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SCUTTLEBUTT 2018 - January 27, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.MOST POPULAR AC BOAT IN HISTORY With 90 sail numbers now assigned, and an opportunity to reach 100 over the current edition of the Cup (depending upon how many teams build two new boats), the America's Cup Class is the most 'popular' class of boat to race in more than 150-years of America's Cup history. When it was first conceived in response to the calamitous 1988 America's Cup mismatch between Dennis Conner's catamaran and the Kiwi 'Big Boat', the America's Cup Class Rule was written, as outlined in it's 'vision statement' to produce, "wholesome, fast and maneuverable day sailing monohulls of similar performance intended for spectacular match racing in a wide wind range…(creating yachts to be ) raced around the buoys, with tenders present, as opposed to offshore in high wind and rough sea conditions." In these aspects, the America's Cup Class Rule has to be judged a success. "I think it was the right rule at the right time," says Ken McAlpine, the current America's Cup Class Technical Director and Chief Measurer, and one of the group who devised the ACC rule in 1988. "They're spectacular boats and they've provided amazing racing over the years." The Rule is now in its fifth iteration - Version 5, which 'turbo-charges' the boats for the Mediterranean - and while there are many changes from those early days in San Diego, many aspects of the America's Cup Class endure. The boats are far narrower now and certainly the developments in rig and sail technology are immense compared to those initial designs. Whether the America's Cup Class Rule endures beyond this cycle of the Cup will be determined by the winner of the 32nd America's Cup Match and the new Challenger of Record. With mutual consent they can decide to evolve the class rule further, or opt for an entirely new class of boat. Each direction has risks and rewards. "There are many issues any time you make a new rule and it's possible that by tweaking the edges of the current rule you can achieve much of what you want to do," notes McAlpine. "Certainly when the America's Cup Class Rule was created it was at the very cutting edge of technology and you'd have a hard time arguing that it still is, but considering the spectacular racing that the boats still show us, does that really matter?" That's a question to be answered in 2007, when the winner of the America's Cup Match and its Challenger of Record set out a new Protocol for the 33rd America's Cup, and decide whether there's life left in the rule, or whether it should be replaced entirely. Regardless, the America's Cup Class Rule endures as an important development in the history of the Cup, continuing to provide a platform for great racing for a generation of Cup sailors. - Peter Rusch, America's Cup website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/99u6l HALL OF FAME Ellen MacArthur, Bertie Reed, Minoru Saito and Jean-Luc van den Heede have been into the Museum of Yachting's Single-Handed Sailor's Hall of Fame. The Inductees were nominated by a panel of internationally renowned single-handed sailing experts including Bill Biewenga, Billy & Joyce Black, Jack Boye, Murray Davis, Sir Robin-Knox Johnston, Herb McCormick, JP Mouligne, Dick Newick, Goerge Pike, Michael Richey and JP Trousilek. The selection criteria included: unique contribution to single-handed sailing, extraordinary achievement, pioneering spirit, outstanding performance, advancement of the sport, overcoming a remarkable challenge and providing a source of inspiration to others. An Induction Ceremony and Celebration will be held at the Museum of Yachting in Newport, Rhode Island in July of 2006. -- www.museumofyachting.org THIS WEEK ON THE WEB * Scuttleblog wrapped up its Key West coverage, joined Nick Scandone at the Alcoa IFDS World Disabled Sailing Championships, and provided a how-to guide on being an Internet Pill: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog * Topics in the Scuttlebutt Forums included searching for Key West photos and stories, Melges 24 hiking, Swan 45's, Paul Elvstrom, Maximus, boat building, etc: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi * Scuttlebutt Polls questioned whether the VOR race schedule should be amended to provide the fleet more time for repairs, and whether the Melges 24 class hiking was a good thing: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news NEW WINNER ANNOUNCED AT KWRW A change has been made to the results from last week's Acura KWRW. Following a week of howling winds, square chop, and carnage, the Dryshirt™ has emerged as the overall winner. Premiere Racing's regatta manager reported they had sold several hundred shirts before the event even started & sold out early! Find out how your regatta, racing team, or junior program can obtain this incredible product customized with your logo at attractive pricing. Call 800-354-7245 (in the US) or 562-594-8749 (for international) or go to http://www.sailingproshop.com for a dealer list and additional information on this and other premium products. HIGH STAKES FINALE The stakes were high today as 610 sailors from 40 countries at the US Sailing's Rolex Miami OCR made their last bid for a berth in tomorrow's finals at the Rolex Miami OCR. It will be the second time ever and the first time in the U.S. that the new Olympic format--which calls for a single "Medal Race" to conclude the series for each of nine classes--will be applied at a major Olympic preparation regatta like this. The jury is far from out, since no one quite knows what to expect, but certainly the new system is foremost in competitors' minds as they strategize for tomorrow. Whereas a throwout has been allowed in the series leading up to it, the Medal Race must be counted in the scoreline and also counts double (for two races). Regardless of the size of a class's fleet, only the top ten go into the Medal Race. Umpires resolve all protests on the water, and the results are final almost immediately. (Since the Paralympics have not adopted the new format, the Paralympic Sonar class competing here will sail the last two races planned for their series.) "So many things can happen" said George Szabo who with Eric Monroe is in second behind France's Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau, and in front of defending champions Andrew Horton and Brad Nichol. "Horton could have a really good day. The worst we could finish is sixth. It's fun though; it has been a fun week. Not often can you have so many mid-teen finishes and be in second place. It means it was a difficult regatta." In the typically small fleets at the Olympic Games, the odds are slim of someone sitting out their last race because they've mathematically won, but in the 69-boat Star fleet here, Rohart and Rambeau built up a whopping 48-point lead that mathematically does allow them to sit out tomorrow's race. Another team who does not have to sail tomorrow is that comprised of reigning Yngling world champions -- Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Deborah Capozzi (USA). With a lead of 23 points over their closest competitors, they, too, are mathematically untouchable but will sail in the finals in the spirit of supporting the change. The UK's 49er team of Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks, Olympic bronze medalists, also clinched their series early. In the Tornado class, the USA's John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree started off the day with a win and followed it with an 11th, but counted it as their dropout and now enjoy a 20-point lead over Johannes Polgar/ Florian Spalteholz (GER). The day didn't go as well for Paige Railey (USA), who until today was the consistent leader in the Laser Radial class. She started out by winning the first race of the day, but an OCS in today's second race for starting prematurely caused her to lose her grip on the regatta, adding 48 points to her total score. She now stands in third place overall with no chance of winning. That battle for the regatta title will now be between today's new leader Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) and Canada's Jennifer Spalding (CAN). - Media Pro Int'l, www.ussailing.org/Olympics/RolexMiamiOCR AUCKLAND MATCH RACING CUP After a consistent day with five wins and no losses, Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew are alone at the top of the leaderboard in the Auckland Match Racing Cup. Racing on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour was marked by light, patchy north-easterly breezes on the second day of the five-day event. As the day wore on, a strong incoming tide added complications to the equation. Ed Baird and his Alinghi crew had a poor start to the regatta, with just one win on the opening day. But, they came out with guns blazing today and took five wins. "This team has never sailed together in small boats," said Baird. "Because of the storm on Tuesday, we were not able to have a practice day, so when we started the regatta yesterday, we were making all our mistakes with live ammunition." The format of the regatta features 10 invited international match racers competing in a double round robin, with the top four going through to the semi-finals and the top two competing in the finals. Racing is scheduled to finish on Sunday. Standings after 11 matches: Dean Barker (NZL), Emirates Team New Zealand, 10-1 Bertrand Pace (FRA), BMW Oracle Racing, 8-3 Cameron Appleton (NZL), 7-4 Ed Baird (USA), Alinghi, 6-5 Chris Dickson (NZL), BMW Oracle Racing, 6-5 Ian Williams (GBR), 6-5 Mathieu Richard (FRA), 6-5 Sebastien Col (FRA), K-Challenge, 4-7 Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Victory Challenge, 2-9 Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 0-11 Event website: http://www.aucklandmatchracingcup.co.nz/home.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar NEWS BRIEFS * Brasil 1 arrived in Fremantle and has been lifted out of the water so she can be loaded onto a truck and driven across the Australian continent to Melbourne. "We have to take the keel off to truck the boat, so they've got to take the fairings all around the keel and pull the pins out and lower it all down," explained Andy Meiklejohn. That's all been carboned in so we don't have the same problems as movistar, so they're just trying to chip all the carbon off and get the pieces off." - www.volvooceanrace.org * This year's Sail Newport Advanced Racing Clinic has attracted a powerful faculty that includes Kevin Burnham, Zack Leonard, Ken Legler, Brad Read, Isabelle Kinsolving, Elizabeth Kratzig, Skip Whyte, Matt Lindblad, John Mollicone, Mike Kalin, Mark Zagol, Bern Noack and Stan Schreyer. The event will be held June 15-18, 2006 in Newport, RI just before the Youth Championships. This clinic is for advanced sailors ages 14-19 in Club 420s, Lasers, and Laser Radials. Admission is by resume only. Application can be found on-line at www.sailnewport.org (scroll down to Youth Programs for information and application). * The Clipper 05-06 Round the World Race restarts today on Leg 6 -- a 'sprint' of two plus weeks from Singapore to Qingdao, China. Current standing: 1. westernaustralia.com, 41.5; 2. Durban, 33; 3. Liverpool 08, 30.5; 4. New York, 30.5; 5. Victoria, 22.5; 6. Cardiff, 22; 7. Qingdao, 22; 8. Uniquely Singapore, 21; 9. Jersey, 15; 10. Glasgow, 6.5. -- http://www.clipper-ventures.co.uk/2006/ * The Pacific Cup Yacht Club (PCYC) has scheduled Safety at Sea and race preparation seminars for the 2006 West Marine Pacific Cup. On Sunday, February 19 a Safety at Sea seminar hosted by the California Maritime Academy will include the mandated core curriculum and result in the required US sailing SAS certification for participants. (For details, contact Charlie Arms at carms@csum.edu) Another Safety At Sea seminar will be presented Saturday, February 25 at the Seattle Yacht Club by the Sailing Foundation: www.thesailingfoundation.org/seminar2006. A Pacific Cup Preparation Seminar will be presented at the Berkeley YC on February 19. -- www.pacificcup.org WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Is it the ultimate race tender? Perhaps an economical and safe coach boat for your club's junior sailing program? Is it a new mark boat that's strong and stable enough for setting and hauling marks for your race committee? Or maybe even it's a fun to drive boat for cruising around in or watching the kids sail? No matter what you're looking for, the Ribcraft line of rigid inflatable boats, ranging in size from 15' to 30', will meet your every need. There's still time to place an order for spring/summer delivery. Learn more about Ribcraft at http://www.ribcraftusa.com/sailing EIGHT BELLS James Mertz of Rye, NY passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. He held the record for number of Newport-Bermuda Races sailed - 30, plus 7 Marion-Bermuda Races. He was hoping to sail this year's Centennial Newport-Bermuda -- the boat "Allegra" will go as planned. The funeral is Saturday, Jan. 28, at 11:00 AM Christ's Church, Rye, NY. 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. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Ralph Taylor: Nick Scandone reports, in a parenthetical: "you couldn't lay the starting line on starboard". I'm probably not alone in observing that this is awful race management for a World Championships, even in wildly-shifting winds. Haven't these guys heard of the AP flag? When the starting line is so biased that it can not be layed on either tack, the start is unfair to those at the non-favored end and the middle. Only one or two boats can have a decent start and the situation invites port-starboard collisions -- as those starting on port (the only tack on which it's possible to cross the line) at the pin are screened from starboard tackers by the sails underneath them. Competitors deserve a fair chance to start on the entire line. Such a biased line restricts its effective length to no more than a few boat lengths. We can only wonder what was in the RC's minds to go ahead with the starting sequence. Yes, to postpone and re-set the line or wait for an oscillation to come back would have meant a delay. But, it would have preserved the fairness of the race. * From Jerry Coe: The issue of Melges 24 hiking aids has an instructive parallel in the history of Soling and Etchells classes. In the 1960s Soling was selected over Etchells as an Olympic class, and in the following years Solings moved way ahead of Etchells in numbers racing. Solings then permitted extreme hiking aids, while Etchells continued to ban them. I believe today that Etchells fleets worldwide far exceed Solings. * From Cliff Bradford: I believe a while back you had an article about the dangers of extreme hiking on keelboats from a doctor. He referred (IIRC) to nerve damage, damage to the digestive system and the back. He didn't specify tight or loose lifelines so I don't think that tightening the hiking lines on an M24 will reduce the pain or possible injury from hard hiking which people will do regardless. If the class can agree on some other kind of hiking style and/or useful aids that can reduce the danger/pain then that would useful. Some people on the board referred to using trapezes but that would probably require modifications to or a new mast design plus there is a strong aversion (IMO) to trapezing in the US which is where most of the class is. So either a significant change or no change is probably the way to go but just tightening the lifelines doesn't do much. * From Andrew Troup, New Zealand: I am struggling to understand why rams on VO 70s are breaking. In the field of extension and retraction mechanisms, hydraulic rams are by far the easiest mechanism to protect from overload. There is no call for shockloads (short duration external forces) to break rods or pop off endcaps. I would have thought the circuit should be bypassing oil to an accumulator for the duration of the overload, allowing the keel to move as far as needed to keep the ram force to its working limit, storing most of that energy "offsite" then using it to reposition the keel back to where it was as soon as that overload is removed. There needs to be sufficient spare stroke at each end (and unused keel angulation) so that the cylinder never tops out or bottoms out. Perhaps the boat designers would do well to shop around for some industrial engineering expertise, with the emphasis on dynamic rather than static hydraulics. * From Garry Hoyt: Apropos of the discussion about loosening lifelines in order to gain more effective hiking-the first culprit here is the keel boats that are designed with the assumption of significant rail meat as part of the stability package. First off, there is the inherent contradiction of subscribing to a rule that prohibits movable ballast, while allowing significant amounts of rail meat to serve exactly that function. If they are not movable ballast, then why are they shifting from side to side with each tack? There is also an inherent danger in relying on rail meat for stability, since at extreme angles of heel, weight on the rail becomes totally useless. Seen in that light, all the moralizing about the dangers of canting keels is completely misplaced. Despite all the well publicized breakdowns of the VO 70's, (all of which are solvable) the breakthrough fact is that canting keels offer sensational new sailing speeds, plus relief from the antique, inefficient and expensive practice of seeking stability by perching large numbers of human bodies on the windward rail-a joyless position that numbs the brain as surely as it paralyzes the butt. Canting keels can and will be made more practical and user friendly, and I salute Paul Cayard and the others who are opening the door to this exciting new way forward. Do not let the quavering voices carry the day. * From H. P. "Sandy" Purdon (Regarding the Volvo Ocean Race): Paul Cayard puts it all in perspective with laser like comments. He and the other Volvo crews are pushing the envelope for our sport and our hats should be off to them. Hang in there, fix your problems, deliver new standards, be safe and come home with some great stories. * From Tim Patterson: Paul Cayard has said all that needs to be said. He says it all from the proper perspective. Any of us who have crossed an ocean or two know that there is no boat yet sailing [or motoring ] that the oceans of the world cannot break or sink. Thank heavens for the dreamers. I am still in awe of the risks and strength of character of the Goss campaign for The Race, they traveled new ground and I am sure that we shall see more come from these VOR boats that will benefit us all. Thanks to all the sponsors for continuing to support. I remember when Tag lost her mast on the way to the start of the 1985 Round Europe Race in Kiel. By the time we got there her sponsors had her old rig restepped and the boat ready to sail. Great sponsors make great racing at these levels, men like Cayard do their sponsors proud, hurrah for all of the racers. * From Ron Arnold: After reading Paul Cayard's latest commentary on the VOR, I've decided to unsubscribe to the daily Scuttlebutt sailing emails I have enjoyed for so many years. What an insult to your readers - why should any of us believe the latest story Paul has written, now that he and his crew are in port. I may be wrong, but Paul's latest "spin" seems to suggest that the promoters of the VOR are not happy with his daily commentaries, even if he has been truthful to the many readers who have followed this event. I guess I'm more inclined to read truthful stories, vs. promotional propaganda, that is better suited for Corporate sponsorship proposals. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION You know you're getting old when you try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren't wearing any. Special thanks to Sailing Pro Shop and Ribcraft RIBs. |
