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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 590 - June 14, 2000
SWEDISH MATCH GRAND PRIX TOUR.
French America's Cup skipper Bertrand Pace has regained the lead in the
Swedish Match Grand Prix Tour, after winning the Lake Constance Match
Racing Regatta, at Lanenargen, Germany. It was an all French final on Lake
Constance, with Pace, matched against Luc Pillot, taking the series by
three races to one, to collect a Volvo V 40 car.
Bertrand Pace becomes the first skipper to win two events on the Swedish
Match Tour this year, having also won the opening regatta, the
Steinlager/Line 7 event in Auckland. At the half way stage of the Tour,
with four of the eight events sailed, he has a six point lead over the
America's Cup holders, Team New Zealand, skippered at this event by Hamish
Pepper. Pace was at the top of the scoreboard after the first two
regattas, but was deposed when Team New Zealand won the ACI Cup.
Second place in this event, lifts Luc Pillot onto the Swedish Match Tour
scoreboard for the first time, putting him in fourth place, behind
Australia's Peter Gilmour. Also entering the Tour prize money ranks is
Denmark's Jesper Radich Johansen, who finished third in this regatta, and
is in equal eighth place.
The top eight skippers on the scoreboard at the end of the Tour share
US$150,000 in prize money, on top of the prize money at the individual
events. The next event on the Tour is the Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand,
Sweden, 3rd - 9th July. - John Roberson
RESULTS - Lake Constance Match Racing Regatta: 1. Bertrand Pace (France) 2.
Luc Pillot (France) 3. Jesper Radich Johansen (Denmark) 4. Neville Wittey
(Australia) 5. Magnus Holmberg (Sweden) 6. Hamish Pepper (New Zealand) 7.
Karol Jablonski (Poland) 8. Peter Gilmour (Australia) 9. Andy Green
(Britain) 10. Kelvin Harrap (New Zealand) 11. Tomislav Basic (Croatia) 12.
Jes Gram-Hansen (Denmark)
Overall Swedish Match Tour points after four events. 1. Bertrand Pace
(France) 74 pts 2. Dean Barker (New Zealand) 68 3. Peter Gilmour
(Australia) 53 4. Luc Pillot (France) 34 5. Cameron Appleton (New Zealand)
20 6. Andy Green (Britain) 18 7. Peter Holmberg (U.S. Virgin Is) 16 8=
Sebastien Destremau (Australia) 15 8= Sten Mohr (Denmark) 15 8= Jesper
Radich Johansen 15
FOR THE RECORD
Despite a slight lull in the last 24 hours, Club Med skippered by Grant
Dalton and Bruno Peyron had a 330 mile lead this morning, after six day1s
racing, over the East-West Atlantic record held by Jet Services V between
Cadiz and San Salvador/Bahamas (12d, 12h, 30mn, 17s).
Syndicate website: http://www.clubmed.com
MAKING MONEY
There is never a reason for a race organizer to lose money on regatta
apparel. Period! In fact, Pacific Yacht Embroidery has a program to supply
race organizers with quality regatta apparel at a guaranteed profit. Call
Frank Whitton (619-226-8033) for details on how to offset regatta costs
while supplying high quality, affordable apparel to the racers. No event is
too small to quality for this program. pacyacht@aol.com
THE TACTICIAN
(Gary Jobson examines the role of a tactician on the Boatscape.com website.
Here's a brief excerpt from his analysis.)
Everyone knows that a tactician's job is to make great calls on when to
tack and where to sail. But there's more to it than that. The tactician
should be the hub around which the crew revolves. All top boats designate
and empower a tactician because they know that winning races depends on the
collective wisdom of a helmsman and a tactician. The principle is simple:
four eyes are better than two. The helmsman steers the boat, watches the
sails, the sea state, the angle of heel, and devotes all his senses to the
movement of the boat. The tactician watches the boat in relation to the
rest of the fleet, gauges performance, and times and calls the maneuvers.
Being a tactician is an art that takes years to perfect. The job can be
lonely, and it isn't for the faint of heart. At times, the tactician will
feel like an NFL coach on the sidelines when his team is losing. No one
stands within 20 feet. And, like a coach, a tactician can be the victor one
minute and the vanquished the next.
The kind of tactician you will be depends as much on your personal style as
on the skills and experience you bring to the job. Racing is a colorful
sport with no shortage of colorful personalities, and you can be an
effective tactician whether you're a real firebrand or a more cool and
collected type. The best tacticians may have very different personal
styles, but each has developed an individual approach that wins races.
A tactician's most valuable assets are intuition, common sense and
composure under pressure. The best tacticians shoulder all the problems so
the speed team-the helmsman and the trimmers-can concentrate on their
assignments. The tactician is the spiritual motivator of the boat, the one
who sets the pace for the race.
If you are new to the job of tactician, an important first step is to
establish your position with the owner/skipper and the crew. Keys to this
are working to be a steady, upbeat influence on the boat and, above all, an
effective communicator. - Gary Jobson, Boatscape.com website
Full story: http://www.boatscape.com/mag_article.asp?article%5Fid=417
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 Richard Hazelton, Editor, 48 Degrees North Sailing Magazine (Re:
Model "Pirate" Boats) - In the midst of all this hubbub about where all the
big money boys will be sailing the AC and whose ego will pay for them, it's
refreshing to here about someone actually doing something in their
community for the future of sailing.
Scott Rohrer and his group who brought the legendary R boat "Pirate" back
to Seattle have gone beyond just restoring an old racing yacht. Their
program of having the kids build the model yachts makes sailboats and boat
building real to these kids. Places like the Center for Wooden Boats in
Seattle, and programs like the "Pirate" models can't receive too much
support. They are "hands-on" working for the future by building on the past.
-- From Sandy Grosvenor (edited to our 250-word limit) - As a former J/24
owner, you will not find me bashing the 24, I have fond memories, and it
certainly has an enviable national and international presence. But I also
think the J/22 is a great boat for women. The 22 is a cheaper boat to
campaign. The costs of a competitive second-hand boat is a little cheaper
than a comparable 24 (but not a lot). Ongoing campaign costs are
substantially cheaper: only 4 crew to feed/train/coordinate/house, just a
3-sail inventory (no genoa), and trailering is easier, and no engine to
fix. For sailing characteristics, J/24 veterans will find their skills
transfer quickly, the jib trimmer will love not having to muscle the large
genoa, and the rest of the crew will love not having to slide underneath
the boom and vang on tacks.
In Annapolis we have a great fleet of 22s and are setting up a program to
help ensure sufficient quality chartered boats at reasonable rates. We are
working on a variety of other plans with the help of the US and
International J/22 class. We will also be using the Internet to spread
information, http://www.ussailing.org/championships/Rolex/index.
Inevitably, there is some agony in changing boats, but the Rolex used to
draw 45-50 boats, in 1999 it was well under 30. We want to get that the
large diverse fleet back. We are hoping for 50 boats or more and want to
see ALL women from anywhere in the world, any class, who consider
themselves serious racing sailors.
-- From Mark Jardine, Yachts & Yachting Online -- Back in 1994 the IYRU (as
it was then) held their inaugural World Championships in La Rochelle.
Amongst the disciplines the Men's Keelboat Fleet used J/24s with no Genoas,
just Jibs and kites and the Women's Keelboat Fleet used J/22s. One of the
complaints by the women sailing was the high coachroof and grab rails which
caused constant bruising to those not used to the J/22. The J/24 could have
easily been sailed with 4/5 women with just the jib and the boat does
remain balanced using this configuration. Also the lack of guardrails on
the J/22 should have been looked into from a safety aspect, especially in
an event where not all of the crews will be used to the boat.
AC DEFENSE
The public has started paying for the next America's Cup, with the Auckland
City Council earmarking $200,000 to begin organising the next defence. The
council has estimated it will cost $34.4 million to host America's Cup
2003, of which only 55 per cent will be recoverable.
Auckland regional ratepayers forked out $120 million for facilities at the
Viaduct Harbour and to host last summer's regatta. The $200,000 will go on
planning and on setting up an agency to manage the Viaduct area. The money
has come from $1.5 million left over from an $8.2 million council budget
for the Cup, Apec and millennium events. NZ Herald,
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/
EUROPE 1 NEW MAN STAR
CLASS ONE - MULTIHULLS The way the boats are positioned, and with the
current weather information, it would appear that Francis Joyon (Eure et
Loir) is well placed to arrive in Newport ahead of the others. Joyon1s
southerly routing means he'll be sailing a faster point of sail in the
Northeast winds than his rivals are out to the North of him. 1. Francis
Joyon (248.7 nm to finish) 2. Franck Cammas (296.9) 3. Marc Guillemot
(325.5)
CLASS ONE - MONOHULLS - Overnight, the three leaders in the monohull fleet
reached an area of stronger wind, and are reaching away from the others in
the pack. Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) was the first to find the wind, and
has pulled out to a 39-mile lead at the noon position fix. Roland Jourdain
(Sill Beurre le Gall) and Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) are the boats in
pursuit. Interestingly, both are at least 60 miles South of Kingfisher. But
MacArthur has pushed down through out the day, and the North/South spread
is closing as Kingfisher comes to cover the competition. 1. Ellen
MacArthur (1073) 2. Roland Jourdain (1118.9) 3. Catherine Chabaud (1156.8)
Official website: http://www.europe1newmanstar.com/uk
ADMIRAL'S CUP
(Mark Chisnell takes an insightful look at the Admiral's Cup on the Quokka
website and makes some very interesting recommendations. Here's a brief
excerpt from that piece.)
The Admiral's Cup needs to make itself a more realistic commercial
proposition, for both sponsors and sailors. It can do that by being more
media- and spectator-friendly, and by fitting into the professional agenda.
Here's a suggestion for what that type of event might look like.
The Volvo Ocean 60 becomes the offshore class of the Admiral's Cup. They go
off on a seven-day race, with a flexible course that will alter to finish
at a set time. These boats already have all the necessary equipment for the
type of Web site coverage that made the last Whitbread such compelling
viewing.
Meanwhile, a fleet of smaller one-designs -- each paired in a team with a
V.O. 60 -- do a mix of coastal and windward/leeward racing during that
seven days. It would make sense to use the Mumm 30, which has been hugely
successful in this role in France's Tour Voile. This is a race around the
coast of Europe with a fully pro division that is attracting six-figure
sponsorships this year. Along with the likes of Team New Zealand, Roy
Heiner, Bertrand Pace, Thierry Peponnet, Terry Hutchinson, Adrian Stead and
John Cutler, it will also attract around 50,000 spectators to visit the
stopovers.
The Mumm 30 part of the Admiral's Cup could finish in the late afternoon,
which for maximum spectator appeal should be on the Friday before the start
of Cowes Week. By that time, the V.O. 60 fleet would be racing into The
Solent for the finale. With the points from the Mumm 30s defining what
their team mates on the V.O. 60s need to do, the big boats finish on Cowes
waterfront. The prize-giving would be right afterward, guaranteed an
audience in a town filled with crews gathering for Cowes Week.
There are issues to resolve -- like what happens to the nationality
requirements with teams that would end up based around commercial sponsors
rather than countries. But the Admiral's Cup would get serious pro teams
involved, in a format that's designed to work for both virtual and real
spectators. And the Volvo Ocean Race wouldn't be hurt by a biannual event
that would retain the momentum for the teams during the long four-year
cycle. It might be the way forward. Certainly, something different is
required if the event isn't to slip further from its position as a standout
in an over-crowded circuit. - Mark Chisnell, for Quokka Sports
Full story: http://sailing.quokka.com/expert/06/SLQ__0612_e_Chisnell_WFC.html
US SKIFF SAILING
(The following is an excerpt from a story on the SailSail website of an
interview Peter Danby did with Howard Hamlin, 505 World Champion and
skipper of "US Challenge", who recently won the 18 foot Skiff international
series in Carnac.)
Danby: We keep hearing about the possibility of a Skiff regatta on the West
Coast of America - is that likely to happen now, do you think?
Hamlin: I think it definitely is. We have targeted the St Francis Yacht
Club, which is right on the city front of San Francisco between Alcatraz
Island and Golden Gate Bridge, and absolutely just a phenomenal venue both
from spectating and from the standpoint of the wind.
We've talked to them - they are a private club that's run by a board and
committees. It's gone up the flagpole to the various committees, and
they've endorsed it, and they're very much behind the idea. In fact, they
were willing to run a regatta for us sometime in September of this year,
but the decision was made that that's coming up too quick, and too hard to
probably organise the logistics for everyone, but right now it sounds like
the game plan is to get a regatta in San Francisco in 2001 - September
works well for the yacht club.
Windwise, any time in the summer's good - it's very windy - and as you get
into fall, then the wind starts to back off again. I think the attraction
of the venue is the high winds.
Danby: Is there any chance of more boats in California, so you might get
some home practice?
Hamlin: Well, we certainly hope so. It's been tough trying to find somebody
to do it - in our opinion, the 49er sailors are probably the best target.
There's a fleet of 49ers that's kind of led by the McKee brothers in
Seattle - they're a long ways away from Los Angeles, a thousand miles away.
I think the McKees would be a target, we'd like to try to see them. Trevor
and Tina Bayliss who live in Portland and sail on the Columbia River Gorge
have expressed interest, and Tina's Canadian, so that would be great to get
a Canadian team. And some others like Morgan Larson and Kevin Hall, who
were second by just a couple of points to the McKee brothers in the Olympic
trials in the 49ers.
My opinion is, just go after the very best guys that already have the
experience in 49ers. It just takes such a long time to learn how to sail
Skiffs, you've got to start with the guys that already know.
Full story: http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=855
CALENDAR
June 16-20 - The Ancient Mariners of San Diego 10th Annual Wooden Boat
Festival at Koehler Kraft boatyard on Shelter Island.
THE CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS
"I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play
or not." - Fran Lebowitz
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