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SCUTTLEBUTT 1474 - December 9, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT - Tom Ehman We read with amusement the lead story in yesterday's Scuttlebutt (1473) attributed to the Cup in Europe website regarding plans for Oracle BMW Racing in Spain. The week before last, a few of our team members did have an initial look around Valencia following the host city announcement. However, none us visited Castellon de la Plana, met with anyone about basing our team there, nor do we have any intentions of doing so. The rest of the article was just as fanciful, including the purported number of team members we would have in Valencia by next September for the first pre-Regatta. This was overstated by at least a factor of four. We appreciate Sr. Tirado's enthusiasm and efforts to embrace Oracle BMW Racing, and it is typical of the warm and friendly reception we received from all during our short visit to Spain. Valencia has every prospect of being an excellent venue and host for the next Cup. For future reference, those wishing to fact-check stories before printing them can contact our team's tried-and-true media relations pro, Jane Eagleson (jeagleson@oraclebmwracing.com). - Tom Ehman, Oracle BMW Racing THE NEW AC RULE There have been many rumors flying around about what the new boat might look like. Among these have been the possibilities of a canting keel, maybe an arrangement like the Reichel-Pugh sponsored CBTF system, a dramatic lightening of the boats and a general 'turboing'. What has in fact transpired is a very minor development of the ACC rule that should provide a fraction more horsepower downwind. "The whole design space within the rule has compressed - when you see it on a graph you have to use your glasses to see it!" says Derek Clark, GBR Challenge's head of design who attended the meeting in Valencia. "Some of our guys describe it having become a restricted rule with some fuzzy edges." With the exception of Oracle, all the ACC boats in Auckland were in one area of the box as defined by the rule and version five effectively discards the 'unused' areas of the box. "Essentially where they have gone is to reflect where all the boats were and said 'look guys, don't worry about these other boats, why don't you push yourself into this area'." says Clark. - Excerpt from a major story on The Daily Sail website, full story: http://www.thedailysail.com TRIVIA QUESTION Who has won the most US Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards? (Answer below) KAENON POLARIZED GOES TO ATHENS First, we were aboard illbruck winning the Volvo Ocean Race with Kostecki. Then the America's Cup with Butterworth and his mates. Now we congratulate Paul Foerster, Kevin Burnham, Katie McDowell, Isabelle Kinsolving, Mark Mendelblatt and Peter Wells, as the first American's named to the 2004 US Olympic Sailing Team to Athens! Along with international stars Siren Sundby, Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy and Chris Nicholson, Kaenon Polarized is focused on the podium. View the complete collection of Kaenon Polarized premium products and find an authorized dealer nearest you at http://www.kaenon.com - Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND The Volvo Baltic Race will be back again in the summer of 2004, with a new look to the race-track and an even bigger and better infrastructure. Sponsors of the event will once again be Volvo and SEB. The 2004 event will start in Gothenburg on June 19th, with a pit stop in Denmark and a stopover in Germany, before finishing in Sandhamn with the final prize giving being held in Stockholm on July 8th. Once again, the Volvo Baltic Race will provide a challenging mix of inshore and offshore racing in the VO60 yachts formerly raced in the Volvo Ocean Race. The event promises to be one of 2004's biggest regattas, during which the fleet will take part in Kieler Woche and the Accenture Round Gotland Race as well as several windward/leeward courses, which will be very interesting for the public to watch. Volvo Ocean Race veteran, Sweden's Gurra Krantz, who put together the winning crew of Team RS in last summer's race, says: "The Volvo Baltic Race was a really thorough competition requiring a huge effort from the crew. We won the event and if we can put together a really good team, we will try and do so again next year." During the Volvo Baltic Race, spectators and sailing fans will have a greater opportunity to see these boats, which have raced around the world. It is an opportunity usually only seen during the stopovers of the Volvo Ocean Race, which is held every four years. The event makes offshore racing more accessible to the general public and also gives sailors a possibility to compete in a mixture of offshore and inshore events prior to taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race itself. Patrik Mehks, project manager and director of marketing at Viamare, the Swedish company which organizes the event says: "The response from the race this summer has been overwhelming; from sponsors, the public and the media. The competition was a huge success with an even fight right the way to the finish line in Marstrand. It has made skippers and sponsors call us and demand another event." - Lizzy Green, www.volvooceanrace.org THIS CALLS FOR SURGERY . . . Sean Langman, who surprised the world by almost catching Neville Crichton's state of the art Alfa Romeo in last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, is again slicing, lightening and rearranging his eight year-old boat Grundig for maximum speed downwind this year. He has made a host of recent changes to his 66-footer and following this Friday's Canon Big Boat Challenge, Langman is planning "more surgery" by replacing his twin rudders with new retractable rudders that have been designed to reduce drag. "We have looked at the competition and decided the only way we stand a chance is to put maximum effort in to our strongest area - downwind sailing," he said. "A 66-footer against a 98-footer upwind doesn't stand a chance but in running conditions and with the changes we've made, I'd rate us a 20 percent chance of line honors in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart." Sean Langman is lucky in that he can continually 'tweak' the skiff-like Grundig at his boatyards in Berry's Bay, Sydney, and Wickam, Newcastle, but it has still cost him upwards of $250,000 for this latest overhaul. The most significant change Langman has made is to lighten his mast and with 160 kilos removed at a cost of $1,000 per kilo, some might call it an expensive gamble but removing this weight has also allowed him to chainsaw 10% off the bulb, which has in turn reduced the 'drag' on the boat. Stripping the boat completely of antifoul and "long boarding" it with sandpaper to create a completely smooth hull surface has also assisted to reduce drag but it means every time the 7.5 ton boat is used, it must be craned out of the water and cleaned off. A new paint job on the hull, including a mermaid now adorning the bow where the famous shark's mouth was, has been undertaken and there have been other "ergonomic" changes made inside the boat to allow it to compete in the 627 nautical mile passage with a crew of just eight. Langman pushed the minimum crew requirement to the extreme in this year's Sydney Gold Coast Race when he convincingly took line honors with only five others on board. While he considered racing to Hobart with a crew of six, it was a decision by everyone on the boat to sail with eight and so he will be joined by his regulars David Sudarno and Joseph De Kock, as well as the former world champion 49er and 18-foot skiff champion Chris Nicholson. Given the speeds this lightweight flier regularly reaches under spinnaker, Sean has decided to address the issue of the boat nose-diving by installing a hydrofoil on the bow. "No one else has explored the concept of limiting speed to avoid a nose-dive and while we trialed it successfully in the heavy conditions of the Flinders Island Race, we aren't sure yet whether it will stay on for the Rolex Sydney Hobart," said Langman. Grundig is one of 18 entries received for this Friday's Canon Big Boat Challenge in Australia. - Lisa Ratcliff Curmudgeon's Comment: We've posted a picture of Grundig on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/03/1208grundig/ DEFI ATLANTIQUE Alex Thomson spent three days leading the Defi Atlantique solo race from Brazil to La Rochelle, but yesterday he ground to a halt as the pack, 200 miles east, pressed ahead. "It's like standing on the deck and waving somebody goodbye," said Thomson. - Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, http://tinyurl.com/yc6n Standings at 1600 GMT on December 8: 1. Mike Golding, Ecover , 2340.9 2. Vincent Riou, PRB, 2410.1, 13.1 miles to leader 3. Sebastien Josse, VMI, 2448.8, 45.7 mtl 4. Nick Moloney, Team Cowes, 2465.6, 72.9 mtl 5. Jean-Pierre Dick, Virbac, 2482.4, 96.7 mtl Event website: http://www.defi-atlantique.org/fr/ NAVAL ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS Make sure that you keep this information for the next time you're sending out a bid package for your newest and fastest yacht. Townsend Bay Marine knows light and fast and is a world leader in composite construction. For immediate attention, contact Paul Zeusche or David King: 1-360-385-6632 or info@townsendbay.com NEWS BRIEFS * Check out the images of Roy Disney's new Reichel-Pugh Z-86 Pyewacket undergoing sea trials in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf: www.outsideimages.co.nz * Seve Jarvin (aged 17), Robert Bell (aged 16) and Sam Newton (aged 18) representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia won the ISAF Grade 3 Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship adding a fifth title to their resumes in as many months. The lads surviving a spirited challenge from runners-up the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron who caused a major upset by displacing the host Royal Prince Alfred crew after having themselves just scraped into the repechage round in eighth place on countback! - www.rpayc.com.au * Leading British yachtsmen from the world of power and sail have been short-listed for this year's prestigious Raymarine YJA Yachtsman of the Year and Young Sailor of the Year Awards. Short-listed for the Raymarine YJA Yachtsman of the Year are 5-times Class 1 World Powerboat Champion Steve Curtis, hot Olympic hopefuls Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks, and solo circumnavigator Emma Richards. - Yachting World, http://ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20031108123443ywnews.html * The match race momentum in San Diego is building, with boats are out dueling Tuesdays and Thursdays at year round, plus periodic scheduled match race regattas. The level of sailing is high with regular match racers like Bill Hardesty, James Spithill, Peter Isler, Chris Busch, Scott Dickson, and more. The next San Diego Match Race Event will take place in 2-3 months time. For more information contact Bill Hardesty: billhardesty@hotmail.com * Boating Partners, a UK based company that specializes in creating marketing opportunities in ocean racing's premier events, announced today that they will be representing the United Kingdom in the inaugural Antarctica Cup International Yacht Race in February 2005. The Antarctica Cup is a circumnavigation of Antarctica in identical high performance 85-foot maxi-yachts racing above and below the Antarctic Convergence, a distance of some 14,600 nautical miles. It is a pure nation vs nation race, with each 'national' boat being entirely crewed by that very same nationality. http://www.antarcticacup.com/ TRIVIA ANSWER Betsy Alison has captured the annual award five times, spanning from 1981 to 1998. Ted Turner claimed the honor four times during the seventies. THEY JUST KEEP GOING AND GOING At all the regattas around the world, just look at what the crews are wearing. It is no surprise the Camet Padded Shorts, Bermuda Shorts, Cargo Shorts and Pants are everywhere, from Opti sailors to the Farr 40's, Maxi's and cruisers. The comfort of the pads, the reinforced Cordura seat and the quick drying breathable Supplex fabrics, along with the 97.5% UV protection is the solution to hours on the water. Check out the Shorts, Coolmax shirts, Neoprene Hiking pants, Bubble Tops, Rash Guards and Mylar bags on the Camet website: http://www.camet.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) 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 Craig Coulsen (re rules quiz in SB 1472): The ISAF interpretation is clearly wrong. The purpose of Rule 44.1 is to be a deterrent so that if you put your boat in dangerous position where you may cause serious damage and do, that is the end of your 'event". The requirement to retire is not qualified by the words "race" or "series." The words "race or series" qualify the words "gained a significant advantage in the race or series." This is simple English. Such a conclusion is consistent with the penalty fitting the offence. Further the RRS Basic Principle is not qualified in any way. If you cause serious damage your obligation is to retire from the event and the rule on restarts does not change this. If you don't retire especially when asked to do so the jury must disqualify you for the breach of RRS 44.1 and the Basic Principle. The rule is a deterrent - Get it? So don't put your boat in a position where you can cause serious damage. It does not matter you don't think the collision caused serious damage and you continue to race or do a 720 because if you cause another boat to retire due to damage you caused that is serious damage for the purpose of the rule and what the rule is designed to stop. And don't forget a good race committee will protest both boats involved where there is serious damage. * From Jim Capron: Regarding the discussion about rule 26, Tom Donlan in Scuttlebutt 1473 writes, "This authoritative interpretation by the ISAF apparently has been around since 2001, which only means it should be removed all the more quickly." Notice! The ISAF Q&A's published on the ISAF website are not authoritative interpretations of the rules. The description of the ISAF service found at the Q&A top page states in part: "Unlike the ISAF Cases, which are authoritative interpretations and explanations of the rules, these answers are solely to assist judges in applying the rules in a consistent way" By the way, Q&A 103 stemmed from a real incident (somewhat different facts) in which the protest committee disqualified the boat that caused four other boats to retire with damage after the first of three general recalls. The original protest committee's decision was based on the preamble to Part 2 overriding rule 36; for reasons other than those offered by Messrs. Donlan and Pellerin. We seem to have difficulty accepting an outcome in this or any other situation where the application of the rules seems unfair or does not quite take into account some inequity. Boats break rule 44.1 often, when they take penalties not available to them. A protest committee would rarely consider rule 69 after disqualifying a boat for breaking rule 44.1, and it needs to apply the same standard for rule 69 when rule 36 prevents the boat from being penalized. * From Russ Burke (Re rules quiz): The RRS 3/ RRS 69 argument is weak. There's nothing in the quiz that indicates that Boat A broke RRS 3 by failing to accept the rules. It is important to note that the RRS 3(b) provides that the competitor accept penalties and other actions, subject to the appeal and review procedures provided in the rules. Sometimes it is not clear on the water that a collision has caused serious damage - and in those cases, it is usually a protest committee that makes the determination. So, for A to be DSQ (following arguments of Donlan and Pellerin): 1) the Protest Committee would have to determine that there was serious damage (B presumably proceeds with her protest and request for redress); and 2) the Protest Committee or MNA would have to convene a RRS 69 hearing, demonstrate that A broke RRS 3 to an extent that it would merit invoking RRS 69 (which at least requires proving A knew she caused serious damage and did a 720 instead of retiring), and then apply that to the result of the race in question (DSQ under 36 by way of 69). It sure looks like RRS 36 provides a loophole to the serious damage language in RRS 44.1 in instances where serious damage is not immediately obvious. Finally, if A causes serious damage at the start followed by a general recall and she does not do turns, she gets a free pass under RRS 36 without any of the RRS 3/ RRS 69 complication. * From Ted Beier: I agree with the Curmudgeon; calling a vessel whose accommodations make a cell at Sing Sing look good, and that moves that fast a cruiser is strange at best. Equally strange is calling Mari-Cha IV a schooner, and then calling her masts main and mizzen as has been done recently in several publications. If the forward mast is taller as main/ mizzen would imply, then she is a ketch, or yawl depending on the location of her rudder, but not a schooner. * From Andy Aitken: You are not the only one that thinks the ARC record for elapsed time is an oxymoron. It looks like someone went looking for a record they could break just to be in the record books. * From Bob Adams (Re your "comment" about a Volvo 60 being called a cruiser): Does a double oxymoron become a doxymoron? THE CURMUDGEON'S DEFINITIONS ELBONICS (el bon' iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater. |
