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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 730 - January 16, 2001KWRWKEY WEST, Fla. - A lovely breeze, a wealth of ultraviolet rays and shore temps in the mid-70s - it was altogether a tourist's delight Monday as a record number of 326 boats opened Yachting Key West Race Week 2001. "It was a beautiful day," said Ken Read, who drove Makoto Uematsu's Farr 50 Esmeralda to a pair of wins on corrected time over bigger boats in Class-1A IMS. "Right out of the tourist guide." But don't think the mood was entirely sublime. Offshore, along with an occasional chill in the 12-knot nor'easter, there was heartbreak and bit of boat breakage. The crunch of carbon fiber was heard on at least one of the four courses, and close competition had adrenaline pumping across the sweep of the emerald sea. Highland Fling, Irvine Laidlaw's Farr 60 from the UK that has won Class 1A-IMS the last two years, took a direct hit from Larry Bulman's appropriately named Farr 49 Javelin. Halfway up the first beat of the first of two races, Javelin was on port tack doing 9 knots. Laidlaw was at the wheel of Highland Fling with starboard-tack right of way at the time of the collision. "It threw him up in the air and he landed on his back," tactician Eddie Warden-Owen of Wales said. "We put some ice on him and he seemed to be all right." Neither boat finished the race, although Highland Fling returned to sail the second showing only slight damage to its port side just aft of the helm. Warden-Owen went before the jury to ask for redress. Javelin won't be back. On the Farr 40 course next door, meanwhile, George Andreadis' Atalanti XII from Greece staked out a defense of last year's victory by winning the first race in an overlap finish with Pegasus, sailed by software developer Philippe Kahn of Santa Cruz, Calif. That class requires owners to drive their own boats, but most have world-class sailors as tacticians. That condition, combined with the largest array of Farr 40s ever seen in one place, formed a volatile chemistry that produced more than its share of protests. Among those gathering at the jury tent were New Zealand's America's Cup winner, Russell Coutts, who is sailing on Cavallino with his new America's Cup boss, pharmaceutical billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli of Switzerland. "This is my first protest at Key West ever," Coutts said. Cavallino protested Markus Wieser's @ccelarator (that is the correct spelling) for cutting the two-boat-length margin for a port tacker at the windward mark. But the best day belonged to Harry Melges, sailing - what else? - the Melges 24 Zenda Express from Zenda, Wis., where he runs the factory where the boats are built. Melges swept both opening races, a notable achievement in that deeply competitive 59-boat fleet. In the first race, he said, "We had a terrible start, fought for our lanes [of clear wind] and let things develop for us." He nipped Karen Gottwald's Cagey from Chicago by about five feet. His second win was considerably more comfortable. Competition on four courses will continue through Friday with a total of eight races for each of the 18 classes. The forecast is for similar weather Tuesday. Competition on four courses will continue through Friday with a total of eight races for each of the 18 classes. The forecast is for similar weather Tuesday. - Rich Roberts Partial Results: CLASS 1A-IMS (9 boats) 1. Esmeralda (Farr 50), Makoto Uematsu, Newport, R.I., 1-1, 2 points. 2. Idler (N/M 50), George David, New York, N.Y., 2-2, 4. 3. Virago (N/M 49), Bache Renshaw, Portsmouth, R.I., 3-3, 6.CLASS 1D-ID35 (20 boats) 1. Avalanche, W.S. Shellhorse, Lake Wesley, Va., 5-1, 6. 2. Windquest, Doug DeVos, Holland, Mich., 3-5, 8. 3. Joss, Owen Kratz, Houston, Tex., 2-7, 9. Complete results: www.Premiere-Racing.com THE RACE The day has belonged to Grant Dalton and to a lesser extent Roman Paszke. Dalton has clawed out an advantage over Team Adventure and Innovation Explorer, with each passing hour seeing the gap increase. At 09:30 GMT Club Med held an advantage of 51km/32 miles over Team Adventure but by 16:30 GMT this had been increased to 114km/71 miles. While not noteworthy when you take into account that there still remains more than 29,000km/18,000 miles to the finish in Marseille, it could enable them to latch onto the strong westerlies lurking south and establish a psychological as well as distance advantage. Cam Lewis has spent the day endlessly maneuvering his boat to try and catch what little wind exists. "We're crawling south," he reported during the daily phone in. Innovation Explorer has suffered damage to its reacher, a vital sail that was going to be important in the Southern Ocean. Onboard repairs have been undertaken, but with the boat already having a spartan sail plan through lack of money, they can ill afford any further problems. They have slipped back to more than 321km/200 miles behind. Warta Polpharma has gained 61km/38 miles on the leader, covering more than 515km/320 miles in the last 24 hour period, again making it the fastest boat in the fleet. Darius Drapella reported:"We're fine, apart from the choppy weather, there's a really strong trade wind, and the swell is three meters high". - Martin Cross, NOW Sports website Full story: http://www.now.com/feature.now?cid=997704&fid=1163477 POSITIONS, January 16, 05:37 GMT: 1 Club Med, 2 Team Adventure, 81 miles behind leader, 3. Innovation Explorer, 208 mbl, 4. Warta Polpharma, 1525 mbl, 6. Team Legato, 2491 mbl. QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Grant Dalton " We've started turning left a bit. He (Cam Lewis) has tucked in behind us. We've shut the door on him a bit for now which is nice. There are still 19070 miles to sail to the finish, so we couldn't say he's totally under control, but we do have him where we want him." - http://www.catamaran.clubmed.fr/html/UK/news/article.cfm?ID_NEWS=01_01_01152001_155736 NO CHICKEN TENDERS With all the hot racing action going on this summer, you still can not help noticing the awesome new tenders beings used by many of the worlds top racers. From the rugged conditions of the Kenwood Cup to the short stormy chop in Newport, RI and even the biggest ebb tide in SF Bay, one boat stands above the rest in performance, stability and comfort, THE PROTECTOR! Built in New Zealand, Protectors are now being imported to the states and Europe by ProtectorUSA, For more information log on to www.protectorusa.com or call toll free 1.877.664.BOAT. Get onboard! VENDEE GLOBE - By Philippe Jeantot The return to Atlantic waters has been quite a shock for those Vendee Globe skippers who have already rounded Cape Horn. The fifth skipper was Thomas Coville (Sodebo) at around 2200hrs French time on Sunday evening, his third passage but first in solo mode. The sea has changed dramatically from the sweeping Southern swell to choppy, roughed up waves, thanks to the opposing winds dominant in that part of the world. For third placed Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear), this isn't good news as his port side rigging remains slightly loose, and yet it is the tack on which he is forced to sail upwind right now. He is still within a threatening 200-mile range of his main target, Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher), and yet admitted that "her boat is a little more adapted to upwind sailing than mine". One advantage he pointed out was his experience of managing himself and the boat during this final third stage of the race. "I'll still push the boat hard but not like four years ago where it stressed me out. I think I'm less fatigued than Ellen, whereas it's her first Globe." Fourth placed Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagere) has finally set off again after a stop-over totalling 17 - 19 hours to fix his track back on the mast. A bit of a harsh time penalty for a job that took just 3 - 4 hours to complete. Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) has come through "the hardest 48 hours since the start", namely a strong depression with winds of up to 45 knots, nearly throwing her off the boat when she was trying to move along the deck. She is savouring her very last Southern Ocean moments before reaching Cape Horn in a couple of days, knowing that she will not return to that part of the world1s oceans again alone. Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) has successfully completed his operation to build an 18 metre mast. However, the announced force 8 - 9 storm force winds are now his main worry, if he is to safely cast off from his anchorage. "I'm in my survival suit inside the boat. It's night time. I've plunged in up to my waist to tie a second line around a huge rock. There's a way I can get the boat out of the inlet under bare poles. I'1ll set off tomorrow night and I can set the storm jib and staysail immediately." - www.vendeeglobe.org Standings: 1. PRB, Michel Desjoyeaux, 2. Kingfisher, Ellen MacArthur, 646 miles behind leader, 3. Active Wear, Marc Thiercelin, 812 mbl, 4. Sill Matines & La Potagere, Roland Jourdain, 940 mbl, 5. Sodebo Savourons la Vie, Thomas Coville, 1089 mbl. 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. We don't publish anonymous letters, but will withhold your e-mail address on request.) * From: "Charles 'Chuck' Lauwers" sailingpix@gmx.net Bravo Mr. Kevin Ellis ! I fully agree with you on the stupidity of the new ISAF eligibility code! We have this boat-building & sail training project here in Antwerp, Belgium. Our purpose groups are people of tech schools, wood-craftsmen in training and special youth-care. One of our aims is to introduce them to offshore sailing and racing, not only through participating in tall ships' races but also through coastal racing in our Contessa 32. We are promoting our sport and cultivating a new generation of race-crew among a population group where sailing is regarded as a hobby "for the very rich only". It's stupid to oblige our trainees to become member of a yacht club (which is not cheap, even for junior members) before they even have the slightest idea what it's all about. Possible solution: we could ask the local yacht club to grant temporary membership for each race. Or, the project can apply for membership to the Belgian federation, which would cost a lot per year. Money we'd rather spend on safety equipment. People will always find a way around it. A skipper protesting out another boat with a couple of trainees aboard, is ridiculous, demotivating for the new crew and thus devastating the development of the sport. (especially when some people are trying to get nice results with old-fashioned dacron sails and only one spinnaker) * From: Ed Sherman Brewster210@aol.com Regarding ISAF RRS 21.2.1(h) and how to comply: In 1999-00 while keel-up restoring my 1974, Sausilito-mfg. Etchells (Spirit) to like-new condition, I founded the Driveway Yacht Club (DWYC). If anyone would like to become a member of this exclusive club or sign-up their racing crew members, please feel free to go ahead and print some DWYC cards or certificates on your home printer. I am the Commode-a-dor and can vouch for your crew. This should cover your crew under RRS 21.2.1 (h). * From: Doug Schenk douglas.s.schenk@intel.com In response to Kevin Ellis' request for "Somebody please do something about this!!". We will begin the investigation, and prompt formation of the "WTvYC" - White Trash Virtual Yacht Club, as a quick/viable alternative for all crew, and boat owners, to meet this crazy club eligibility requirement. Not only a club for the average Joe, but also taking the virtual club (no clubhouse) a step forward into the new millenium by only being based on the internet. Membership details are being worked, and operators will soon be standing by, but will likely follow the lead of the Curmudgeon and require only an eMail address. For additional details, please visit our soon to be updated web site of the founding boat/gang at: http://home.europa.com/~schenk/whitetrash CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: As I understand it, virtual yacht clubs would solve the problem nicely, assuming of course, they join US Sailing. And a YC membership in USSA is only $75 per year. - http://www.ussailing.org/membership/clubmem.htm * From: Chris Ericksen Chris6932@aol.com In his printed letter to the ISAF office, Mr. Henderson suggested that ISAF's intention was "that all dedicated sailors be members of the jurisdiction that they wish to compete in..." On that note I have little issue: I consider myself a "dedicated sailor" and belong not only to my one-design class association but also to US Sailing. That class association requires all participants at upper-level events to be members of the class association; at the entry level and lower-level events, however, such a requirement does not exist. This seems both fair and sensible, and an ISAF rule requiring membership from all participants in upper-level ISAF events might be fair and sensible, too. Nevertheless, I see that I misunderstood all this: it now appears that ISAF only has the interest of yacht clubs and other organizing bodies in mind. Mr. Henderson suggests, "Event organizers at all levels should check their liability insurance because in most policies it does not cover non-members." I guess that is the reason ISAF passed this rule: so our yacht clubs will be safe from litigation or worse. It's now clear: the ISAF Eligibility Codes are from the government, and they are here to help us. AMERICA'S CUP * St. John's, NF - Oceanic Consulting Corporation, a Newfoundland-based ocean engineering firm, has been awarded a contract to evaluate the design of the racing yacht for Switzerland's 2003 America's Cup Challenge. Oceanic's contract will be ongoing until late 2001, with model tests being conducted at the National Research Council of Canada's Institute for Marine Dynamics (NRC-IMD) in St. John's, and with technical services support from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Facilities include: 200m and 58m towing tanks; an offshore engineering basin; a 90m ice tank; a 22m flume tank; a cavitation tunnel; marine simulators; as well as access to an Acutronic 680-2 centrifuge. * There are growing indications that the Brits will have a syndicate cranked up for the 2003 America's Cup. CUSTOMER SERVICE Are you tired of the ECRM runaround? (Electronic Customer Relationship Management). When you shop at Performance Yacht Systems in Annapolis, one person is responsible for your order from start to finish. The best part is that when you call us, you can talk to that person and find out exactly what you want to know. From technical information and product availability, to order status and follow up, the guys here have you covered. Check out our website at http://www.pyacht.com or call 1 877-3pyacht to speak with someone who cares. VOLVO OCEAN RACE January 12, 2001 - The Nautor Group can confirm that they are investigating opportunities within the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002. At this stage, various options are being evaluated and considered. A full media announcement will be made within the next month. - Lizzie Green, VOR Press Officer THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Why are there flotation devices in the seats of planes instead of parachutes? |
