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SCUTTLEBUTT 2184 - September 20, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with America’s Cup coverage brought to you by UBS (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). STARBOARD STACK-UP SOLUTIONS We’ve all been there at one time or another - even with the best of planning, trapped on the port tack layline at the weather mark, with no way to find a legal way into a long line of starboard tack boats getting ready to round the weather mark to port. The rule changes of the last 10 years or so seem to have made for less protests in this sort of situation, but it hasn’t led to any increase in passing lanes, or general enjoyment, unless of course your idea of a good race is a parade. Leeward gates have been in fashion for almost two decades now. While no one is exactly certain where the idea of a gate came from first, wise veterans of the sport tell me it was probably something Elvstrom first suggested. When leeward gates first started to become popular and well promoted on the west coast, I asked Dave Ullman if he had ever used a weather gate. He said that he in fact had, at several large (meaning probably 100+ boats on the same line and course) 470 regattas in Europe. One of the benefits we’ve seen from the America’s Cup is their change to starboard roundings in match racing. I suspect that the Swedish Match series also helped to foster the growth of this trend in match racing. Now it comes that in the recently completely Kiel German Sailing Grand Prix, for the fleet races between the three AC boats, weather gates were used, with I’m told by a participant in the regatta, a great deal of success. The problem with really short courses with large fleets - which could mean even 15 boats - is that the overwhelming premium half way up the leg is protecting the right, so you have a chance to get in line at the weather mark. Depending on the course and breeze, often times your starting strategy is geared towards getting in line at the weather mark. While it is a lot more simple to just set one weather mark and round to starboard, it might be better if we started using weather gates for windward-leeward races. This will of course place a premium on the ability of the RC to have a first class mark set team - but if all the racers take one day off a summer and help set marks for their fleet, the problem of additional RC personnel is largely solved. Starboard stackups aren’t any fun for anyone. Why not try starboard roundings or weather gates in fleet races? The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn’t work and we go back to what we know. Or maybe it works well and we all have more fun. -- Peter Huston, http://tinyurl.com/j6w6c SETBACK The German America’s Cup team limped back into the Port America’s Cup on Tuesday after breaking its mast during an afternoon training session. GER 72 was towed into port with about five or six metres of the mast left intact. That would put the break near the first spreaders. The broken mast was on the old training boat, GER 72, and was said to be an older mast. Regardless, this is a set-back for one of the new challengers in this 32nd America’s Cup. The team began to sail its brand new GER 89 last month, and more recently began training with both boats together. Wind conditions on Tuesday afternoon ranged from 12 knots on the northern race areas to up to 18 knots on the southern race courses. -- America’s Cup website, http://tinyurl.com/s77xd TRIVIA QUESTION During this week within the pages of America’s Cup history, what two famous America’s Cup yachts successfully remained undefeated and completed their final respective cup matches? (Answer below) SAILFLOW.COM - WEATHER WHERE YOU SAIL! SailFlow, the leader in real-time and forecasted marine weather, invites you to experience a unique new website. By collecting all public weather data (buoys, forecasts, warnings, satellite/radar, etc), SailFlow's FREE service eliminates your need for multiple weather bookmarks by giving you everything in one convenient location. Plus SailFlow operates a network of proprietary weather stations placed right where you sail and uses their own computer model to forecast conditions. A recent addition is a revolutionary weather graph that scrolls between current, past, and forecasted conditions without having to reload the page. -- http://www.SailFlow.com/new OCEAN RACING IS NOT THE TIME TO TRAIN (Rich duMoulin reports on the 2006 Vineyard Race on the Storm Trysail Club’s website. Here are a few excerpts.) Almost every year since 1993 we have gone out sailing when racing has been cancelled to practice our heavy air technique with our upper wind range sails including storm jib (both the big one and the small one), storm trysail and chicken chute. We often take juniors aboard, and always wear PFDs and harnesses if conditions warrant. Years ago when Hurricane Bertha glanced off our coastline and was heading away from us, we went out with our orange day-glow storm trysail and storm jib. If we had not actually sailed the boat in storm conditions we would not have been prepared for the Vineyard, but we still learned so much. The Fastnet 1979 and Sydney-Hobart 1998 disasters illustrated that often the best way to handle terrible conditions is not to retire, but to slow the boat down and sail conservatively, but continue racing which causes the crew to maintain focus and have an objective. Sir Ernest Shackleton applied this well during his famous 1914 Antarctic expedition when his vessel the Endurance was crushed by ice. He knew the importance of a goal and upon the loss of the ship immediately and optimistically created a new goal-- get to the edge of the ice and find rescue. In an Ocean race, keeping your first goal may be better than retiring, but if you retire, you better create a new goal and keep up spirits. Take Care of the Crew. Distance racing is about balance: balancing risk against opportunity --both tactically and pushing the boat and crew physically, a watch system is essential to enable the crew to preserve strength and focus. Appropriate food for the conditions and plenty of water are a must. Granola bars and Zwieback biscuits worked well. At least they came up easily if necessary! Most important of all is a compatible, fit, experienced crew. Ocean racing is not the time to train, but a crew with (say) 75 % very experienced and 25% competent sailors is fine. Drinking a lot of water is essential in heavy weather, but the result is obvious. In heavy weather no one pees over the rail-- too dangerous (Golden Rule Two). We use a cup in the cockpit or bucket in the cabin and pass it up. We also try to keep the cabin clean and bailout water slopping around. Bilge pumps cannot operate at big angles of heel, so sponges and buckets are necessary. A dinghy scoop sure would have been nice. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ene9r NEW TWISTS For their race from Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the Del Rey YC has arranged to have all of the finishers tie up on a new "Vallarta Row" on the other side of the Regina Westin Hotel & Resort - which is the race headquarters. The site is just across the street from the main hotel entrance at the Opequimar Centro Marino boat yard. New indoor and outdoor facilities include a yacht club hangout for racers with meal service, flat-screen satellite TV and free use of computers with high-speed Internet connection. The race will also have a new format with mini-races within the 1,125 nautical mile race. The approximate finishing points of those shorter races will be marked with navigational “crossing lines” along the Baja California coastline and beyond. At each invisible line, satellite transponders will record each vessel's date and exact time of crossing. The Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas crossing lines will be set perpendicular to the rhumb line and extend 70 miles offshore so that tactical navigation is not compromised. Without stops or check-ins, the boats' times will be recorded automatically by signals to shore from the transponders mounted on the stern pulpits. The segments will be Marina del Rey to Ensenada (159 nautical miles), Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas (669) and Cabo San Lucas to Punta Mita at the entrance to Banderas Bay (280). -- Rich Roberts, http://www.pv07.com A REAL SAILOR With little fanfare beyond a slight grin, Peter Brock and his 42 foot steel sloop Minke, dodging icebergs and growlers and sailing in heavy snow squalls, crossed the Arctic circle heading south into the North Atlantic last week. What began several years ago as an extended cruise saw Peter exploring the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands before heading north to Alaska in 2004 and across the top. Despite signs of global warming elsewhere, it took Peter three years to get through the heavy multi-year ice pack of the Northwest Passage, a part of the adventure he completed just last week. As of yesterday, the boat is now in the tiny village of Makkovik on the Labrador coast where it will be hauled for the winter. Peter will return Minke to it’s home port in Nova Scotia sometime next summer, completing a circumnavigation of the North American continent. -- Sean M. McDermott YOU ARE THE CHAMPIONS. AGAIN. When the boats are the same and only the sails are different, the top teams choose Doyle sails. For the second year in a row, the winner of the Beneteau 40.7 North Americans was powered by Doyle. And Beneteau 36.7s powered by Doyle sails won the 2006 North Americans and the Chicago NOOD, both using Doyle D4 sail membranes built by Dimension-Polyant. If you sail an offshore one-design, you should be flying Doyle sails. Now is the time to call your local Doyle loft. 1-800-94-DOYLE; http://www.doylesails.com SAILING SHORTS * Lauren Spindler reports that 181 paid entries have been received for Baja Ha-Ha XIII -- the annual 750-mile cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. This is an increase of over 30 entries from last year and an all-time record. Entries range in length from 20 to 70 feet. -- http://www.baja-haha.com * One of the world’s foremost boat-building ‘carbonologists,’ Johnny Smullen, got married in San Diego on Saturday to the former Theresa Amos. Marine photographer Bob Grieser performed the ceremony which took place at the Southwestern YC. * The seventh day of the Jeju Laser World Championship in Korea saw the unusual situation of having 15 knot winds but unable to race. The north westerly was inconsistent in both strength and direction. The race committee tried in vain to set a course as the wind swung through 140 degrees at random on different parts of the course area but eventually had to give up and send the fleet ashore for the day. One day remains with an early start of 0900 scheduled in a last ditch attempt to put some more races on the score sheet. -- http://www.laserworld2006.com * A NASA-sponsored study is enabling scientists to determine what limits the growth of ocean algae, or phytoplankton, and how this affects Earth's climate. Phytoplankton is a microscopic ocean plant and an important part of the ocean food chain. By knowing what limits its growth scientists can better understand how ecosystems respond to climate change. The study focused on phytoplankton in the tropical Pacific Ocean. This area of the ocean plays a particularly important role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide and the world's climate, as it is the largest natural source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. -- http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/34807/82/ * North Sails has partnered with Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts for the Land's End Houston NOOD Regatta from September 22-24. To sign up, visit North Sails' online weather center at: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf * Dominique Wavre (SUI) has officially confirmed his participation in the Barcelona World Race with over one year to go before the start on 11 November 2007 from the city of Barcelona, Spain. Wavre has also announced his co-skipper as Michèle Paret (FRA), the first female sailor confirmed for the race. Wavre was immediately attracted to the double-handed, non-stop round the world concept when the race was initially launched in October 2005 but he has waited until his new IMOCA Open 60 Temenos II underwent its first boat testing in Europe before making any formal announcement. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6lFh?u72 * Three hours afloat off Ibiza town in a gentle south easterly breeze, one false start and the Breitling MedCup TP52 fleet returned to the dock to await a decent, settled breeze. When it did not arrive racing was cancelled for the day. The first windward leeward races of the Trofeo Balearia Ibiza y Formentera were rescheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday.), changing from the programmed coastal race. -- http://www.medcup.org TRIVIA ANSWER During this week within the pages of America’s Cup history, US yacht Intrepid beat the Australian yacht Dame Pattie in four straight races to defend the America's Cup in 1967, while US yacht Courageous beat the challenger Australia in four straight races to defend the America's Cup in 1977 (both victories occurred on September 18th). “MAN OVERBOARD” Preparing for next year’s Transpac or the Transatlantic Race to Hamberg? Or just want the very best man-overboard gear for your crew? SeaMarshall’s personal Alerting Units and new SarFinder homing receiver are the accepted standard in overboard recovery gear. What is peace of mind worth? Contact Chip Barber: mailto:admin@chbarber.com; http://www.chbarber.com/seamarshall.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or space (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and please save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, there are no word or frequency limits on comments sent to the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From J. Theodore Everingham: I was Chairman of the US Sailing Judges Committee in January 2004, when folks gathered in Hawaii to celebrate Cy Gillette's 90th birthday. Here's the text of my letter to Cy, on behalf of the committee, on that occasion: This letter brings you the warmest congratulations of the US SAILING Judges Committee on this celebration of your 90th birthday. I wish that I could be with you as you receive these tidings, but time and distance make that impossible. Lots of people enjoy the sport of sailing, and some of them choose to spend their time and talents - not to mention a slice of their fortunes - to serve the sport. Some of those welcome and valued volunteers serve long enough to retire, but just a select few of those serve both long enough and well enough to earn emeritus status in recognition of decades of truly extraordinary service. And then there is Cy Gillette! You have raised the bars of both love for sailing and service to sailors and the sport to a new and far higher level. On behalf of the US Sailing Judges Committee, more than 300 currently certified United States judges and the untold thousands we all strive to serve, thank you, Cy, for being our mentor, our friend and an exceptional servant to so many, so very well, for so long. * From Andy Rose: Richard Gladwell had it exactly right in 'Butt 2181 about Cy Gillette when he said Cy had time for everyone. Many decades ago, Argyle Campbell and I had had some success at match racing and the Congressional Cup. In 1973 when I was 22, Cy, perhaps foolishly thinking we were pretty good kids, introduced us to Alan Bond that directly resulted in most of my America's Cup career (such as it was). Someone like Cy, taking the time to mentor young guys like us back then is and was life changing as far as sailing goes. I will miss him. * From Neil & Sarah Harvey: Like many others who had the privilege of knowing him, I was truly saddened to learn of the passing of not only one of international’s yachting legends, but a prince of a man too. When assembling a crew for the Ron Holland designed maxi “Condor” for the 1982 Clipper Cup, Dick Deaver & I had no hesitation in enlisting Cy’s services, and of course he had no hesitation in accepting. I had met Cy & Greg many times during the 70’s when passing through Waikiki on the Kialoa III and racing in the SORC. Cy, we are all going to miss your comradeship & hospitality, and especially your contribution to yachting both on & off the water. I’m sure a few Cal 20 skippers are breathing a Cy of relief! - check out the sailing results on this URL earlier this year – Wow! http://starbulletin.com/2006/03/08/sports/scoreboard.html * From Tink Chambers: The yacht racing world has benefited hugely from Cy Gillette's wonderful contributions. He was such a nice person who influenced our sport for the better of all involved in it and he will be greatly missed. Camille and Greg, you have much to be proud of in the life of your husband and father. * From Len Davies, Cape Town: Some of your readers should take all of three minutes to sit with a rule book and digest the all too simple Start Sequence, rather than adopt a negative attitude, it would be to noted that the system is to their benefit. I can assure them that Race Committees receive more compliments for not having left classes waiting inordinately long periods for their start as a result of the more flexible RRS 26 currently in place. * From Ralph Taylor: The poll had 70%+ favoring the five-minute starting system over the 10-minute system when I voted. Guess most racers like it. It’s great for multi-fleet, multi-race regattas because more races can be sailed. The delays between races and “dead time” for sailors are greatly reduced. I admit to some doubt when US Sailing experimented with the 6-minute system. But the first time I used it as PRO, it meant the difference between counting the race and abandoning; the wind died four minutes after the first boat finished – just within the time limit. The five-minute system is 18% better. For Eric Sorenson, think “5, 4, 1, Go.” When Poppa flag comes down, you’ve got 1 minute to get to the line. Not that the new rule 26 is totally without problems: The variability in class flags from one event to the next causes confusion. The one minute difference between the Warning & Prep signals means that the RC often can’t change anything without postponing. * From Ted Beier: When the "new rules" were just beginning, a number of us complained to the US Sailing Rules Committee that a five minute sequence was not always sufficient time for a competitor to do everything needed to decide where to start and then get there. This is particularly true if the ratio of boat seed to line length is small. For this reason Rule 26 has a provision to lengthen the time interval between the warning and prep signals. The rest of the current rule is superior to what we had previously in that it gives more information with audible as well as visual time checks, and a clear indication of which fleet is "up next" in multiple start situations. It also speeds things up when the extra time is not needed, and puts the US in sync with what much of the rest of the world was doing. Also, for those who just cannot leave their Jurassic traditions, Rule 86 allows Rule 26 to be changed, so the "old ways" may be put in the sailing instructions. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. Scuttlebutt provided by SailFlow.com, Doyle Sails, and CH Barber. America’s Cup coverage is brought to you by UBS. |
