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SCUTTLEBUTT 1960 -- November 4, 2005
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
NOT A GREAT BOAT
If it were not for the personal passion of Shipping Businessman Vicenzo
Onerato, ITA 72 would have never taken shape. Intoxicated by the passion
shared in Italy for this event, Onerato announced 18 December 2000 that his
racing team 'Mascalzone Latino' or the 'Latin Rascals' would make a
challenge for the 31st America's Cup in Auckland. Mascalzone Latino
developed a one boat programme, and their new yacht ITA72 was drawn up by
Giovanni Ceccarelli, who had furnished Onorato with designs for racing
yachts in the past. ITA 72 was launched May 4 2002, in an open street party
in Naples. After these initial celebrations, she moved by one of Onerato's
Moby Line ships to Elba. There she was assemble and trained there against
ITA 47 until July. She was then loaded aboard a ship for Auckland where she
arrived in August less than two months before the beginning of LVC 2002
series. ITA 72 sailed her first race against Round One form yacht 'One
World' USA67 skippered by Peter Gilmour. It was immediately evident that
Mascalzone did not have a yacht that would carry them to the heights of
Glory in this edition of the event.
After Auckland, ITA 72 returned to the Mascalzone Race Team base in Elba.
It was unsure whether Mascalzone would challenge again even though Onorato
had said so on being eliminated in Auckland. Even when murmurs of the teams
awakening surfaced, it was logical to think this yacht would have been
their starting platform for any new campaign. However, Onorato chose to
purchase the narrow and unrefined Reichel Pugh pair of yachts ex Team
Dennis Conner, USA 66 & 77. This left ITA 72 surplus to requirements, and
the new United Internet Team Germany swooped to purchase the yacht. Their
choices were limited at this time, and it would seem a good option to at a
minimum get a reasonable yacht with support from its builders.
The version 5 changes were achieved in record time clocking in at around 6
days. The yacht was then hastily towed to Valencia, for a short preparation
before beginning ACT 4. Eberhard Magg and his team achieved a miracle in
turning the now GER 72 around in 120 hours, but the Version 5 changes were
more to conform than perform. The yacht generally showed her age by her
performance, and again only beat yachts of a previous generation. However,
the German team have showed that their talent base is solid, but there is
still a long way to go. The true potential of this team will be discovered
when GER 72 is finally retired, and replaced by a new build version 5
yacht. -- Excerpts from a story on the Sail Europe website, full story:
http://www.saileurope.com/da/13438
BETTER DAYS AHEAD
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team will rely on two new boats for the 2007
America's Cup. The first one is expected to be ready next spring in time
for the preparatory regattas in view of the 2006 competition in Valencia.
The team is currently considering whether they should focus on a basic
model to be used for both boats or rather opt for two different models.
This choice will cost the team less than half the 64 million euro budget
earmarked together with sponsor Capitalia.
Led by Harry Dunning, the research and development group is comprised of
designers, scientists, and engineers. The group members all have previous
America's Cup experience. Harry Dunning has previously worked in the design
studio of Bruce Farr & Associates, where he contributed to the design of
Tag Heuer (1995) and Young America (2000). Furthermore, he collaborated
with the Reichel/Pugh Design Group during the design of the 2002/3 Stars &
Stripes campaign. -- http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/18621/48/
STUCK UP MAST
(UK) Firefighters rescued a 60-year-old man after he became stuck 40ft up a
yacht mast. After carrying out maintenance on his boat on Wednesday, the
pulley system jammed while he was up the mast. The embarrassed yachtsman
spent two hours stranded in pouring rain, before calling for help from a
mobile. Firstly, firefighters moved the yacht away from a walkway where it
was moored, into a lock. Then the water was drained from the 10m-deep lock,
causing the boat to sink below ground level. A rope was used to topple the
boat slightly before a ladder was placed on the mast, which the man was
able to clamber down. He was cold but uninjured in the ordeal, which had
lasted for nearly three-and-a-half hours. -- BBC News,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/4403106.stm
ULLMAN SAILS POWER MARTIN242 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPS
Congratulations to Alan Field and his crew on "Wombat" for winning the
Penfolds Martin242 North American Championships. The field of 33 boats
raced the October 15-16 regatta at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. "Wombat"
won the 7-race regatta with a full inventory of Ullman Sails. Champions
continue to depend on Ullman to deliver the speed to out pace the
competition. Cutting edge technology, world-class designers, and
outstanding customer support combine to produce winners. If you and your
crew are ready for the "Fastest Sails on the Planet," contact your nearest
Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com
THOUGHTS ON SPORTSMANSHIP
The subject of sportsmanship in sailing is a frequent topic at post race
discussions these days. There has also been a lot written about
sportsmanship problems recently. Sailors are concerned about illegal
kinetics, lying, unfair tactics and unprotested infractions, to name a few.
I agree that there are some problems. But instead of focusing on the
negatives, I'd rather look at what we can do about the situation. So I have
made a list of actions that any sailor can take to make our sport a little
more pleasant for us all.
Compliment your competitors when they make a good move. A few weeks ago
during one frostbite race, two interclubs rounded the weather mark, one
with a pretty good lead over the next boat. "Nice weather leg, " I heard
from the second place boat. At which point the leader smiled a bit and
said, "Thanks." Another natural time for compliments is after the race.
It's easy to say, "Good going" to the top couple of boats, but they'll hear
that from almost everyone. It's more of a challenge to notice what someone
in the middle or back of the fleet did well, and appreciate that. "Hey,
George," you might say, "I know you didn't end up so well, but it looked
like you played the shifts almost perfectly on the second beat." I'd feel
pretty good if someone said that to me.
Make it part of your goal to play by the rules. It's clear that winning is
a major objective of sailboat racing. Unfortunately, some people seem
willing to use almost any means to get to this end. But that only makes for
a hollow victory. If your goal is to play fair and square, you may not win
as many races, but I guarantee that the respect you get from your
competitors will be much greater. And this will certainly be the best
strategy in the long run. Pretend for a minute, that you're leading the
race and you hit the last leeward mark. No one sees this except you and
your crew. Do you keep going and win the race, or re-round the mark and
lose a few boats? Either choice is possible; it depends on what you value.
If winning is not your only goal on the race course, you'll certainly be
happier more of the time. -- Excerpts from a story by Dave Dellenbaugh on
the Yacht Racer Online website, full story:
http://www.yachtracersonline.com/sportsmanship.htm
AVOIDING WINTERIZING MISTAKES
With winter approaching, Boat Owners Association of The United States has
reviewed its insurance claim files and reports the following six most
common mistakes made when winterizing a boat:
1. Failure to drain the engine block: Surprisingly, it's the balmy states
of California, Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia where boaters are most
likely to have freeze-related damage to engine blocks - and it routinely
occurs to boats stored ashore.
2. Failure to drain water from sea strainer: Like an engine, the seawater
strainer must be winterized or residual water could freeze and rupture the
watertight seal.
3. Failure to close seacocks: For boats left in the water, leaving seacocks
open over the winter is like going on extended vacation without locking the
house. If a thru-hull cannot be closed the vessel must be stored ashore -
the sole exception are cockpit drains.
4. Clogged petcocks: Engine cooling system petcocks clogged by rust or
other debris can prevent water from fully draining. If it's plugged, try
using a coat hanger to clear the blockage or use the engine's intake hose
to flush anti-freeze through the system.
5. Leaving open boats in the water over winter: Boats with large open
cockpits or low freeboard can easily go under by accumulated snow. Always
store them ashore.
6. Using bimini covers as winter storage covers: A cover that protects the
crew from the sun does a lousy job protecting the boat from freezing rain
and snow. Unlike a bonafide winter cover, biminis tend to rip apart and age
prematurely by the effects of winter weather. -- BoatU.S. website, full
report: http://www.boatus.com/news/releases/2005/september/winterize.asp
NEWS BRIEFS
* The US - IRC Annual Management Committee Meeting will be in Larchmont, NY
at Larchmont Yacht Club on Saturday, November 12, 2005. The committee seeks
all IRC member clubs and organizations to attend, wherein the agenda will
include a variety of subjects pertinent to the growth of IRC in the US.
Additionally, there will be a measurer's day on Sunday to work with
certified measurers to review procedures, discuss some of the problems we
ran into this season, and see if we can work together to improve services
to owners. For additional information, contact Barry Carroll at
401-816-0421 or mailto:barry@us-irc.com
* The newest Reichel Pugh supermaxi, the 98 footer (30 metre) Wild Oats XI,
is nearing completion at McConaghy's Boat Yard in Mona Vale, on Sydney's
northern beaches, aiming towards a end of November launch deadline. On
December 26th, Bob Oatley's latest 'Oats' will line up against Neville
Crichton's six month old Reichel Pugh 98 footer 'Alfa Romeo' in a 630 mile
maxi-match race south, during the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. -- Sail
World, Images and details at
http://www.sail-world.com/news.cfm?Nid=19792&RequestTimeOut=180
* Should Olympic sailing be scored differently to insure that the final
race of the event has the greatest "viewer" value? The latest Scuttlebutt
poll leans toward tradition: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/05/1102
6 OUT OF 7 VOLVO OCEAN RACE BOATS CHOOSE MUSTO
It's Gore-Tex, extremely waterproof, breathable and durable. It provides
maneuverability for high activity, high performance sailing. That's why 6
out of the 7 Volvo Ocean Race boats have chosen Musto. Musto's HPX foul
weather gear will protect the teams from the elements whilst in the
Southern Ocean, where towering seas, temperatures below zero, and 60-knot
winds are the norm - not forgetting the icebergs, which are an ever-present
danger. You don't need to race a Volvo Open 70 to experience Musto. Give it
a try next time - check out http://www.musto.com/usa for product
information and a store finder.
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per
subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And
please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. Additonally,
subjects can be discussed at the Scuttlebutt Forums:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi)
* From Stevan Johnson: Regarding the proposed Olympic format for a
"sail-off" for the top ten teams. Let's see. Track and field has
quarterfinals then semi's then finals where the top eight are seeded into
lanes and race for the gold. Swimming…the same. Seems most sports have some
format for winnowing out the "wannabes" and getting down to the real
competitors. Baseball, Football, Basketball all have playoffs. World Cup
Futbol (ok, ok, soccer) has regional qualifying, then a round robin, then a
playoff. So should sailing be different? A real have-at it race among the
ten best might be quite an event - even televisable and easily explained to
the neophyte viewer...you know...the couch potatoes who can recognize a
triple axel or an iron cross, and identify with personalities. Oh, and if
Mr. Wheatley thinks someone in tenth place in the Olympics is a
"corner-banging wannabe," he's got a standard of excellence that I could
only hope to achieve.
* From Frank Whitton: (Re Olympic Scoring) It takes six games to make a set
in tennis and multiple sets in a tournament, multiple holes and rounds in
golf, ten frames and multiple games in bowling, etc., etc., etc. The old
adage " If it ain't broke, don't fix it" certainly applies here. Please
ISAF go spend your time doing something positive for the sport of sailing.
* From Glenn Selvin: (re Chris Ericksen's letter in Issue 1959): Thank you
for putting Olympic class sailing in perspective as not being the be all
and end all of competitive sailing. Though I sail an Olympic class dinghy,
most of my efforts as an officer of that class is not spent in promoting
the efforts of the campaigners. Rather, my time within the Olympic class in
which I sail is spent trying to promote the class to people that are
interested in sailing quality single handers that are just plain sweet to
sail, and yes, I'm talking about the Finn dinghy. My goal as an officer
within that class is to promote Finn sailing as a weekend sport, because
only through us weekend sailors will the Finn class continue to prosper. A
huge, heart felt thanks to Chris for putting all of this into perspective.
* From Tom Morris: As a liberal anti-elitist, I still have to agree with
Malcolm McKeag's questioning of goals to increase participation in our
sport. I would add a few other questions to the debate: do we really want
to put time and resources into introducing those without the financial
means to our very expensive sport? Should a junior sailing program engage
in fund raising in a community with broader social needs so that a handful
of kids can have competitive equipment for their next regatta?
I am all for sharing the sport with those for whom it will provide
meaningful experiences that may not otherwise be available (disabled
sailing comes to mind) and am always eager to host the uninitiated on my
boat, but do we otherwise want to actively try to grow our sport? Cost
aside, and getting back to Malcolm's original point, part of what makes
sailing so special is that it is such a unique experience - to be shared,
for sure, but maybe not to be expanded.
* From Rob Snyders: Responding to John Sweeney's comments about falling
overboard at 20+ knots and/or the risks of being harnessed: Starting the
conversation about not wearing harnesses in big breeze is a bad idea. I
hate wearing the things but it's smart. Having fallen off an IOR boat in a
Molokai race and also witnessing one of my very best friends fall off a
very fast boat while crossing the Mexican gulf, both at night, I'd much
rather sprint to the teather line and pull one of my brothers up rather
than do circles looking for a potentially devastating situation. My
assumption is that you'd be hard pressed to find many offshore sailors with
a lot of miles thinking being attached to the boat is the worse option.
* From Paul Lowell: Getting swept from the deck of a Volvo 70 going 20+kts!
With the boat moving its own length every two seconds, I think I'll take
staying attached to the boat. The multiple scenarios (almost all bad) of
trying to retrieve a crewman lost overboard in the Southern Ocean would
multiply the risks to the rest of the crew and the boat. Most of us have
retrieved a bowman that "took the dog for a walk." At only 6 or 7 knots,
you're amazed at how much ground you cover in completing the retrieval.
Going 20+ kts, at night, in a large sea? Good luck.
* From Peter Huston: (re story in 'Butt 1959) Bill Hardesty is absolutely
correct that San Diego YC should have a fleet of three person keel boats to
help train young sailors - and also consider the benefit to adult sailing
as well.
But, San Diego YC is too fine an organization with far too many resources
at their disposal to buy a rag tag fleet of used anything. They should
seriously consider buying a brand new fleet of Governor's Cup 21's - if
Balboa YC can build a fleet of these boats, then San Diego can too. Bill,
call either Alan Andrews or Andy Rose to ask how Balboa accomplished this goal.
* From Alex Watters: In your opening story 'Where's Wharington' (Butt
1959), the immortal line "the rain in spain falls mainly on the plain"
reminded me of the somewhat mortal line "the sleet in Crete falls neatly on
the street" !! Take your pick.
* From Dennis Cooke, Dangar Island, OZ: Your item from The Irish Department
of Communications in Scuttlebutt 1958 (No Sleeping Allowed) reminds me of
the First Single Handed Round Ireland Race. The first guy over the finish
line was disqualified, for using both hands!
* From John Cole: What is the big deal about a natural gas repository? I
live in OR. We have tanks directly in bays that we can sail right up to.
Keep the CA's and MA's away from us.
* From Jim Fulton: I sail out of Solomons, MD, which is located where the
Patuxent River flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Solomons is probably second
only to Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay in terms of its level of sailing
activity. A couple of miles north of the Patuxent is the Dominion Cove
Point LNG Plant. The plant has been there since at least the early '80s; it
was apparently closed for a long period, then reopened a couple of years
ago. It just isn't a big deal. There is usually a ship at the gas dock, but
the only one I have ever seen in motion was probably the first one to
arrive after the plant reopened--they must come and go during the week. The
gas terminal has no discernible effect on sailing activity in the area.
The Southern Maryland Sailing Association has a full schedule of weekly
races in addition to the annual Screwpile Regatta in July. There are also
other major sailing regional events in and around Solomons every year
including the Eastport to Solomons Race and the Maryland Governor's Cup.
The Volvo Ocean Race will go right past the gas plant on its way to
Annapolis. There are probably lots of good aesthetic and environmental
reasons to oppose a new LNG terminal in Boston Harbor. (The Cove Point
facility is an eyesore from the water, for example). But experience on the
Chesapeake Bay suggests that a new terminal wouldn't have to have a
significant adverse effect on sailing activity.
CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM
Does that screwdriver belong to Philip?
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