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SCUTTLEBUTT 2775 - Thursday, February 5, 2009Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors, providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.Today's sponsors are Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week and Ullman Sails. ARE WE GETTING BORED WITH BUOY RACING? Growing the sport is a frequent topic in Scuttlebutt. With the economic downturn on everyone’s mind, keeping the sport thriving is a big concern. Recruiting new people is one topic; holding onto people already vested is another. The typical Scuttlebutt reader is pretty vested in the sport, and based on the results from this week’s survey, this person is not satisfied with their buoy racing. The survey simply asked two very general questions about the buoy racing that the ‘buttheads have been doing, and while it did not take into account a person’s ability or type of event, boat, winds, etc., the results and comments strongly indicate that the sport is not doing a very good job of serving its participants. What to do about this? One of the submitted comments said it best: “I would hope that anyone who's expressing that they want more reaching courses is also sending an email to their club or local organization offering the suggestion and also offering to help run some regattas! If you're in charge you can write the NOR and SIs to include the type of courses that you say you want. Replying to a survey on 'butt is much easier then getting involved in making the change.” Here are the survey results: How often is a windward-leeward course signaled? All the time - 30.00% Nearly all the time - 47.16% Most of the time - 15.43% Not too often - 5.68% Never - 1.73% Would you prefer more courses signaled that had reach legs? Yes - 72.96% No - 27.04% Hundreds of comments were also submitted, providing significant insight into what is occurring on the race course. Read comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0131 If there is a one design class or event administrator that would like Scuttlebutt to provide a dedicated poll on this subject for their use only, please contact Craig Leweck: craig@sailingscuttlebutt.com TOUGHEST NIGHT OF THE RACE (Feb. 4, 2009; Day 87) - Armel Le Cléac’h is now expected to finish the Vendee Globe between Friday 0900hrs GMT and Saturday 1500hrs GMT which would mean Desjoyeaux’s margin will be at least four and a half days and more likely five days. Le Cléach reported that Tuesday night was probably the toughest of his race so far, with gusts to 60 knots and big, cross seas. The duel between Sam Davies (Roxy) and Marc Guillemot (Safran) is in the balance at the moment. Guillemot’s consistent speed advantage is telling as he heads round the west side of the anticyclone, with Davies having more upwind angles as she seeks the eastern side. While Davies is computed to be 203 miles ahead of Guillemot in terms of distance to finish, she is over 100 miles further south. When Davies tacks to port for Cape Finisterre will be a huge strategic moment, but as she described during The 2008 Artemis Transat, it will not be without significant effort: 1- First of all a trip forward inside the boat via the ballast valves to start the water transfer, then to the sails to re-stack all 200kg of them onto what will be the new high side. 2- Then back to stack the three "toboggans" that slide across Roxy on a pulley system. This is where I stow all my food, safety gear, spares and clothes; 3- After closing the ballast transfer and opening to top up the new windward tanks, I jump on deck. I have to be quick now because all the gear and ballast is to leeward so we are not quick and Roxy is not happy! 4- Prepare the new runner, new daggerboard down, release a bit of mainsheet, keel released to leeward... 5- Set the autopilot to tack the boat, while I winch the sails back in. Not an easy task as after all the preparation I am already knackered! 6- Old board up, leeward runner forward etc etc. 7- Then head back down below to finish emptying the leeward ballast (with the electric bilge pump) THEN - as you can imagine, I am totally knackered. Usually following the manoeuvre I frantically tear off of all my clothes as I am totally hot and soaked with sweat, and gulp down a litre of water. Then I collapse on the chart table seat. Then I rapidly put all my clothes back on for the North Atlantic conditions. Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; 11 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, Finished Feb. 1, 15:11 GMT 2. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 691.5 nm Distance to Finish 3. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 1980.0 nm DTF 3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted - Redress Given 4. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 2183.0 nm DTF 5. Brian Thompson (GBR), Bahrain Team, 2346.5 nm DTF Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en RACE AT LONG BEACH, WHERE (ALMOST) EVERYTHING IS FREE! Yes, the economy sucks and life's a bummer, so here's a deal to scuttle your woes and put a smile back on your face: Acura presents Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week, June 26-28. It's the 30th running of the West's largest keelboat regatta, and once you pay your entry fee just about everything else is free---moorings, nightly parties, shuttles between the host Long Beach and Alamitos Bay Yacht Clubs by water and land (red double-decker bus) --- and, best of all, wind. Plus, sign up early online and save $50. -- http://www.lbrw.org ONBOARD THE BOAT OF THE WEEK At Acura Key West last month, the Melges 32 ‘Star’ was recognized as the Boat of the Week, deemed the most closely contested class of the regatta. Here is a report onboard the winner by Adam Burns: “The Melges 32 ‘Star’ crew consisted of Jeff Ecklund, Harry Melges, Scott Norris, Sam Rogers, Clay and Lindsay Bartel, Amanda Callahan and myself. We started our journey to Key West from Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday morning. This was my first experience driving into Key West. We left Ft. Lauderdale around 8:15am to hopefully arrive by 12:00pm for weigh in. As we neared the Lower Keys there was only one lane going south and one lane going north. This made for a long drive especially when you are caught behind traffic. We received a call from three of our crew who had already weighed in and were on the numbers they committed to for the regatta. In the Melges 32 class the class weight limit is 1386 lbs. The weigh in was successful and the schedule for Saturday afternoon was to go sailing. “Our sailing plan for Saturday was to shake the rust off everyone with upwind and downwind sailing. After our debrief while sailing in on Saturday we set our goals for Sunday's practice. We wanted to build on Saturday's solid day on the water and make sure everyone was in check and felt prepared going into a week of racing. This Key West Race Week, unlike a few years in the past, the race committee along with the weather did an excellent job of giving us ten races over a five days. Going into the first day we wanted to build on our solid two days of practice leading up to the event. We knew it was going to be a long series with 20 boats in our fleet and plenty of excellent tacticians including Charlie Ogletree, Morgan Reeser, Dave Ullman Scott Nixon, Jeff Madrigali and Tommaso Chieffi to name a few.” -- RCR Yachts Racer's News, full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0204 TEAMS MOVING ON TO IN-PORT RACE Qingdao, China (Feb. 4, 2009) - PUMA skipper Ken Read has praised the 'miracle' workers in his shore crew for getting il mostro ready for Saturday's Volvo Ocean Race In-Port race. Neil Cox and his 11-strong team had a window of just nine days, but today they became the first boat back on the water. The situation was not helped by the weather, with the average temperatures in Qingdao below 41 degrees (F). The team hopes to get out for a training sail Thursday and Friday. Elsewhere, Telefonica Blue is due to go in the water Wednesday evening, while Ericsson 4 is scheduled to follow on Thursday morning. Green Dragon is hoping to be in the water Thursday evening as well. The Qingdao In-Port race is on February 7th. Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will start February 14th, is 12,300 nm in length, with the finish estimated on March 20th. Current Standings after Leg Four 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 45.0 points 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 41.5 points 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 38.0 points 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 27.5 points 5. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 24.0 points 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 21.0 points 7. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 12.0 points 8. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 points Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Note: Delta Lloyd has officially retired from Leg 4, and has been assigned 2 points for a Did Not Finish. If Ericsson 3 is able to complete Leg 4 following her repairs, she will receive 4 points as a fifth place finisher; otherwise she will receive 2 points for a Did Not Finish. FROM MOTHBALLS TO RACE BOATS Two teams. Four boats. That’s what was needed to support an expanded Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.To make the popular match racing regatta a reality, BMW Oracle Racing answered the call from LV's Bruno Troublé to join Emirates Team New Zealand and bring their two Version Five yachts to New Zealand for the event. Step one was getting the boats out of containers in Valencia. Step two was marshalling the shore crew to put the boats on the water for the event and keep them there. For BMW Oracle, both jobs came down to Grant Davidson. Davidson, known among the team as “Guthrie,” manages shore crew and logistics for the American team –- a job that has a extra demands in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. Providing two race-ready Cup yachts on short notice on the far side of the world wasn’t smooth sailing, so to speak. “It was a bit of an epic,” admits Davidson. First up was the task of taking two yachts that had been completely stripped of gear (electronics, hydraulics, winches, everything), getting them out of mothballs in Valencia and into containers and onto a ship bound for Auckland. Thanks to Louis Vuitton, who got the boats to New Zealand, and Shosholoza’s Salvatore Sarno whose MSC shipping line carried them, early December saw the arrival in Auckland of the second pair of the LVPS fleet. -- CupInfo, read on: http://www.cupinfo.com/en/lvps-bmw-oracle-yachts-to-auckland-feb2-dbs.php * After a lay day Wednesday, racing starts again on Thursday in the second round robin. Based on points earned in the first round robin, the fleet has been divided for the second round robin into a gold and silver fleet. After Round Robin 2, ETNZ proceeds directly to the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Final. The best challenger of the Gold Fleet after Round Robin 2 advances directly to the Challenger Final. The four leading boats in the Gold Fleet after Round Robin 2 join the two top boats from the Silver Fleet in the Challenger Quarter Finals. Event website: http://www.louisvuitton-pacificseries.com Video coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO6 Audio coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO7 LIGHTWEIGHT STRENGTH FROM ULLMAN SAILS Ullman Sails has the right combination of experience; sail design technology, and cloth selection to deliver the ‘Fastest Sails on the Planet.’ Our FiberPath sails are arguably the lightest, strongest, string load-bearing sails available. And FiberPath delivers superior longevity compared to the alternatives. That’s why FiberPath is a practical option for racers and cruisers alike. So whether you’re rethinking your cruising sail inventory or preparing for the next racing season, Ullman Sails will build sails customized to fit your goals. For more information on FiberPath technology, contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com. 2009 ISAF TEAM RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Feb. 4, 2009) - The big news of the day was the reigning World Championships, team USA 1 from the New York Yacht Club, suffered their first defeat of the regatta. Clay Bischoff, Lisa Keith, Colin Merrick, Amanda Callahan, Pete Levesque and Liz Hall had held a perfect record up until their match against AUS 2 and despite that setback still remain well clear at the top of the standings after the first two round robin series with a 96% winning record (25 wins to 1 defeat). Thursday is the championship lay day and the event will move to the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club for the resumption of racing on Friday. Round robin three will start there on Friday at 09:00 local time with two full days of racing scheduled before the semi-finals and finals on Sunday. -- Full story: http://www.sailing.org/27190.php?PHPSESSID=62f9e3ba0ad5f9ac974f9aa2da9823c5 SAILING SHORTS * The Australian 18 Footers League will host the 60th JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour from February 13-22. A fleet of 32 skiffs will contest the regatta representing Australia (NSW, Western Australia and Queensland), UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada. Representing North America will be skippers Howie Hamlin (USA), Chad Freitas (USA), and Andrew McQuarkendale (CAN). -- Details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0204a * Due to the record-breaking support from US SAILING members, US SAILING will cover the tuition for young adults (age 18-30) to attend US SAILING Race Management Seminars and Judges Workshops. Thanks to over 620 US SAILING donors, more than $152,000 was contributed to the 2008 Annual Appeal. These funds will continue to support previous initiatives including "Youth Sailorships" and disabled sailing assistance, as well as a new "Race Officialship" initiative. US SAILING would like to encourage high school and college sailing team members, recent college graduates, and others with time to give back to the sport to take advantage of this new initiative. -- Full details: http://donations.ussailing.org/2008/Race_Officialships.htm * Container shippers are unleashing a wave of titanic vessels on the oceans -- many longer than three football fields -- during the biggest dip in global trade since World War II. The trend could keep sea freight rates depressed well into 2010. That's good news for their customers, the millions of businesses big and small that import parts and products from overseas. But it's likely to spell pain within the shipping industry itself and could precipitate consolidation as smaller players are pushed out. -- Wall Street Journal, read on: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123292489602813689.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Here are a few of the events that are coming up: Feb 6-10 - Miami to Nassau Race Week - Miami Beach, FL, USA Feb 7-8 - Florida Laser Masters - West Palm Beach, FL, USA Feb 7-8 - Etchells Jaguar Cup Series - Florida State Champs - Miami, FL, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Chris Wick: (re, passing of Jim Thorpe) I was a member of the 1974 Courageous crew and spent a lot of time on the tender with Jim during that summer. He was all that his son, Lucas, has said and more. We had a 30th reunion in 2004 and Ted Hood located Jim and invited him to join us. It was wonderful to see him again and watching him enjoy sailing on the boat (which, of course, he never had time to do in 1974). Jim was a gentleman and an outstanding boatman. I, for one, will miss him. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6985#6985 * From Dave Elliott St. John's, NL: I was quite shocked when Jim passed so suddenly. He made a lot of friends in a very short period of time here in Newfoundland. I met him a couple of years ago, not long after he moved here, which was quite fortuitous for me. Because of a number of delays, I lost most of the delivery crew that I had originally lined up, and Jim and his son Lydon stepped in to help deliver my C&C 41 from New York in 2007, sailing on the legs from Hyannis back to St. John's. I have attached a photo of Jim and Lydon from the morning that we arrived in St. John's Harbour. He will be sadly missed. -- Photo: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6987#6987 * From Reynald Neron: (re, survey on course preference in #2774) In Australia, our biggest regatta is Hamilton Island Race week. I always found that the classes doing windward-leeward or leeward-reaching legs were quite boring, while the classes doing some "around the Islands" courses were quite entertaining. Sailing is about going somewhere, doing a trip, getting there. Doing laps around buoys will never be as tactical and technical than turning around an island or toward a destination. During Antigua Race Week, all the sailors are enjoying the race around the island, while there is not so much anticipation for the "around the buoys" days. I don’t need to remind you how popular is the race around the Isle of Wight in Cowes. The idea here is that variety is the reason for success. * From Bill Reilly: Back in the 'good old days', the Whitbread (now Volvo) race was an elapsed-time race. The total of all the legs was your finishing time, meaning that you had to complete each leg, or you got a DNF for the race. One of the things that I don't like about the new Volvo points system is that you don't have to finish every leg. It's not a 'round the world' race anymore, it's now just a regatta circuit of shorter races that happen to take the boats around the world. This is the main difference between the Volvo and a proper 'round the world' race. I think that Volvo should consider going back to the original system, and maybe then the designers and skippers would have different priorities when building their boats. * From David Foscarini: Speaking as an “armchair” navigator, I find the discussion of the new route of the VOR interesting. The route was known for over a year before the race started so should not have been a surprise. The route is the same for all the competitors. If I remember correct the comments back then were about the challenge of the “upwind” leg. Upwind sailing is a huge part of the average sailors experience, why should it not be part of a major ocean race. Before we bash the course should we not bash the teams including designers for not being prepared for the rigors of the course? It seems there are still “new design” problems with the boats in general. I guess knowing when to “throttle back” or even duck and hide are skills that have to be practiced like any others. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Never trade luck for skill, or natural ability for hard work. Special thanks to Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week and Ullman Sails. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
