|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1774 - February 11, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest 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, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. GUEST EDITORIAL - Brad Read Mentoring is a huge industry in the United States. Big Brothers and Big Sisters and similar programs all around the country do countless good deeds for kids from all walks of life. We are lucky that the mentoring philosophy has become a large part of sailing at all levels. All over the country, I see the "rock stars" of our sport volunteering time and energy towards their local sailing community. Young and old are enthralled with the excitement that the elite of our sport bring to the seminars, speaking engagements and personal appearances that they freely do. I have never been turned down by any of the big names that I've ever asked to come down and spend time with our youth or adult programs at Sail Newport. These range from Olympians, AC sailors, Around the World sailors and off shore veterans. The value that these elite sailors add to our programs is immeasurable. That said, there are those currently doing things in our sport that transcend sailing. Ellen MacArthur needs to be recognized as quite possibly the most important sailing figure of our generation. My son came home from school Tuesday and we had the usual question and answer session that all parents have to decipher what they learned that day. It was Library day for his second grade class. Even though we live in Middletown, neighboring Newport, our school librarian is not a sailor. But today, the kids learned about one of the most amazing feats in the history of, yes you guessed it … Sailing. The Librarian picked up the story from USA Today of a British Girl, 28 years old that sailed all by herself and became the fastest person ever to sail around the world. "Was that a cool story for the class?" I asked my son. "Yeah, she was all alone you know, nobody else on the boat" he told me. "Would you like to do that someday?" I countered. "No, I like to sleep in my own bed." said Brendan. (Just like his Dad!) "The Queen of England wrote her a congratulations note!" I told my 5 year old daughter. She of course countered with "Did she send you a note when you won a race Dad?" "No, Queen Elizabeth must have missed that one!" Ellen MacArthur is the ultimate role model. Her effort, talent and her accomplishments can be used to encourage the sport of sailing to the non sailing community as well as the kids that we already are teaching to sail. The voyage that Ellen just completed has made International news. It is a story that transcends our sport. We as sailors have a new asset to use in our communities to get non sailing families interested in our sport. THE RECORD-BREAKING BOAT (Nigel Irens spoke to Sue Pelling at yachtingworld.com about his record-breaking design, B&Q. Here's an excerpt from that story.) Designing a yacht for such an ambitious record was no easy task but as Irens said unlike classes such the ORMA, there are no rule constraints so they can design exactly what they want. "It's such a relief for us to design a boat which is, for once, not within the constraints of a rule. Although there are just a few rules in the ORMA class, they are extremely constraining. The obvious one, the one we are delighted to be able to escape from, is the length because it is so much more difficult to make a good sea boat at just 60ft. "Making the boat 75ft you do of course take on a bit more weight and take on weight when you increase the height of the beams above the water because the bulkheads get bigger and the surface area of the hulls is greater and so on." Chatting about the conception of B&Q Irens says it's like chucking the clay down on a wheel. "Our roles [Benoit Caberet and Irens], particularly my own role is at its most important at the very beginning of the project and it's me who says: 'This is the kind of boat I think we'll need'. I then do some hand sketches or simple 3d cad sketches. Interestingly, I still have the original sketch of B&Q and she isn't very different to what it was then. "However, with Benoit we evolved the original sketch using the references we had for two boats, our most recent 60 footer - Fuji Generation - and the other was a boat I did in 1986. We did an in-depth investigation in to the distribution of buoyancy and we recreated the 1986 boat even though it hadn't been designed on computer we reconstituted that and used the same tools and that led to the shape of B&Q. Once we got the shape sorted out, the design was exposed to Ellen and team to decide how they wanted it layed out. The rest is history." Full story: www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050109152441ywnews.html BIG Thirty-seven entries more than four months before the race has Transpac organizers eyeballing the record of 80 entries in 1979. "I don't know if we've ever had 37 paid entries at the first of February," entry chairman Bill Lee said. "And that doesn't count 11 others that have filed entries but haven't sent their checks yet." the list includes 10 Cal 40s---as many as sailed in their "40th birthday celebration" in 2003---with more expected. The largest boats currently entered are Roy Disney's Reichel/Pugh maxZ86, Pyewacket, and Doug Baker's Andrews 80, Magnitude 80, runner-up for line honors to the giant Mari Cha IV in last year's Pacific Cup. In a recent action Transpac lowered its minimum length for multihulls from 45 to 40 feet. However, four multis must enter before any will be accepted as a class. Currently, there is one paid---John Walton's Bright Wing from Jackson, Wyo.---and another with stated intent. - Rich Roberts, www.transpacificyc.org/ ANOTHER NEW ENGLAND DYNASTY! WHO KNEW? The word "dynasty" describes the New England Patriots winning three out of four Super Bowls. Jud Smith of Doyle One Design has just made it four in a row by winning the 2005 Etchells, four-regatta, 22-race Jaguar series. This year Jud utilized four different boats, two different crews, and one additional helmsman, Peter Duncan, on his way to victory. Bob Meagher III from Doyle Florida East, who sailed on the winning boat in the midwinter series, said: "There were only two constants in Judd's program: His blinding speed and his sails." Maybe they're connected? Call us at 1-800-94-Doyle; http://www.doylesails.com GPS TRACKING (Following is a portion of a report from the recently concluded meeting of the ISAF Executive Committee.) ISAF recognizes the potential in utilizing track and trace technology to enhance the sport, make it easier to understand, and boost its commercial value, both on television and in its increasing popularity on the internet. In offshore races, tracking has been used for many years, but it has taken time for the technology to develop for accurate application to smaller keelboats and dinghies when in concentration, and with a high level of accuracy. With an objective to address the OCS (on course side) issues at the start of a race, recent tests undertaken have proven conclusive, monitoring boats to a high level of accuracy, and ISAF is confident a system can be operated to less than a 30cm range. Software provides real time tracking of boats throughout a race, not just on mark roundings. The transponder, which can be linked to a watch, will transmit data to sailors, including an OCS alarm (both before and after the start of the race), and other race data to be agreed. The software package provides graphics and statistics during the race, and enables the data to be stored for broader analytical work at a later date, such as for commentating, or for coaches to review the race. ISAF has a commitment to use the latest technology at key ISAF Events, with the forthcoming 2006 ISAF World Sailing Games the first event hosting the software. The 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal will be the next focus, and the Organizing Committee has already pledged its commitment. ISAF is working with Swiss Timing, the results and timing providers for the 2008 Olympic Games, to ensure the technology is utilized during the Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao, China. ISAF will be seeking tenders from providers of GPS tracking technology to work with ISAF to develop the hardware and software. ISAF will be issuing a technology specification and inviting companies to make their tender to ISAF by 1 May 2005. Use of the technology will have ramifications to the Racing Rules of Sailing and the individual Class Rules, and the ISAF Racing Rules Committee and Race Officials Committee will be working to address the consequential changes required. - ISAF website, full report: www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j19Fht?qw&format=popup ORYX QUEST 2005 The trade winds have kicked in and Doha 2006 has taken off like a scalded cat, opening up respectable lead over Geronimo for the first time since the race started four days ago. All of the boats are free from the clutches of the high pressure system that provided frustrating sailing over the last forty-eight hours. As expected Geronimo and Doha 2006, being first into the new breeze, have increased their lead over Cheyenne and Daedalus. Standings @1805 UTC Thursday: 1. Doha 2006 (Brian Thompson) 21,287 miles to finish; 2. Geronimo (Olivier de Kersauson) 63 mile behind leader; 3. Cheyenne (David Scully) 284 mbl; 4. Daedalus (Tony Bullimore) 425 mbl. - www.oryxquest.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar VOLVO OCEAN RACE A UK entry could be on the start line of the Volvo Ocean Race this November if sailing director Lawrie Smith, skipper Brian Thompson and yacht designer Simon Rogers can raise £3 million in the next two weeks. Plans have been in place for the attempt for some time but Ellen MacArthur's triumphant return to Falmouth following her astounding record breaking circumnavigation has boosted the team's hopes as their potential sponsor re-considers the marketing potential of an £8 million round the world campaign. "We're on the brink," said Simon Rogers who confirmed that they have a build slot for his Volvo 70 design at Green Marine starting on 25 February. "We have a potential UK investor who is considering putting up £3 million which will get us to the start line and we are in negotiation with a big blue chip company." Rogers confirmed that veteran Olympic and Whitbread sailor Lawrie Smith, now 49, would be the team's sailing director and he didn't rule out that Smith could sail in the race himself. "He would be awsesome," said Rogers who added that Brian Thompson, currently leading the Oryx Quest skippering Dohar 2006, would also skipper the Volvo entry. - Yachting World/ David Glenn, full story: www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050110140338ywnews.html NEWS BRIEFS * At the I-14 Worlds in Auckland, New Zealand, the Great Britain A team of Mark Upton/ Brown Mike Pennock, Victor Brellisford/ Damian Ash, Chris Turner/ Peter Bagwell and Andrew Partington Ben Vernieres defeated the Australian team of Brad Devine/ Denis Jones, Grant Geddes/ Dan Wilsdon, David Hayter/ Alan Pollitt and Lindsay Irwin/ Andrew Perry to take the Team Racing Championship. Complete results: www.takapunaboating.org.nz/ * With 765 miles to the Vendee Globe finish at 1500 GMT Thursday, Jean Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec) is still banking on making Les Sables d'Olonne on France's Atlantic coast on Sunday afternoon to finish sixth. After 95 days at sea, the Nice skipper has been spending up to 12 hours on the helm. - http://www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ * At the end of the 17th day on the water, Bruno Peyron's Orange II had covered 9125 miles and was 1792 miles ahead of the RTW record pace set by Steve Fossett's Cheyenne. The maxi-catamaran covered 397 miles in previous 24 hours, and is averaging 22.4 knots for the passage so far. - www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ * A wet and possibly windy start looms for the Salsa Division racers of Del Rey Yacht Club's 18th biennial Corum International Yacht Race on Friday. Ten boats in the racing divisions will follow in separate starts next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Roy Disney's Reichel/Pugh maxZ86, Pyewacket, and Randall Pittman's Dubois 90, Genuine Risk, will start Feb. 18 with Doug Baker's Andrews 80, Magnitude 80, and Scout Spirit, a Reichel/Pugh 77 (formerly Zephyrus IV and Bright Star) entered by the Newport Sea Base, Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America. - www.dryc.org LEARN FAST AND SAVE Bicycles, Bobsleds, Sailboats. No matter what you race, you've got to be fast to win. If you race sailboats then you can learn the latest Fast at a North U Trim Seminar. Upwind, downwind, symmetric, asymmetric. But that is not all. North U Trim Seminars cover every manner of set, jibe, and douse as well. North U offers a full slate of Weather, Cruising and Racing Seminars. Call or add "Scuttlebutt Discount" to the comments when signing up on-line and save $25.Learn Fast: Call 800-347-2457 or visit http://www.NorthU.com IN MEMORIAM Charles Lane Poor III, resident of Washington, DC and Nonquitt, MA, died Thursday morning, February 3, 2005 at Georgetown University Hospital after a prolonged illness, at the age of 85. Mr. Poor was an avid sailor, and was a member of the Cruising Club of America, the New Bedford Yacht Club, and the Annapolis Yacht Club. He sailed extensively on the Chesapeake Bay and in ocean races. He also worked for years on US Sailing's International Measurement System Committee, and on the international Ocean Racing Congress (ORC), at one time serving as chairman of the Research Committee of the International Technical Committee, and more recently as a member of the ORC Committee of Honour. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 12, 2005, at 3:00 PM at St. Alban's Church at 3001 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, DC. A reception will be held in the church social hall immediately following the service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his memory to either the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital, or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis, MD. 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. 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 John Glynn: What a feat by Ellen MacArthur. Her story has been well-documented in the cyberpages of Scuttlebutt. But what I find most gratifying is that her achievement has managed to do something that sailing (outside of the America's Cup) rarely does: warrant not one, but two significant stories in the New York Times sports section. Further, in today's edition, Omega (timepieces) ran an advertisement in the NYT sports section (not a cheap placement I might add) saluting Ellen. I do hope that the NYT gets positive feedback from readers as a result of this, and that readers will clamor for a return of Herb McCormick's regular boating column. No doubt the NYT publishing side has already noticed that a major advertiser of theirs dropped big bucks on saluting a sailor! - www.nytimes.com/2005/02/09/sports/othersports/09sail.html? * From John Rousmaniere: What a crowd of envious cynics sailors can be! Reading the carping at Ellen MacArthur in the Butt 1773 and the Feb. 8 Guardian, I wonder what side of the bed my friend Bob Fisher and the other naysayers got out of the other day. If she isn't too emotional, too honest, and too spiritual (for much of which I read "too female" - then, damn it, she's too well prepared, too focused, and too independent. And she somehow commits the terrible tandem sin of being less respected by the world's professional sailors than by the French. Yes, her circumnavigation is a marketing exercise that often seems too polished. I was in England in 1967 when Sir Francis Chichester completed his solo voyage, and what I recall is a triumph of marketing for the last moments of the British Empire. (And Ellen, unlike Sir Francis, didn't devote months to publicly criticizing her boat's designer.) Publicity is the coin of the realm here. When Joshua Slocum set out 110 years ago, he expected to pay his way by writing newspaper articles about his adventures and his feelings about them. By the time he reached Tasmania he was giving slide shows for pay in local opera houses, and by the time he arrived back home, he had perfected a part-confessional, part-reportorial writing style that produced one of the classics of sea writing. But poor old Josh Slocum! He liked being alone too much. * From John Harwood-Bee: With reference to the Steven Moss comments on the detractors from Ellen's efforts. It does not take a genius to realize that in the past 40 years we in Britain have changed from being incredibly proud supporters of effort, bravery, adventure, heroism and individuality. We are now at a point where a minority, albeit vociferous, group have tried to degrade us into a nation of whingeing, whining over protected mamby-pamby clones. We are informed that we must not be competitive in case some poor little kid feels disenfranchised. Individuality is discouraged, responsibility for everything is passed to those mystical "they". and problems are always somebody else's fault. Winners and losers are no longer acceptable and everybody must win something. When, as with Ellen, Kelly Holmes etc we do build up our icons, we wait sneakily in the wings to knock them down again. It was heart warming to see so many people greet Ellen at Falmouth but the numbers were a far cry from 40 years ago. They were however a vast improvement on the 100 or so who were at Plymouth to greet Steve Fossett and "Cheyenne" last April when she returned from her RTW non stop having knocked nearly 6 days of the record. We have for, generations, enjoyed a reputation for doing things 'because they are there'. Endurance, stamina, mental strength and sheer guts and competitiveness are things to be admired and encouraged. Those who preach otherwise should stay in their cocoon. * From Geoff Brieden: I've just returned from racing in the record breaking Pineapple Cup from Ft. Lauderdale to Montego Bay. In our typical post-race decompression (a nice Jamaican afternoon with a Red Stripe), the crew, full of seasoned sailors, both pro and amateur, found our conversation turning to Ellen and her amazing accomplishment. Having just completed an 800 mile, albeit very fast offshore race, most of us kept concluding that we didn't think we would ever would want to sail around the world, let alone nonstop, let alone by yourself, in a massive vessel that would be a handful for the best crews in the world! And then to do it faster than anyone else, ever? The sheer mental and physical toughness required to is incomprehensible to 99% of the world, us sailors included. In my book, this is one of the single greatest individual accomplishments that I have known in my lifetime. Period. Well done Ellen. * From Andrew Bray, Editor, Yachting World: Just a small correction to John Walton's letter (Scuttlebutt 1773). Whilst Naomi James did sail singlehanded round the world it was not non-stop, so Kay Cottee was the first. Curmudgeon's Comment: Full details are available online: http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_033300_expresscrusa.htm * From Mark Gray (In response to John Walton): Naomi James did indeed sail around the world, however, sailing south of New Zealand, Express Crusader was taking the Southern Ocean in stride until February 24 when‹with the boat 2,800 miles from New Zealand and 2,300 miles from Cape Horn‹the fitting holding the starboard lower shrouds to the mast sheered off, causing the mast to bend from side to side. Rigging a temporary repair, James contemplated putting back to New Zealand and then finishing her voyage via the Panama Canal. But even after capsizing two days later, she decided to press on via the Horn, which she passed on March 19, after 192 days at sea. Five days later she was at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. There, HMS Endurance's carpenter repaired the rigging and two days later she was off again. Krystyna Choynowski-Liskiewicz of Poland was the first woman to sail around the world solo. She accomplished this feat on March 28, 1976. Again, it was not non-stop or unassisted. Hate to be patriotic, but guess an Aussie did it first. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS My mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.' - Paula Poundstone |
