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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 690 - November 15, 2000GUEST EDITORIALThe ISAF decision to exclude the Soling is a bad one for the sport of sailing - one that will cause many people to suffer. With the current slate of boats for 2004, there are ample opportunities for dinghy sailors of all shapes and sizes to compete for a spot on the Olympic team. Depending on your size you can skipper or crew on a 470, a 49er, a Laser or depending on gender a Europe or a Finn. ISAF has insured that small boat sailors of all sizes and skill sets will have ample opportunity. However, if you happen to be a bigger person (and not a dinghy sailor), your options have nearly disappeared. You now have one option - sail a Star. And this option is still not practically open to all sailors. I for one am not nearly big enough to crew on a Star. The typical arrangement would require the twosome to sail at max weight based on the class formula and the typical Star crew is in the 250 to 270 pound range. On the men's side of the ledger, there is no keelboat with a spinnaker in the Olympic Games. How is this representative of the sport? The vast majority of people sail keelboats with spinnakers. Yet this skill set is not represented in the Games. In sum, unless you are a dinghy sailor, your options for finding a reasonable boat for your body size are severely limited. And based on ISAF's decisions, we can reasonably infer that spinnaker trimming is not a skill set of importance. I can only wish that some contingent at the ISAF level was able to put their own class allegiances aside, take a step back and look at the big picture. Create a slate that offers multiple opportunities for dinghy sailors and keelboat sailors. I am fully in favor of the women racing keelboats in the Games. It is high time for such an addition. But why take away another keelboat in the process? I understand fully the IOC limit of 400 sailors ... that does not explain this decision. That is just a convenient attempt at justification. Shame on those who put their own class allegiances ahead of creating a well rounded slate of boats for the next Olympics. - Dean Brenner AMERICA'S CUP * 15 Nov-2000 (NZ) - The first of two Swiss syndicates to announce its intentions to challenge for the next America's Cup was called Watchout. It was lead by Geneva businessman Philipe Esig. The syndicate, although never formally lodged as a challenger with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, managed to raise half of their required budget of US$30m by the end of October this year. The Watchout board however have decided not to go further without the whole budget in place and have today announced that they will cease operations. The second Swiss Challenge, run by Ernesto Berterelli, will now be flying the Swiss flag alone in Auckland. The Watchout syndicate wishes them well and hopes to be a challenger for the next event should a European challenger be successful in 2003. - Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/lvcup.sps?section=home&subsection=home&page=default.sps * From the spring of next year, Sunsail will have no less than three International America's Cup Class yachts available for charter in the Solent on a daily or longer term basis. The three yachts, France 2 and 3 from the 1995 challenge and Il Moro di Venezia from the 1992 challenge (renamed Young America for 1995), will be based in Portsmouth Harbour and have a permanent crew on each boat to handle the maintenance and general crewing. Their inclusion in the Sunsail fleet takes Corporate Sailing to a whole new level. Individual or corporate charterers and their guests will be able to experience the ultimate in racing yachts, whose speed, agility and raw power has been likened to a Formula 1 car. You can't drive a Formula 1 car, but you can drive an America's Cup Class yacht with Sunsail! Each and every guest on board will have his or her time at the helm and experience the sheer power of these 80ft monsters. - Sailsail website Full story: http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=2577 THE SCIENCE OF COMFORT At Gill we know the quality of our garments will be measured over years of use. That's why we strive to exceed industry standards in everything we do! From the unique way we work with and listen to the world's sailors to the meticulous attention we give to every garment. Whether you're on the US Sailing Team at the Sydney Olympics or facing the extremes of the Southern Ocean sailors want to stay warm and dry. Don't' take any short cuts when it comes to comfort and quality. Choose Gill gear! http://www.gillna.com THE RACE * Vilamoura, Portugal - The maxi-catamaran Club Med and her crew are pursuing their working-up programme off the Portuguese coast. After a few days spent near the Canaries and Madeira, Grant Dalton and his crew have left to reconnoitre the Straits of Gibraltar. Club Med's latest sailings have enabled them to test a new set of sails. A brand new set tested in light airs and also when sailing down to Vilamoura in around 35 knots of wind. They have also welcomed a new member of crew: Frenchman Alexis de Cenival. Originally from Aix-en-Provence, aged 37, this dentist by trade is no newcomer to the international scene: 93/94 Whitbread with Dennis Conner aboard Winston, four Admiral's Cups with the Dutch team and the Maxi World Cup circuit aboard Morning Glory. For the time being, Club Med continues to perfect her training, and on the programme this week, testing the new mainsail. As for returning into the Mediterranean, this is scheduled for around November 26th. - http://www.therace.clubmed.com/press/news.phtml * Cherbourg, France - The 110-foot American catamaran Team Adventure was launched and rigged in Cherbourg, France on Monday and will begin sailing sea trials off Cherbourg later this week. Cam Lewis, CEO/Skipper and team leader of the Maine-based American group that has commissioned the 110-foot catamaran, supervised the delicate operation to move the giant catamaran to the water. Lewis and his 12-man crew will now complete a series of sea trials off Cherbourg. They will then set off out into the wintry North Atlantic on the way to the Mediterranean. That voyage of 2,500 miles will qualify them as an official entry in The Race. They expect to complete this qualifier before December 12 at the start of the Monaco invitational regatta. - Keith Taylor Team Adventure website: http://www.TeamAdventure.org * Team Philips was brought up to Totnes on Sunday. She was raised out of the water to enable the build team to change the angle of the propellers, that have been added to comply with The Race rules. This has now been changed to give the engines more drive. At first light on Monday, the port mast and port wishbone were stepped successfully. The new bearing arrangement at the base of the mast worked perfectly. The starboard mast has not been stepped due to the fact that the tide was beginning to go out. Team Philips has been taken back down to Dartmouth where she will wait for the next available weather window. - ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org/today/whatsnew.html Team Philips website: http://www.teamphilips.com/ * Historically, mankind's most celebrated endeavors and achievements have been accomplished in spite of the naysayers, skeptics and ill-informed critics. Had the world's great explorers and adventurers, all flagships of human spirit and courage listened there would be no America, no South Pole and no Everest. All the teams entering The Race have been planning in great detail for over two years. This is not a last minute effort. Sure we would all like some more time on the water and some of the teams still desperately need funding, but the question arises: Will teams be more ready in a year's time? Probably not, as funding will dry up and crews will move on to the Volvo Ocean Race and America's Cup. A delay would also present the opportunity for new teams to enter the fray, with newer more spectacularly unready boats. In the meantime, three or four of the more ready boats will probably attempt the Jules Verne record around the world, placing the boats and crews in exactly the same position of risk associated with The Race. But a delay will not make it any safer for the sensibilities of a sterile public imagination that fears to tread new ground. - PlayStation crewmember Tom Weaver, for Quokka Sports Full story: http://www.quokkasailing.com/expert/11/SLQ_weaver_1110_WFC.html 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. -- From Paul Henderson, President, International Sailing Federation (re Women in the Olympics) - It should be noted that ISAF has moved Women's participation in the Olympics forward by giant leaps and now has more than met the IOC standards of 30% for 2004. In Savannah 1996 it was 19% Women participation increasing to 23% in Sydney 2000 and now guaranteed 35% in Athens for 2004. ISAF has the IOC constraints of having 11 Events and restricted to a total of 400 sailors. This can not be increased and we must be very diligent to even keep these constraints. Sadly to get to this position we had to replace the 3-men Soling with a 3-women Yngling. The women have always asked that where possible the women compete in similar events as the men and ISAF has done that with 4 events for women and 4 for men in windsurfing, singlehanders, doublehanders and keelboats all in fleet racing. ISAF has added an additional event for women in 4 of the last five games. The 49er, Tornado and Laser are Open for both men and women. All events, both men and women, will be run in the fleet racing format with team racing and match racing being disciplines not available at the Olympic Games at this time. I am pleased to say the overwhelming response has been very positive. -- From Lynn Olinger (In response to the guest editorial by Helen Mary Wilkes regarding the match racing/fleet racing controversy) - First I would like to say that the efforts of those involved with organizing and fostering the growth of women's match racing should be commended. These are wonderful events and I'm sure will continue to offer challenges and good competition for the top women sailors around the world. It would be a shame to think it will all fall apart simply because match racing may not be in the Olympic Games for 2004. Helen Mary Wilkes however, does not speak for all women sailors in the world. Some of us, and I speak only for myself here, feel that fleet racing is the more appropriate choice for many reasons but primarily because of access. One design fleets are everywhere, lakes, oceans, rivers, bays and in all countries where sailboats are raced. This maximizes the opportunity for more women to get involved. And, isn't that the point...after all? -- From Sandy Grosvenor (In response to Helen-Mary Wilkes) - I'm walking a fine line between being an avid and active women's match racer, and being the co-chair of the 2001 Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championships (RIWKC). Like Helen-Mary, I'm very frustrated, angry, and disappointed with the way ISAF back-stabbed several years of effort. But ALL WOMEN should recognize this: we still have a NEW women's medal. This is a helluva lot better than we came out of the same ISAF meeting 4 years ago! Currently that medal is designated for Women's Fleet... and as co-chair of the RIWKC, our organizing team welcomes the extra challenge and prestige this brings to our event. Between Rolex, US SAILING, and Annapolis Yacht Club, we've already implemented a number of improvements that will make this the best ever event. Over the 15 years of the RIWKC we've had over 250 total teams from 17 countries. I challenge women around the world to set a new single event record in 2001 for both number of teams (49?) and number of countries (12?) at one event. That will put many "open" one-design world championships to shame. Who knows what ISAF will decide to do next: but let's keep demonstrating to the world that women's international racing, both keelboat match and fleet, are exciting and growing. -- From Larry Suter - Now that the Olympics has dropped match racing isn't it time for the America's Cut to do the same? The America's Cup started as a race between the sailors and technology of two countries. Now with the crews switching countries and sails being made by mostly one company, that format has been made moot. The sight of one boat winning all the races has also become a common occurance. The sponsors would also be happier if they new their boats were going to be in the finals in March rather than eliminated in December. Imagine how many sponsors NASCAR would have if only two cars were racing on Sunday? I also believe that if 10 AC boats were racing a 12-race, two drop regatta in March there would be many countries around the world with a rooting interest in March and no boat would be winning 10 races. -- From Markham Nolan (In reply to comments to oust the Laser) - Does anyone honestly think that 'average' full grown men around the globe all clock in at 6'4" and 200 lbs? There are many who would say that the Finn requires such superhuman strength and size to sail that only gargantuans of sailing need apply. The world wide appeal of the laser and the number of large fleets racing at the highest level of competition should be testimony to the suitability of the boat for an event that is meant to pit the best sailors in the whole world against each other on a level playing field. I'd like to see you put an average sized Asian sailor in a Finn and ask him to compete with your 'average man' in anything but a zephyr... -- From Phil Darling (savagely edited to our 250-word limit) - Scott Truesdell is correct to state in his letter (#689) that there was some concern from the Australian public on the cost of rescuing solo sailors from the Southern Ocean. He was also correct in quoting the search & rescue authorities in that the experience gained was far better than a "standard exercise". In fact, the costs of the rescues were covered canceling exercises which would have covered similar activities. There have now been a number of such rescues in the Southern Ocean. The first was of Isabelle Autissier, followed a year or so later by that of Tony Bullimore and Thierry Dubois (forgive me if I mis-spell). In each case, the rescues were out of reach of land-based equipment, and close to the extreme range of military surveillance aircraft. In both cases naval ships had to be dispatched to effect the rescue, after the sailors were located and monitored for several days by the air-force. Australia's south-east, southern and south-west coasts and adjacent oceans can serve up some of the world's worst weather conditions, making search and rescue difficult. Theses can be complicated by the extreme distances involved. Public sensitivity to the expense of these has not stopped the prompt and usually effective deployment of rescue efforts - but has stirred demands that we all be more responsible in avoiding the need for these if possible. While I grumble at the extra restrictions, my own ambition is NEVER to be rescued at sea. VENDEE GLOBE - Report by Philippe Jeantot The weather forecasts announced a rapid descent to the Canaries in 15 - 20 knot winds from the Northwest for the 23 international skippers still in their first week of racing around the world in the Vendee Globe 2000. However, as reality never mirrors the theory, all the skippers have had a troublesome night. The wind eased off considerably and disappeared in some areas. This meant for all, working on deck the whole night playing the breeze : "The wind is so unstable both in force and direction. It varies between 5 and 30 knots heading from 280 to 40. The sea is flat, but you have to stay at the helm because of the squalls if you want to keep more sail up," Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) explained. All the skippers remain vigilant as they are still conscious that many irreparable things could occur. Equally, the main preoccupation is to stay in touch with the leading boats in order to benefit from the same weather conditions. The gaps, which are not so big between the different groups of boats, could from here develop further quite rapidly. When the fleet plunge into the Southern Ocean, there won1t be much chance of clawing back the miles lost during the Atlantic descent. There are plenty of traps left before the fleet hit the Westerly trade winds. Everyone out there is aware of the capricious winds around the Canary Islands, and will be relieved to pass through the gateway without being parked there, as is often the case. Then, they will head off to find the Alizes. The first boat to get into the trade winds will gain a definite advantage and accelerate immediately towards the Equator. However the notorious Doldrums await after crossing into the Southern Hemisphere and the playing cards could be shuffled yet again. Standings: 1. Aquitaine Innovations, Yves Parlier, 2. PRB, Michel Desjoyeaux (+8 miles) 3. Sill Matines La Potagere, Roland Jourdain (+ 34m) 4. Kingfisher, Ellen MacArthur (+ 54m) 5. Active Wear, Marc Thiercelin (+ 56m) 6. Sodebo Savourons la Vie, Thomas Coville (+ 68m) 7. EBP - Esprit PME - Gartmore, Josh Hall (+ 77m). Race website: http://www.vendeeglobe.com TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE Thanks to new breathable fabrics, the discomfort formerly associated with certain aspects of racing has been greatly reduced. And now there's another breakthrough. Camet International has introduced a Neo-thermal top so sailors (and others to) can wear breathable Neoprene close to the skin. As a result trapped moisture disappears quickly. Almost magically, the action increases with higher levels of physical activity- responding to the exercise level of the user. As a result, sailors can be more comfortable than ever possible before. To learn more about the amazing Camet Bubble top go to: http://www.camet.com LAKOTA 13 November 2000, Carmel, USA - Steve Fossett has now parted company with one of the greatest record-breaking yachts of recent history, the trimaran Lakota. Fossett has sold the sixty-footer to the Atlant Group in Sweden. Since purchasing Lakota from Florence Arthaud in May 1993, Steve and his team have set 10 official world records and 6 race records. "All of our attention is now focused on PlayStation (125-foot catamaran) and so it was time to sell Lakota," Fossett explained. The new owners will re-name the boat to race in the 2001 Scandinavian series. Fossett plans to skipper Lakota on one last race for the new team: the Gotland Rund on 2 July 2001. 505 WORLDS Durban South Africa, November 14 - There is no racing today, day two of the pre-worlds, due to winds of 35-45 knots. Yesterday, the first day of pre-worlds racing, was an incredible day... the race started in about 18-20 knots, and it just built from there, reaching well over 35 before the finish. Both the closer FD course and the further 505 course were well downwind of the launching area, so competitors faced a long sail upwind in the extreme wind and sea conditions after racing. A number of teams retired during the race and sailed in. Only two of the 21 Flying Dutchman that started the race, finished, while only about 18 of the 58 505 starters finished. Whether they finished the race or not, most competitors had a long sail back to the launching beach, while the wind increased to over 40 knots; the RC reported steady 42 and puffs to 50. A majority of teams were able to get back to the launching beach on their own; a credit to the seamanship of the competitors. There are many new stories to tell of incredible puffs, huge waves, boats getting airborne off wave tops and more. Two competitors who returned early were watching the rest of the fleet struggle in and reported that defending World Champion driver Howie Hamlin, racing at this Worlds with Peter Alarie, launched off a wave while beating upwind. The wind caught the bow and lifted it such that the hull got to near vertical. Howie and Peter fell off the back and the boat capsized. An English team returned to the beach with jib torn leech to luff, and the mainsail held together by only the leech line. With no jib drawing and rather less than 1/3 of the main drawing, the crew was flat out on the wire, the skiper was fully hiked, and the boat was planing - smoking - upwind. An FD and a damaged 505 that was taking on water were forced to sail over the Durban shark nets and head for the swimming beaches and the breaking surf. The FD suffered slight mast damage, the 505 was OK. Both boats were trailered to the club. Others were not as lucky. Up to 17 masts were broken between the 505 and FD fleets and two boats were abandoned and had to be left to drift. After several hours of rescue work, all competitors were accounted for. One needed stiches to close a gash near his eye, and everyone has their share of bruises, but there were no serious injuries. The wind is still blowing very hard today, similar to the extremes of yesterday, so there is no racing. In the dinghy park new masts are being rigged, boats are being repaired, and competitors are preparing to race tomorrow, if conditions allow. - Ali Meller, VP International 505 Class Yacht Racing Association Website: http://www.int505.org/ SUNFISH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Sarasota Sailing Squadron (104 boats) - Results after three races: 1 OSKAR JOHANSSON, CAN (11 points) 2. EDUARDO CORDERO, VEN (16) 3. DON MARTINBOROUGH, BAH (23) 4. MALCOLM SMITH, BER (24) 5. JEFF "PELO RIZAO" LINTON, USA (25) 6. "ROCKET" ROD KOCH, USA (33) 7. DAN FELDMAN, USA (37) 8. PAUL-JON PATIN, USA (41) 9. DICK TILLMAN, USA (45) 10. LARRY SUTER, USA (61). Event website: http://www.panamsail.com/sunfishworlds.htm THE CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful." - Mae West |
