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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 704 - December 6, 2000NEW SPEED RECORDYves Parlier has led the Vendee Globe solo round the world race since crossing the Equator, was the first in the 20-boat fleet to reach the Roaring Forties and now, in the Southern Ocean, he has set a race record pace of 419 miles in 24 hours. Parlier's Aquitaine Innovations holds a 100-mile lead over Michel Desjoyeaux's PRB, revelling in the 25-knot winds. Seemingly, the Southern Ocean conditions are moderate enough still for really big mileages to be sailed. Parlier averaged 17.45 knots in what is believed to be a record for a singlehander in a monohull. His 417 miles comfortably eclipses the 374 miles set by the 1996-97 Vendee Globe winner Christophe Auguin. It also nails the widespread pre-start opinion that Parlier, thanks to smashing his legs in an accident last year and repeated weight-adding alterations to his boat to make it comply with self-righting rules, would not be competitive enough. "I am fighting fit, on really good form," Parlier said of his furious pace. Behind, Briton Ellen MacArthur dropped from fourth to fifth, losing time when Kingfisher's laboriously repaired spinnaker blew out. MacArthur, too, is below 40 degrees south. - Tim Jeffery, Daily Telegraph, UK, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Standings: 1. Aquitaine Innovations. Yves Parlier, 2. PRB, Michel Desjoyeaux (+95 miles) 3. Sill Matines & La Potagere, Roland Jourdain (+161m) 4. Active Wear, Marc Thiercelin (+317m) 5. Kingfisher, Ellen MacArthur (+324M) 6. Sodebo Savourons la Vie, Thomas Coville (+326M) ADMIRAL'S CUP TRIALS (Miami Beach, Florida) Philippe Kahn and his crew on Pegasus crossed the line first in the Miami Regatta long distance race, the final race of the first part of the Farr 40 One Design Admiral's Cup Trials. Only five of the original eight Admiral's Cup contenders started this race with Diana, Passage and Defiant choosing to stay on shore. The win in the distance race tied them on points with Jim Richardson and Barking Mad. Barking Mad had two wins to Pegasus' one but since the distance race was weighted more, Pegasus was declared victorious for the overall series The distance race started at 10am Sunday in winds of 12-18 knots with the forecast for a building northerly to a possible 25-30 knots during the night. The course took the competitors past the Miami sea buoy, 7 ? miles south to the weather mark. From there, the boats went upwind in the Gulf Stream to a buoy off Palm Beach. It was then a wild run in 30 knots of breeze along the coast back to the first mark with a 71/2 mile beat from there to the finish. - www.farr40.org Overall Results: 1. Pegasus, Philippe Kahn 2. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson 3. Twisted, Chris Doscher 4. Raging Bull, Richard Marki 5. Total Eclipse, Mark Bregman 6. Defiant, Wright/Cozzens 7. Diana, George Carabetta 8. Passage, Burgess/Jayson AMERICA'S CUP (Although the America's Cup Arbitration Panel confirmed the validity of the Swiss Challenge for America's Cup 2003, the "arm of the sea" issue is hardly sunk. Sean McNeill examined the AC Deed of Gift and discusses potential changes in his story on the Quokka Sports website. Here are two excerpts.) * Lawyer Hamish Ross, of Auckland, New Zealand, is adamant that the "arm of the sea" clause be stricken from the Deed of Gift, the 143-year-old document that governs the event. The clause in the Deed states: "Any organized Yacht Club of a foreign country, incorporated, patented, or licensed by the legislature, admiralty, or other executive department, having for its annual regatta on ocean water course on the sea, or on an arm of the sea, or one which combines both, shall always be entitled to the right of sailing a match for this Cup, with a yacht or vessel propelled by sails only and constructed in the country to which the Challenging Club belongs, against any one yacht or vessel constructed in the country of the Club holding the Cup." "It was a spite clause, and now it should be changed," Ross said. "There was a real risk that we could have taken our challenge somewhere bizarre like Monrovia or somewhere else in West Africa where they could sell us passports and we could sail under flags of convenience." The New York Yacht Club added the clause in 1882 as a deterrent to Captain Alexander Cuthbert, a fishing boat builder who was the centerpiece of back-to-back Canadian challenges in 1876 and 1881 from Lake Ontario. * "Striking that clause from the Deed wouldn't be such a bad idea," said Gary Jobson, ESPN's Cup analyst. "Let's say you have a Club from some big lake, you'd want them to come. There's lots of great clubs on lakes. It might open it up more." Jobson, for one, feels a number of issues should be addressed if the New York State Supreme Court does become involved. "In light of the extraordinary sums being spent on challenges, it probably would be good to take a look at the Deed of Gift and make all changes at one time," said Jobson, the 1977 Cup winning tactician. "Two that come to mind are the arm of the sea and tightening up the nationality restrictions. And a third would be how a challenge is put in. When the deed was written, it was envisioned there'd be one challenger." Another steadfast Cup supporter believes change should be introduced slowly. Bill Trenkle, Team Dennis Conner's director of operations, said that any changes should be discussed thoroughly before enactment. "People would like to see a lot of changes, but you need to be careful," Trenkle said. "If too many changes are made at once, it could ruin the nature of the event. Challenging is difficult. If you open it up, it could become just a sailboat race, and it's not just a sailboat race." - Sean McNeill, for Quokka Sports Full story: http://www.quokkasailing.com/stories/12/SLQ_1205_swiss_WFC.html THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT Built on the successful design of the Sailing Shorts, Camet has created a pair of pants to give you added protection from the sun, wind and a long day on the water. If you like the Shorts, you must try these. Don't forget the foam pads. www.camet.com CELEBRATION - by John Roberson Cowes, ENGLAND. - Who else but the British would go to great lengths to celebrate a defeat? But that is exactly what the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes is planning, in lavish style, a celebration of the 150th anniversary of losing what is now known as the America's Cup. Do the French celebrate the battle of Trafalgar? Do the Spanish celebrate the Armada? Hardly! August 22nd 2001 will mark 150 years since the rout of the pride of the British sailing fleet by the schooner America, in a race around the Isle of Wight. Since then Britain's record of trying to retrieve the trophy has been pretty abysmal, and with no challenger from their shores having even made it to the starting line for over thirteen years, one could say that England's Cup history is about at its lowest ebb. And yet, during the week of 18th to 25th August 2001 this august establishment will host one of the most extravagant and spectacular regattas in its history, possibly in the history of British sailing, to celebrate its most famous defeat. Imagine all three remaining J Class boats, Endeavour, Valsheda and Shamrock, plus between thirty and forty 12 Metres, and up to fifteen International America's Cup Class boats and that is just to whet the appetite. Add a replica of the original yacht America, such well known classics as Adela, Adix and Mariette, and a host of other similarly mouth watering yachts. Then in this illustrious line up that is expected for the America's Cup Jubilee, come the also-rans, like Swans, Wallys and other modern racing/cruising boats. Nothing under 45 feet in length gets an invitation, and the maximum number of boats that will be permitted is two hundred. Full story: http://www.sports.com/sailing/112700jubilee.htm 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 an e-mail address on request.) -- From Paul Henderson, ISAF President (Paulhenderson141@cs.com) - Most of the complaints or demeaning remarks against ISAF appear to becoming from the USA. I will not lower the level of my defence of the ISAF structure and our method of coming to decisions in the best of interest of the majority of sailors in 130 countries by referring to the latest Presidential election so astutely and clearly defined in Florida. -- From Russ Lenarz (Bycsailor@aol.com) - In keeping with the current trend, I think that a re - count is in order as to the decision on the Yngling. I think that Mr. Reynolds hit the nail on the head. The ISAF committe is clueless. They do not represent the sport as it should be. -- From J. Joseph Bainton (bainton@baintonlaw.com) -Mark Reynolds makes two very valid points. First, members of the Events Committee (or for that matter any other ISAF committee) ought to vote publicly with the expectation that they will be held accountable for those votes by their constituents. Second, the Events Committee should be comprised of more elite sailors and fewer bureaucrats. Perhaps an amendment to the ISAF bylaws prohibiting secret votes is in order. -- From Hugh Elliot (HughElliot@worldnet.att.net) -The talk about recruiting active athletes to serve on U.S. SAILING Committees and the ISAF Delegation looks a bit different from one athlete's perspective. For three years (1998 - 2000) I combined the activities of Chairman of U.S. SAILING's Committee on Sailors with Special Needs (which managed and selected the U.S. Disabled Sailing Team) and a Paralympic Campaign where we finished second at the Trials. As the boat owner and team manager of our campaign (although not the skipper) the question of sponsorship was mostly mine to handle. How could I reconcile this with my obligations to the U.S. Disabled Sailing Team? And the time required to be SWSN Chair, manage a campaign and earn a living? That one was simple: I abandoned the search for team sponsors and just wrote checks even though our team could well have used the money that we all could afford AND some serious sponsorship. I am confident that, absent my responsibilities at U.S. SAILING, I could have acquired enough sponsorship to have made a difference. I do not think that there is a solution to this problem. Active athletes will always have difficulty serving but they should be recruited as soon as they have retired. -- From Peter Johnson, UK (Jsirpeter@aol.com) - Herb Garcia ('Butt 702) says we should know more about the 'implications of bundling the ORC into ISAF'. He is right and here is some of it. The ORC (Council) will become 'within one year' the Offshore Racing Committee of ISAF. This committee will have 27 members and no less than 9 well manned sub-committees. Above all of that will sit the further layers of the ISAF Council and General Assembly. This cumbersome set up will purport to speak for all offshore ('habitable') boats and distance racing. Yet in reality ORC is only an IMS group (together with its simplified ORClub). Around the world there are independent well-run rules and systems that suit their own adherents. These include Americap, MORC, IRC/CHS, Volvo, Danish Handicap and the vast PHRF. As for ORC itself, at least one member has sat within it for 28 years (not joking). Beware its sticky paws on the world of offshore boats and racing. -- From Matthew Sessions (Matthew@PeoplepcHQ.com) [Brutally edited to our 250-word limit] - I found it entertaining to read about the new Open 30 Class. Do we really need another 30' one-design class? What's wrong with the Mumm 30, Melges 30, Henderson 30, Mt. Gay 30, Ultimate 30, Olson 30, etc? Is there too much demand for these existing classes? Not according the regatta results and sailing classifieds I read. Thanks to the designers and builders (and the few willing to buy), there is a huge saturation of decent one-designs. How many low-mileage one-design keelboats are for sale today for dimes on the dollar? I think the masses are starting to see what some of us have always known. Handicap racing is won by the biggest wallet and the rules are ultimately beaten leaving sailors griping at the keg (see IOR, MORC, IMS for more info). Large or small - the best racing is one-design. Let's promote great classes that already exist. Why start one more time? Since the rule is open, what's to prevent a mini-arms war in this class? Why spend $100K to go a few knots faster in front of the club hoping some others buy into the idea. For the same amount, you could buy a fleet of J-29s, J-30s, Express 27s or Tartan 10s. If the vast majority of us fit into the 'Regional' or 'Club' racing category, it's a simple solution. Why hope that others wealthy enough near you buy enough new boats to form a class when there is a sea of great one-designs available. -- From Roger Vaughan (RogerVaughan1@compuserve.com) [re yesterday's curmudgeon's observation] - The great British Racing driver, Sterling Moss, once said that a man would sooner admit he was a bad lover than a bad driver. STARS & STRIPES (Following are three excerpts from a story by Rich Roberts in the current issue of The Log.) * With the support of Computer Associates and chairman Charles Wang, when Dennis Conner returns to Auckland, N.Z. in 2002 he'll be on a competitive footing with the billionaires who are just coming into the game. "We have a real legitimate shot to bring the trophy back to the Model Room," Conner told a large turnout of reporters and TV crews. "There should be no excuse to lose." The helmsman again will be Ken Read, the only American currently designated to drive an American boat. Australian Peter Gilmour and New Zealander Chris Dickson have been designated as helmsmen for Craig McCaw's One World Challenge from Seattle and Larry Ellison's Oracle Racing from San Francisco, respectively. Conner will sail for the New York YC, but it was Conner who secured the CA sponsorship, not NYYC, thus placing the proud old club in the position of needing Conner more than he needed it. It was a rough voyage for NYYC with the under-funded Young America team through a near-sinking and generally disappointing results in the most recent Cup. Now, if it wished to regain its glory in a century and a half tradition of Cup participation, Conner was its only apparent option. * The extent of CA's sponsorship was not disclosed, but sources in Conner's hometown of San Diego have said he already has $30 million in sponsorship. With almost two years to go before challenger trials start for the 2003 defense, his kitty could go as high as $40 million or more. Conner is believed to have spent no more than $15 million for his one-boat campaign at Auckland. That was less than a third of the $50 million budget for Louis Vuitton Cup finalist Prada and half of AmericaOne's $30 million. * Ellison, with $36 billion, is second only to Microsoft's Bill Gates in Forbes' world rich list. McCaw is 56th at $6.1 billion. So it would seem that Conner went out and got a billionaire of his own. Wang may not be in Gates' or Ellison's league, but he does enjoy competing. He already owns a hockey team, an arena football team and a Formula One racer. Now his company's logo will fly on America's Cup sails and hulls. - Rich Roberts, The Log, http://www.thelog.com VOLVO OCEAN RACE The Telstra Sydney to Hobart will this year be the test track for four of the leading syndicates in the Volvo Ocean Race. The four will line up under the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and in sight of the Opera House on Boxing Day for the 630-mile dash south to the tip of Tasmania. Alongside them will be Nokia, formerly Swedish Match in the 1997-98 Whitbread, the boat which last year sliced a breathtaking 18 hours off the 1996 record set by Hasso Platner's maxi Morning Glory in 1996. The new target of 1 day 19 hrs 48 mins 2 secs set by Nokia is only part of the task for illbruck, News Corp, Tyco, and Assa Abloy as the Sydney to Hobart will form only part of leg three in the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts from Southampton on 23 September, 2001. Hobart will not be a destination for them, just a pit stop, where, next year, the fleet can, for a minimum of three hours, carry out repairs, tend to any minor injuries, or just take a welcome break. - Lizzie Green, www.VolvoOceanRace.org
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