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SCUTTLEBUTT 1323 - May 6, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. AROUND ALONE Just over a day after Class 2 Around Alone 2002-03 winner Brad Van Liew arrived in Newport, his close friend and rival, the 'tenacious' Tim Kent, breezed across the finish line in Everest Horizontal at 11:50:47 local time (15:50:47 GMT). All in a second not only had Kent's life-long dream become a reality, but also he had earned 34 points and so taken second place overall in his class with his Jim Antrim designed Open 50. This 50 year old man from the Midwest, who had one year before never even crossed an ocean, took up the challenge of Around Alone initially as an inspiration to his two daughters, to teach them that anything was possible in life. Kent's grass roots Everest Horizontal entry complimented the immaculately prepared Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America campaign, and throughout the race, Van Liew and Kent had been in daily contact, despite being rivals in the competition. In New Zealand Van Liew even donated all the rope on the boat to Kent after securing a new rope sponsor. Kent's race was a struggle to keep pace with Van Liew, but mostly because he had a struggle to keep his boat together with virtually no budget as the wear and tear of racing around the world took its toll. Aided in each port by volunteers, and his one shore crew thanks to a personal donation from a fellow mid-westerner, Kent was just amazed that he had got round: "I can't believe it yet, but I have climbed Everest." Derek Hatfield finally put the long, tedious and treacherous Leg 4 behind him when he sailed into Salvador Sunday night at 23:01 local time. Derek will stay in Salvador for a minimum of 48 hours before starting the 4015 nm Leg 5. He has a full work list and got right to it at first light on Monday morning . His partner and shore crew Patianne Verberg had lined up the necessary people. - Mary Ambler & Brian Hancock, http://www.aroundalone.com Overall Rankings - Class 1: 1. Bobst Group - Armor Lux: 49 points / 115 days 18hrs 27m 23s 2. Solidaires: 45 points / 118 days 13hrs 54m 1s 3. Tiscali: 35 points / 159 days 20hrs 53m 11s 4. Pindar: 33 points / 131 days 20hrs 45m 49s 5. Ocean Planet: 30 points / 159 days 6hrs 41m 42s Class 2: 1. Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America: 50 points / 148 days 17 hrs 54m 42s 2. Everest Horizontal: 44 points Curmudgeon's Comment: Thanks to photographer Onne van der Wal, the Scuttlebutt website now has photos posted of American skipper Brad Van Liew's Open 50 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America as it approaches the fifth and final finish line of the Around Alone race. - http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Around Alone "I feel gutted. This race has sucked the life out of me and what is so weird is that I feel more alive than ever before. I guess that is why this sport is so addicting. How will I ever match the adrenaline of the last eight months solo around the globe? The Around Alone takes everything your body can give and everything your mind will endure." - Brad Van Liew "I am happy to end my career after a night like last night, the sea state was terrible, and also there was a musical symphony of blips on my radar screen, so not much time to be nostalgic! But I managed to put up my Amnesty International spinnaker, painted by children in every country we have visited, for the first time ever during the race, and sailed for the last 3 miles with it. It is the symbol of my project for human rights, which has lasted for ten years." - Thierry Dubois "I took on the race as a sailing challenge, not the solitude, to put it into perspective I wanted to go out and have a race and that is what I got. The solitude is something you have to deal with, I think there are some solo sailors out there who like it but I am not one of them." - Emma Richards THEY JUST KEEP GOING AND GOING. At all the regattas around the world, just look at what the crews are wearing. It is no surprise that the Camet Padded Shorts, Bermuda Shorts, Cargo Shorts and Pants are everywhere, from Opti sailors to the Farr 40's, Maxi's and cruisers. The comfort of the pads, the reinforced Cordura seat, the quick drying breathable Supplex fabrics and the 97.5% UV protection is the solution to hours on the water. Check out the Shorts, Coolmax shirts, Neoprene Hiking pants, Bubble Tops, Rash Guards and Mylar bags on the Camet web site: http://www.camet.com COMMENTARY (Following is an excerpt from the commentary of Chris Rattue in the New Zealand Herald concerning the final report issued by Team New Zealand - 'Butt 1322.) "We have captured the hearts and minds of all New Zealanders, and in recent times we have had the nation's unqualified commitment and support," the introduction to the eight-page report claimed. Wrong. There are, TNZ, citizens disinterested in this mega-money contest and yachting in general, just as there are those who don't give a toss about the All Blacks. And TNZ have got even less chance in the hearts and minds stakes when they make all the wrong splashes on race day. TNZ haven't learnt, even at the very moment they are publicly trying to learn from the past. In a nutshell, (TNZ director Peter) Menzies' report conceded the campaign had too much test tube and not enough tub testing. Through circumstance or design they were missing a healthy dose of expert instinct. That, presumably, is why the sea-faring Grant Dalton is now in charge. Menzies, whose CV includes running the huge Mainzeal company for two decades and trusteeship on The Warehouse-associated Tindall Foundation, might see a strange irony. This $90 million construction project ended up relying on a blue bucket you could get for loose change at a bargain store. When asked if he feared New Zealand might one day be priced out of escalating water warfare, Menzies replied that the new campaign would not cost the $150 million some predict, and sponsors would be attracted to the cup profile in Europe. But, he hinted, TNZ might have to be bailed out by even greater overseas money. Conclusion? Dalton - who knows a thing or two about going around the world - will take an extra large collection bucket on his travels this time. - Chris Rattue, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ MORE COMMENTARY Team New Zealand's report released on Monday outlining the failures from the 2003 campaign does not shed much new light for those who have watched the syndicate's evolution over the last three years. It names only the four directors and three executives, and does not mention specific dates or details of incidents. The biggest deduction to be drawn from the report is that Team New Zealand were in big trouble a long time before the public witnessed their destruction in race one. And that the majority of their problems stemmed from a crucial decision back in May 2000 to run the campaign with three relatively separate entities, led by Dean Barker (sailing), Tom Schnackenberg (design) and Ross Blackman (administration and sponsorship). Menzies told reporters on Monday, that they believed the structure was working and by the time they realized it wasn't it was too late. He, however, could not pinpoint a specific date when that realization dawned. "It was more a growing awareness as problems evolved," he said. "It really didn't hit home until the first race. It wasn't a lack of science or skill. It was because we didn't get our management responsibilities properly allocated." * In hindsight the desire to produce vastly faster boats was to the detriment of everything else which highlighted the lack of leadership in the campaign. - Fiona McIlroy, nzoom.com website, full story: http://onesport.nzoom.com/ Curmudgeon's Comment: The text of the entire TNZ report is posted at: http://images.tvnz.co.nz/sport/sailing/amcup2003/teamnz_report.pdf SCHNACK Americas Cup yachting veteran Tom Schnackenberg is likely to play a different role in Team New Zealand's next challenge, the team's new boss said today. "Tom Schnackenberg in the role that he was, where he had direct responsibility for the boat, he will not be in that role any more," Team NZ managing director Grant Dalton said today. Instead, Schnackenberg, who was previously syndicate head, was likely to be appointed as an adviser to Dalton, reporting to him on a daily basis. "...he's invaluable, but to put him an area of full responsibility would be wrong," Dalton told National Radio. * Schnackenberg was not immediately available for comment. - NZ Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ A-L-O-H-A! TransPac, "The-Mac" and many other distance races are right around the corner. SailingProShop offers special "Team Pricing" on the finest gear including the newly required Mustang Harness/PFD combination. Gill foulies, Steiner BINOs, DuBarry footwear, Rudy Project & Dirty Dog glasses, and the #1 choice in Aloha Shirts from Reyn Spooner with custom embroidery are available at prices no one will match! For you individual sailors we have competitive prices too on the best gear in the sailing industry. We know what it takes to win and have the gear to help you bring home the trophies! http://www.sailingproshop.com/scuttlebutt.htm ANNAPOLIS NOOD Annapolis, MD - Dennis Conner and Ted Turner have been on bigger stages before venturing into the waters off Annapolis, Maryland for the third event in the Sailing World National Offshore One Design Regatta. Yet something in the spirit of competition brings two America's Cup winners to the event. Both captains showed the sailing prowess that has earned them international fame and admiration in winning their divisions on Sunday. But theirs was not the only story out on the water. Many sailors who make their home around the waters of Annapolis also walked away with titles in races on the Chesapeake Bay off the Annapolis Yacht Club. The races were the final competitions in the NOOD Regatta, the nation's premier sailing tour, in which 273 teams competed in 18 different classes. In all, four captains from Annapolis took home regatta titles on Sunday. Four more captains from throughout Maryland also took home titles to give the home state eight of 18 Regatta winners. Alec Cutler of Annapolis won the J/105 Class. Garth Hitchens of Annapolis won the J 105. Peter McChesney of Annapolis won the J 22 class and John Ebell of Annapolis won the Catalina 27 class. The four other Maryland winners included Peter Scheidt of Highland who won the J 35 class, David Pyles of Easton who won the Mumm 30 class, Read Beigel of Severna Park who won the Alber 30 class and Henry Starr of Silver Springs who won the Pearson 30 class. In the head-to-head battles of former America's Cup winners, Turner captained Courageous to victory over 1980 America's Cup winner Freedom in the 12 Meter class. While former Freedom captain, the legendary Dennis Conner competed in and won the Etchells class. - Dean Turcol, Complete results: http://www.race.annapolisyc.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=10 SEMAINE OLYMPIQUE FRANÇAISE Hyères, France: 1102 sailors representing 49 countries are taking part in this ISAF Grade one event for Olympic classes. The British Team won four medals - 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, Spain and China won three medals (China won Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Mistral Women's class) and four teams won two medals - France, Finland, Australia and Israel. The top North American finishers included: - 49er: 10. Tim Wadlow / Peter Spaulding - Tornado: 11. Lars Guck / Jonathan Farrar. - Yngling: 7. Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda, and Suzy Leech. - 470 Men: 21. Paul Foerster / Kevin Burnham 22. Steven Hunt / Michael Miller - 470 Women: 17. Katie McDowell / Isabelle Kinsolving - Finn: 27. Geoff Ewenson - Laser: 34. Mark Mendelblatt - Europe:19. Meg Gaillard Event website for complete results: http://hyeres.ffvoile.net/ DIRTY TRICKS We regret to report that the Scuttlebutt survey feature on the website experienced a security breach during our current poll for Scuttlebutt sailor of the month for April. The poll has been removed from the site, and we are now reviewing our options to more soundly protect the integrity of future surveys. We hope to have it back in action soon. PROTECTOR BOATS SKI/SAIL NATIONALS Melges 24's, Vanguard 15's and Laser fought the snow, shifty winds and challenging ski hills to determine the Ski/Sail National Champion. It took a tie breaker in the Melges fleet to finally get a winner in the most competitive fleet ever. Stan Eriksson, from Tahoe City, And his crew of Blair Wallace, Sasha Speigle and Ross and Shane Collins,ended up on top by winning the skiing portion at Squaw Valley and finishing fourth in sailing. Second was Alex Silverman with Carl Smit, Shane Wells, Chris Hutcheson and Eric Delauries. The Vanguard 15 fleet was won by Matthew Session and Avery Patton with 2nd places in both the skiing and sailing with Nick Adamson/Aaron Ross second and Scott Sellers/Matt Gregory third. Lasers were won by Martin Hartmanis skiing to second and winning the sailing. He was followed by Dan Hauseman and Jim Granger. RUMORS Team One Newport has the latest Musto gear in stock! Rumor has it that Team One Newport has the latest and greatest from Musto and it is true. They also have the latest and greatest from Gill, Henri-Lloyd, Kaenon, Harken, Patagonia, Extrasport, Camet, Railriders, Lots and lots more. Team One is known worldwide for their expertise, selection and outstanding service. And they put together award winning crew uniforms too! Check it all out! Call 800-VIP-GEAR for a free catalog (which is absolutely beautiful!) or go on line to see all that they have. - http://www.team1newport.com AMERICA'S CUP REFLECTIONS As with John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the collaboration between Coutts, the deft driver, and Butterworth, the enlightened strategist, is one for the ages. Like the songwriters, their greatest moments have come as a pair, when each tapped into the other's unique talents to maximize the potential of both individuals and create something unsurpassed. For those Kiwis with a sense of history, it might all bring to mind one particular wistful Beatles tune. For with Coutts, Butterworth, and, now, the America's Cup gone from their shores, it'd be hard not to believe in, and long for, yesterday. Curmudgeon's Comment: The above excerpt is from Herb McCormick's America's Cup summary story now posted on Cruising World magazine's website. Those who missed the insight that McCormick provided during AC 2000 with his daily newspaper stories will surely enjoy the perspective this story provides: http://www.cruisingworld.com/cw_article.php?articleID=1791 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Zachie J de Beer: It was interesting to read about TNZ's analysis of their failure in the last Cup defence. At the same time the structural failures in the TNZ boat and others has been a constant source of entertainment to me. In simple terms I have not been able to understand how the boats could be designed so close to the limit because of the fact that the very marginal gains made in mass saving (even more marginal for speed) can only be utilized if the boat does not fail. If the ACC class rules were different (promoted fast yachts rather than lead mines) the quest for lower mass would make more sense because mass savings would translate into bigger speed gains. Also the loads from the keel and rig would reduce and reduce the pressure to save mass in the structure reversing a vicious cycle. An archaic rule that punishes engineering decisions very hard for very small performance gains, it just drives up the costs of the sport and this should be looked at. The parallel with F1 motor racing is becoming clearer and the ACC rule should take notice, F1 is re-writing the rule book to reduce costs because smaller teams are falling away and sponsorship money is harder to come by. If this is valid for F1 it must be more valid for the ACC. * From Craig Fletcher: Why is New Zealand trying so hard to lay blame for their loss instead of looking to a future win? Makes one wonder if they have any chance in the future. Maybe all of the optimists are sailing for other nations. * From Geoffrey Phillips, Sydney, Australia (re letter from Andrei Glassberg): While the "loyal" campaign was somewhat misguided and not ultimately helpful to their cause, I think it is fair to say that Team NZ conducted themselves throughout the interminable Cup process with a good degree of dignity, reserve and sportsmanship. As did the vast majority of their countrymen. The illustrious record of Team NZ since 1987 still stands proud, and has not been sullied beyond repair by the recent defeat. Anyone who knows yacht racing will surely agree that a rejuvenated, well funded and well managed Team NZ is capable of presenting a serious and competitive challenge at the next Americas Cup. Dennis Conner showed that it can be done - Rhode Island to Fremantle. Furthermore, there will be global corporations with similar belief in Team NZ - and who will back the Kiwis with substantial funding. THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Daylight savings time - why are they saving it and where do they keep it? |
