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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 593 - June 19, 2000NEW RECORDOnly a month after her launching in Vannes (France), the giant catamaran CLUB MED (33.50m) has just recorded her second record: the East-West Atlantic crossing record between Cadiz and the island of San Salvador. In 10 days, 14 hours, 54 minutes and 43 seconds CLUB MED beats by almost 2 days (45 hours) the record held since 1988 by Serge Madec and his crew (in 12d, 12h, 25mn and 26s) on board their catamaran Jet Services V. The new average speed set by CLUB MED is 15.3 knots compared to 12.9 knots for Jet Services, or 2.4 knots faster. Even better, during this same crossing, CLUB MED also smashed the world record for the greatest distance sailed in 24 hours (625 miles at an average speed of 26 knots), dethroning the American Steve Fossett (580 miles) who set the record in March 99 on board his maxi-catamaran the 32m PlayStation. These two successive records allow CLUB MED to officially qualify for The Race and to pursue her working-up campaign in the direction of Miami and then New York, from where she will attack in mid-July the legendary West-East Atlantic Record, between New York (USA) and The Lizard Point (UK). "This boat has a potential of 25% more than those of the previous generation (Jet Services V)" declared Grant Dalton on arrival in San Salvador. "It is in the logic of current technological evolution. My main satisfaction during this first crossing was being the first to get under the 600-miles-in-a-day barrier therefore beating PlayStation1s record. I am very impressed by the potential of this boat that has allowed me to sail at speeds I had never experienced before." CLUB MED tied up alongside the docks of San Salvador this morning where she will only stay a short while before heading for Miami, from where she will attack the record between Miami and New York sometime around June 25th. The boat will then stay for a short time in New York to prepare for the very serious Atlantic crossing record between New York and The Lizard (UK), which the crew should be starting some time in the second half of July. Read more comments from the crew: http://www.clubmed.com EUROPE 1 NEW MAN STAR Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) continues to lead the Europe 1 New Man STAR, moving out to a 118 mile lead over the second boat with only 130 miles to the finish. But the second place boat now is also a British boat, Mike Golding (Team Group 4) has turned his Northern strategy of a few days ago into a four mile lead over Roland Jourdain (Sill Beurre le Gall). Kingfisher seems to be coming out of the danger zone although there are more than 100 miles of downwind sailing in light airs ahead of Ellen MacArthur, frustrating, tricky and mentally demanding. The leader of Class Five, Jason Baggaley, has abandoned his boat following extensive damage resulting from a capsize. He set off his EPIRB and the Halifax Rescue Coordination Centre broadcast a distress message, which lead to a merchant ship picking up Baggaley who is reported to be in good shape. He is now on board the freighter, and bound for Stockholm, Sweden. In addition, Class Four sailor Pieter Adriaans has communicated to the race office that he is undecided as to whether he will continue to Newport or go to Halifax. He reports being extremely exhausted after a hard week of battling through storm conditions. Website: http://www.europe1newmanstar.com/uk. QUOTE/UNQUOTE -- Ellen MacArthur - I think I've become more of a racer, because for the first time at the end of this kind of trip, I really really really want to get to the end. Normally I want to carry on in to the next ocean! This time I feel so stressed that I just want to get to the end. OFFSHORE SAILING Gill have been the market leaders in boating boots for many years. Whilst performance marine clothing has developed in leaps and bounds over the years: boots had not until now! During the past two years Gill has worked closely with WL Gore to develop a completely new and revolutionary marine boot. Style 910 Features include: waterproof, breathable, and light weight. Cordura and Kevlar tough upper. Unique rear lacing system. Superman grip with wrap around 3D sole unit. Reflective strip near to the ankle support. No offshore sailor should leave home without a pair. For more information: http://www.gillna.com AMERICA'S CUP SEATTLE (June 18, 2000) - The Seattle Challenge has announced its decision to team up with the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle in a bid to win the America's Cup, sailing's most coveted trophy. Russell Belden, CEO of the Seattle Challenge, said that he is thrilled to race in New Zealand under the burgee of the Corinthian Yacht Club (CYC). Belden, who is a CYC member, will travel to Monaco this week for an informal meeting of past and future challengers. Belden said he is eager to begin forging relationships with the distinguished representatives of Louis Vuitton, the Challenger of Record, and fellow challengers. The Seattle Challenge has been ardently developing its America's Cup bid since it officially launched its effort in April. Crewmembers have been sailing aboard the International America's Cup Class boat Spirit of Seattle for local races and training sessions. - Emma Lovegrove Website: http://www.seattlechallenge.org NEWPORT-BERMUDA RACE After enjoying a second night of fresh south westerly winds, the leading maxis in the 635 mile Newport Bermuda Race are well ahead of the record pace set by George Coumantaros' 'Boomerang' four years ago. At 08:00 EST today, Larry Ellison's maxi 'Sayonara', skippered by New Zealander Chris Dickson, was within 121 miles of the St David's Lighthouse finish, having set an average since the start from Newport on Friday of 12.23 knots. 'Boomerang' was trailing 2 miles astern and 'Sagamore', owned by James Dolan lay a further 4 miles back. The Race communications yacht 'Geronimo' which is shadowing the fleet reported today that the winds have never dropped below 16 knots and they are looking forward to watching one of these yachts break the record before midnight BDT. The one fly in the ointment however, could be the High pressure system currently sitting right over Bermuda which has snuffed out all but the faintest of northerly breeze. The best hope is that a low pressure system currently over Annapolis could nudge the Bermuda High across and thus open the gate to an early finish. Class 1 leader overnight was Edwin Gaynor's 'Emily' (277miles) CT. Class 2 was led by 'Impala' owned by Alfred Sanford from Nantucket (264 Miles) Class 3: Dolphin (Henry Morgan, MD) 254 miles Class 4: Hound (Franck Eberhart, NY) 231 miles Class 5: Mabuhay II (Eduardo Salvati, NY) 235 miles Class 6: Sceptre 'd Isle (Dietrich Weismann, NY) 215 miles Class 7: Trader (Frederic Detwiler, MI) 149miles Class 8: Boomerang (George Coumantaros, NY) 123miles Class 9: Sayonara (Larry Ellison, CA) 121 miles Class 10: Kirawan (Sanford Horowitz, (MT) 285 miles Class 11: Pamir (Francis Deichmann, RI) 259 miles Class 12: Pegasus (Mario Biagioli, MA) 265 miles Event website: http://www.bermudarace.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) and to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Ralph Stocek, Quebec, Canada - I'm worried that, given Kingfisher's position in the Europe 1 New Man Star race, the type of whale Ellen MacArthur hit and killed may have been a Right Whale. This is an endangered species of which 300 or less exist in the world. The chances of the species surviving are already slim. The herd has likely migrated to and is feeding off Canada's maritime coast by now. Many of them end up in the Bay of Fundy, and are frequently hit in the shipping lane there. If the course does impact Right Whales, I wish the race organizers would require these silent quick boats to be equipped with warning devices for the helmspersons, or a sound emitting device to warn off this besieged breed. -- From Andrew Burton - I just thought of another reason to be upset with USSA's unenlightened policy of charging us to tell us whether we can go sailing as amateurs or whether we have to sit on the beach while others go out, ie the one "1", "2" and "3" categories. The Bermuda race starts today in Newport. 190 boats will head offshore this afternoon. Most of those boats will be coming back to the states short of crew because US Sailing states that if you deliver a boat you raced on and get compensated for your time away from work then you are a "3", a professional sailor, which means that you won't be allowed to sail as an amateur for a long time even if that's the only time you get paid. Just ask my friend Tony. He helped bring a boat back from Key West to Miami three years ago and is only just now back on the boat as a "1" so he can drive again. For three years he was classified as a professional. -- From Clarence Martin - In Scuttlebutt 591 Gary Jobson renews his lobbying for a big boat Olympic class. A 35-40 foot, 6-8 crew boat would be an extraordinary cost for any but a very rich few. Would Jobson, in defense of his thesis, care to price the cost of campaigning such an Olympic venture? How much would it cost to put a 6-8 person crew on retainer for two or three years? A state of the art 35-40 footer would cost how much? Sails, maintenance and berthing, how much? Shipping the boat around the country and around the world to sail in qualifying races, how much? Jobson stated, "This would reflect the form we see today in most sailing throughout the world." I suggest that most sailing is done in far smaller boats with far smaller crews. This big boat inclusion would give an opportunity to a few rich boat owners and employ a lot of professional sailors. It would also be as dull as dishwater to watch. One more sailing event for TV to tape for 2a.m. showing. -- From Lawrence Harasym re America's Cup - Enough is enough! Why would Craig McCaw pay a grinder and mastman from Team New Zealand to join his syndicate? Is he REALLY trying to tell us there are no competent grinders and/or mastman from the United States? That is an insult to any American sailor. I can't believe it; it is already starting - the joke of "nationality" with the America's Cup. -- From Ken Guyer - Now that the "rumor" of a McCaw led syndicate is growing to the point of credibility, comments are more appropriate. I have a couple of questions for Craig McCaw. What the hell is wrong with the designers and sailors from your own country? Given that you who have the money can dictate the conditions, I am really curious why you are so interested in Kiwi sailors and designers. I mean the good ole U.S.A. successfully defended the Cup for all but two times in its long history. Why are you contemplating a challenge from the United States and staffing it with those from another country? I applaud your desire to become involved in an attempt to return the Cup. But isn't it kind of a slap in the face to all those who sail, live, work, & support the U.S.A.? And IF New Zealand is really the make up of your team, then isn't a win by your team more relative to New Zealand's competitive sailing ability rather than our own here in the United States? Just curious. CHICAGO NOOD With 282 boats, the three-day Sailing World Chicago NOOD hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club, drew the largest fleet in the history of the National Offshore One-Design (NOOD) series. But the Chicago NOOD will also stand in sailors' recollections as an event that transcended a superlative: It will be remembered as a regatta of extremes. One word described the fleet of 282 boats: diverse. Boats ranged in length from 24 to 70 feet; from weekend warriors like S2 7.9 NAUTI MONKEY (who claimed they started as a bowling team) to the kind of glamour boats that carry world-class sailors and grace magazine covers. Wind conditions mirrored that trend of variety. Friday's racing started in winds the ranged 16 to 22 knots; dark skies and passing squalls pulled the breeze in new directions and plagued tacticians with temporary insanity. Saturday's wind moderated to 10 to 15 knots. Sunday's racing was a true test: 8 knots, dwindling to 3, with shifts to spare. In the light-air finale on Sunday, leads in 4 out of 23 classes were overturned. Most leaders hung onto their class leads, even if the light winds did take some of the weight out of their leading margins. Bill Alcott's Santa Cruz 70 EQUATION (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) won the Great Lakes 70 class. Gary Jobson (Annapolis) joined the afterguard for this event. - David Reed Full results: http://www.sailingworld.com KIWI AC NEWS * As more Team New Zealand defectors jetted off to a new future yesterday, a rumour ran wild that the Seattle America's Cup syndicate they headed for had collapsed. Last night no one could say if billionaire Craig McCaw had pulled the plug on the challenge - which has plundered at least eight Team NZ crew - or whether it was a typical case of mischief-making by rival American syndicates. But the Kiwi sailors are being warned that they cannot expect to get their old jobs back if it does not work out. It proved impossible yesterday to question the syndicate, who have tried to stay anonymous while they raid the Kiwi defence. McCaw, a sailing enthusiast and telecommunications billionaire, has never spoken publicly about the campaign. But a core bunch of Team NZ members, from sailors to designers, are still expecting to meet McCaw in Seattle this weekend supposedly to sign contracts. If speculation becomes fact and McCaw decides not to continue with his challenge, the jobless crew may consider returning home. Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, however, made it clear yesterday that the crewmen could not walk straight back on board as if nothing had happened. - Suzan McFadden, NZ Herald Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ * It's Dean Barker's turn to do some pillaging of his own in the America's Cup war. And at the top of the Team New Zealand skipper's want list is his old rival Gavin Brady. Brady, former world No 2 matchrace skipper and one of New Zealand's Olympic sailors, has never found a place in the Team New Zealand ranks. He was strategist in Paul Cayard's America One last time and tactician for Chris Dickson's Kiwi challenge before that. But with the Team New Zealand brains trust heavily plundered by foreign syndicates, Barker needs to headhunt tactical experts such as Brady. "I'd really like to have a chat with Gavin," said Barker, who has sailed against him on the world matchracing circuit. In the last campaign there wasn't a position for him, but I would welcome him back to New Zealand." The Timaru-born skipper, who will sail in the Star class in the Sydney Olympics, would have to fit in with the "team" philosophy, which will continue to be the motto of Team New Zealand. Barker is searching the world for New Zealanders who sailed for other syndicates in the last Cup. There is little need to headhunt foreigners. He has already signed trimmer Daniel Fong, who worked for America True last time. There are plenty of promising young Kiwis dominating world sailing, such as Olympians Dan Slater and Nathan Handley. Even Ross Halcrow, the former Team New Zealand trimmer who defected to Young America, could be in Barker's reckoning. He has not given up on all of the 10 Team New Zealand crewmen still leaning towards leaving. "We're still targeting a couple of guys who are crucial," Barker said. "But we can't go into a bidding war - they have to stay for the right reasons." One of those Barker is trying to woo back is Cameron Appleton, the main candidate for backup helmsman. Appleton, who has received an offer from the Seattle syndicate, met Barker and Team New Zealand chief executive Ross Blackman at a cafe across the street from the defender's base yesterday. "I'm hoping Cameron will make his decision to stay,"said Barker. "He's a very talented sailor in his own right - he's the guy I would like to fill the role I had last time." Team New Zealand know they are not going to entice crew with money. They admit to being the lowest bidders amongst a fleet of multi-billionaire owners. Barker's spiel is that they will be buying into a very strong team, who have the design database, the two fastest boats in the world - and an automatic place in the Cup final. - Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ * CONFIRMED ABOARD TNZ FOR 2003: Ross Blackman (Chief Executive), Tom Schnackenberg (syndicate head/designer/navigator), Dean Barker (skipper), Cameron Appleton (back-up helmsman), Joe Allen (bowman), James Dagg (trimmer), Tom Dodson (tactician), Mike Drummond (designer/navigator), Burns Fallow (sail design), Daniel Fong (trimmer), Nick Heron (bowman), Jeremy Lomas (trimmer), Jonathan Macbeth (grinder), Barry McKay (pitman), Richard Meecham (bowman), Matt Mitchell (bowman), Clay Oliver (designer), Hamish Pepper (tactician), Loren Poole (designer), Tony Rae (trimmer), Chris Ward (foredeck). JUMPED SHIP: Russell Coutts (skipper), to Bertarelli (Swiss), Brad Butterworth (tactician), to Bertarelli (Swiss), Simon Daubney (trimmer), to Bertarelli (Swiss), Lauri Davidson (designer), to McCaw (Seattle), Warwick Fleury (trimmer), to Bertarelli (Swiss), Mickey Ickert (sail designer), to Ellison (San Francisco), Murray Jones (tactician), to Bertarelli (Swiss), Craig Monk (grinder), to McCaw (Seattle). READY TO JUMP: Richard Dodson (tactician), to McCaw (Seattle), Matt Mason (mastman), talking to McCaw (Seattle) and Bertarelli (Swiss), Ian Mitchell (designer), talking to McCaw (Seattle), Robbie Naismith (trimmer), talking to Ellison (San Francisco), Dean Phipps (bowman), talking to Bertarelli (Swiss), Jeremy Scantlebury (pitman), talking to McCaw (Seattle), Andrew Taylor (grinder), talking to McCaw (Seattle), Peter Waymouth (pitman), talking to McCaw (Seattle). UNDECIDED: Grant Loretz (trimmer) NZ Herald Website: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ MATCH RACING James Spithill and his Young Australian match race team have today won the 2000 Pedrini Cento Cup Grade 1 match race event on Italy's Lake Garda. Spithill beat Poland's Karol Jablonski by three matches to two in the best of five final whilst top seed Denmark's Sten Mohr took 3rd place from "Stars and Stripes" tactician, Peter Holmberg from the US Virgin Islands, 2-0. Website: http://www.centomiglia.it EUROPEAN LASER CHAMPIONSHIPS The sun was shining, the wind was 15 to 20 knots and there were big seas left over from the previous day's gales which provided excellent conditions for the final 3 races at the Laser European Senior Championship in Warnemunde. With a perfect stage set the drama was about to unfold and like all good stories there was a twist. Defending champion Ben Ainslie left the beach 2 points adrift of his training partner Paul Goodison but with everything to play for . Three races and the possibility of an extra discard kept all the coaches busy computing the res Going out of the start in the last race Goodison got underneath Ainslie and soon after the start had worked out from underneath Ainslie forcing him to tack off. Ainslie was looking good for most of the beat but in the last third split tacks with Goodison and went left. As the breeze dropped it went right which helped Goodison but not as much as Luis Martinez ESP who rounded first. Goodison rounded tenth with Ainslie out the back door in the forties. From then on both were playing catch up. Goodison had to finish in the top three to beat Ainslie whilst all Ainslie could do was rely on others. By the end of the downwind Goodison was up to seventh with Ainslie in twentieth. Goodison climbed up to fifth by the end of the next downwind but by then Martinez, Per Moberg NOR and Roope Suomalainen FIN were far enough ahead to leave Goodison thinking of what might have been. At the finish Ainslie had to study the results to be sure that he had won the European title for a record fourth time by a mere one point. Final overall results with two discards: 1. GBR Ben Ainslie 17; 2. GBR Paul Goodison 18; 3. NOR Peer Moberg 28; 4. SWE Karl Suneson 40; 5. DEN Peder Ronholt 40. Full results on website: http://www.laserinternational.org THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Life not only begins at forty; it also begins to show. |
