org/concup Curmudgeons Comment: T2P will be providing exclusive on-line video coverage of the Congressional Cup. Shows will air by 9pm (12am eastern) each night this week- April 12-16. www.t2p.tv CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar NEWS BRIEFS * To recruit, develop, and cater to the needs of the estimated 250 Volunteers needed in each venue in 2005 alone, the organizers of the 32nd America's Cup have created the Spanish-based Fundación 32.Org to administer and run the Volunteer program. Volunteers are needed to help operations on-the-water and ashore. There are nearly 50 different roles available for Volunteers in 2005, with assistance required in everything from regatta operations to hospitality and welcoming the public. Volunteer recruitment is already in progress. Applicants local to each host city or region will be given priority. Fore information on becoming a Volunteer: www.americascup.com * So far no one has made the $30,000 minimum bid to sail the R/P 78 Turbo Sled Scout Spirit (ex Bright Star & Zephyrus) in the First Team Real Estate Invitational Regatta in Newport Beach, CA. The May 20-22 regatta will benefit Hoag Hospital. The winning bidder will be able to fill up to five spots on the boat during the race, so a group of five interested sailors could put up $6,000 apiece in a group bid. The charter fee would raise money for the Newport Sea Base as well as Hoag's Heart and Vascular Institute. - The Daily Pilot, www.dailypilot.com/features/story/8948p-12295c.html * This week the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters 2005 is not only showcasing the world's top 31 squash players, but a remarkably enhanced visual experience is being "test driven", as new technology captures on-court play. Virtual Spectator(TM) (VS) is a leading interactive visualization and sports information group known for its 3D interactive animations of America's Cup sailing, World Rally Motor Sports, golf, rugby, cricket, horse racing, and in Bermuda, the world's premier match racing event, The King Edward the VII Gold Cup. - http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050408/nyf120.html?.v=3 FOR SALE Flirt IRC49, Corby design from 2002, fully optimised in 2004. Flirt has the best of everything including a substantial sail wardrobe, carbon spars, B&G electronics etc. Class winner at many premier regattas in UK and Caribbean. Owner launching larger yacht soon, so no reasonable offer refused. Details from mailto:brokerage@oystermarine.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. 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 Quentin Walsh: Leonard Hubbard's comment that big time racing is not a rule problem but a cultural one what with its' prohibitive cost and professionalism struck a chord with me. I'll still jump at any chance for such racing with "Daddy Warbucks," but as an owner/ skipper I'll content myself to teaching and imbuing a love of the sport to my grandchildren in our rudimentary daysailer. * From Rob Ball: I was involved in several Admiral's Cups - the last three as the designer for boats that went to England representing Canada. In our best year there were six boats entered in selection trials, four of them being new builds. Today you will have a hard time finding any interest from Canada. From my vantage point, being involved with the owners, the event was indeed a highlight of their life, and unique in that as amateurs they could compete on the world stage in the top event. I was able to witness the gradual introduction of professionals to the sport of Offshore Racing, and it seemed like owner interest declined at an inverse ratio. It is sad now that such events do not thrive, but as mentioned elsewhere, it is our culture that has done it . There are similar stories in other sports. I remember Gary Mull speaking quite forcefully on the subject - 'If you allow advertising, the amateur sport will die' - and it seems to me that is exactly what has happened. To compete at a high level now, the key is being good at achieving funding, rather than developing a good sailing team and program. * From Pablo Godel: What is happening with the America's Cup and all the legal litigations is very sad. It is having a very negative impact in the people that follows the news. It will hurt our entire sport. Why the winner of the Cup has the luxury of acting as the owner of the entire event, which in turn, influences our entire sport? An independent entity should be in charge of all rules and sanctions. Yesterday I heard two sailors talking about the Cup, and one was asking if the US was still doing good in the Cup? Apparently neither heard that NZ and then Switzerland won the last three editions. The interest doesn't seem to be here, example of what all of this nonsense generates. * From Rick Deppe: After a long and interesting sailing career which included two "Whitbread's", "The Race" and many of the major regattas throughout the 80s and 90s I have been fortunate to subsequently find myself a berth working as a producer at the Discovery Channel, in October of last year and again in January Discovery sent a production crew to Dutch Harbor Alaska to create a 10 part series chronicling the trials of the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman. This show has been called many things including "The Worlds Most Dangerous Job" amongst others. I was part of the production team for this show and spent time at sea with these remarkable individuals.... I think that any one who enjoys Scuttlebutt, sails either for a living or recreation would no doubt find this to be about the only thing worth watching on Tuesday 12th at 9 pm EDT. http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/splash.html * From Eric Matus (re the lee-bow effect of current): In decades of sailing, I've observed the complex interaction of wind, current and stationary objects. Sailing trim and tactics take into account the integration of all these factors. Dave Perry's article is correct regarding the relative affect on the apparent wind to all vessels in the same current. The obvious concern is the resultant vectors affect on a boat sailing to a stationary object, which he sums up, is the real concern. Any helmsman that has failed to make the weather mark due to a current can attest to that. The real concern is the resultant vector of the boat's course and the buoy's course (through the water); what point of sail is derived from the boat vs buoy resultant vector plus the gradient wind vs. the current resultant vector. Chris Pratt and Paul Kamen are right on, that these effects win and lose races and Dave had an excellent point that lee-bow effect, oft attributed to the outcome of a race, is a misnomer. * From Graeme Winn: The easiest way to look at lee-bow effect problem is to view it with respect to the water surface: in this case if you are sailing in an adverse current it appears that the mark is moving away from you. Now, you would not alter the way you sail if you were sailing in no current and the mark was being towed away from you; nor should you alter the way you sail in current. On the other hand it might affect where you sail: if the mark appeared to be going right, say, then you should probably be going to the right too (and maybe the current will be on your lee bow). * From Derek Snow: I agree with Steve Pyatt's argument that there are differences in apparent wind when on opposite tacks in tide. However, what most sailors think of as the lee-bow effect comes into play when two boats are on the same tack sailing into the tide. The lee-bow effect applies to the boat that can point high enough to have the tide "striking" the lee side of their bow. There is indeed a slight increase in apparent wind for the boat that sails higher but a similar increase occurs in the absence of tide, assuming both boats have the same speed through the water. The real effect of pointing higher can be explained by the increased time spent on that tack and the corresponding magnification of any performance difference. If sailing at 8 knots, pointing one degree higher over a 8nm leg would result in a gain to windward of 0.14nm. However, in a 6 knot current directly on the bow, the 1 hour beat would take 4 hours and the gain to windward would be 0.55nm. This does not even take into account the fact that the reduced apparent wind would result in a slower speed through the water, magnifying the effect even further. Chapter 16 of Stewart Walker's book "Advanced Racing Tactics" gives an excellent overview of the relationship of current to racing performance. * From J. Nicholas Newman: The 'Dueling Rules' seems like a case of déjà vu. Similar concerns were raised thirty years ago, regarding the `competition' between IMS and IOR. IMS was then known as MHS, for `Measurement Handicap System', a name suggested by Lynn Williams who was a leader in its development. Writing in `Yachting', Lynn said "Some people like chocolate ice cream while others prefer vanilla. The wise ice cream manufacturer offers both flavors." CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Don't worry about biting off more 'n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger than you think. |
