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SCUTTLEBUTT 1846 - May 25, 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. PATENT LAW Avid Scuttlebutt readers will note the utilization of canting ballast technology in many of the newly designed grand prix yachts getting splashed these days. The sight of the bulb package cranked to windward below the ankles of hiking crew is a dead giveaway of the latest thinking that is being incorporated in these boats. However, to join the latest trend, each boat has had to acquire a license to use the Canting Ballast Twin Foil™ (CBTF™) technology from the patent holders, US-based CBTF Co., formerly known as DynaYacht. Two separate patents govern CBTF™, which cover the use of a laterally, swingable ballast carried on a strut. Since the strut provides no lift or leeway control, fore and aft rotating underwater foils provide the needed directional and leeway control. Development of the technology purportedly cost millions of dollars, which is where the license fee comes in. So if you want a boat that has a swinging ballast strut with fore and aft rotating blades, you are going to need a license. Who says? The latest skirmish involves Maximus, the 100-foot yacht designed by Greg Elliot and Clay Oliver, built by Cookson's boat yard in New Zealand, and owned by Bill Buckley and Charles Brown. No license was retained for Maximus, and while initial photos of the boat do not reveal the patent infringement, CBTF Co. claims that what now exists under the water is in violation of their patent. Not surprisingly, the owners of Maximus disagree. The long arm of the United States Patent and Trademark Office does a good job of governing what occurs within the US, but has a tougher task of dealing with violations abroad. Depending upon the reciprocity agreements between countries, a US patent holder may either successfully defend its patent, or helplessly watch it copied without repercussion. The uprising between Maximus and CBTF Co. reached new highs prior to the start of the Rolex Transatlantic Race, wherein Maximus was in the US conducting what CBTF Co. asserts were business-related events, a violation of the patent law which has more teeth to it than other protections. So what will it take for CBTF Co. to extend its blessing on Maximus? The receipt of the license fee, which has now risen from the scheduled amount of $87,500 to $100,000.00. Plus, don't count on CBTF Co. quietly walking away from this conflict. Their ability to defend CBTF™ in this instance may very well dictate how they continue doing business in the future. Full story with photos of Maximus and CBTF boat Morning Glory, along with the patent links, are at: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/05/cbtf/ MAXIMUS (By an interesting coincidence, the Daily Sail subscription website has just posted a feature story on Maximus. Here are just a few excerpts.) Among the 100ft race boat community Maximus is unique in having a keel that not only cants but lifts too and for having an Open 60/ORMA multihull-style rotating wingmast rig. The canting/ lifting system for the keel involves the foil extending down a sleeve which is canted by two hydraulic rams. The rams are speced with a safety factor of four times maximum load and are capable of individually canting the keel in the case of one failing. With the keel canted an appendage of some form is obviously required to keep the boat from making excessive leeway and just forward of the mast Maximus is fitted with a single daggerboard with a trim tab. This arrangement, now de rigeur on the 60ft trimarans, many people we speak to reckon is the optimum configuration for canting keel set-ups, the single-board set-up saving considerable weight over the twin asymmetric board arrangement found on most Open 60s and Volvo Open 70 (the single-board and trim tab is currently prohibited under VO70 rules). Designer Greg Elliott says he doesn't buy into the forward-rudder CBTF arrangement as advocated by Reichel-Pugh. "I am definitely not interested in that. We did a lot of study in a lot of areas. We've done a lot of boats over many years and done a lot of testing and got a lot of good results and I don't think that having a rudder or a fixed blade on the front of the boat is really the way I want to go. - The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com THE INTERNET The New Zealander who bashed the America's Cup is trying to sell the shirt off his back from that day over the internet, saying he'll use the proceeds to fund his life-coach business. Ben Nathan, of Dargaville in the far north of the North Island, dented the cup with a sledgehammer on March 14, 1997, in Auckland. He was wearing a Maori sovereignty Tino Rangatiratanga T-shirt at the time and now he wants $NZ1,000 ($938) for the shirt and other memorabilia from that day. The items include a United States coin from a taxi driver who took Nathan to the bashing scene and a newspaper featuring a report of the incident. Nathan would have sold the sledgehammer - but police destroyed it after his arrest. - Herald Sun, full story: http://tinyurl.com/95sc2 FREE GILL POLARIZED FLOATING SUNGLASSES Gill has introduced a new twist to their annual "Breathe Easy" breathable gear promotion. Customers who purchase $270.00 ($330.00 Can) or more of Gill breathable and or select junior gear qualify to receive a FREE pair of Blade polarized sunglasses ($60 retail). These glasses feature built in floatation, Polaroid© lenses, and supplied with a carrying case. Promotion dates are May 20 through June 12, 2005. Gill is the Official Technical Clothing Supplier to the US Sailing Team, ICSA and Junior Olympic Events. "Breath Easy" Promotion Details http://www.gillna.com/Promotions/05_spring/05_spring_promo.php ROLEX TRANSATLANTIC CHALLENGE While conditions are light and sunny down the fleet, they couldn't be more different for the leaders in the Grand Prix class. "We have a lot of wind right now--40 knots from 200 degrees (south-southwest)," reported Mari-Cha IV navigator Jef d'Etiveaud. "We are just changing from a No. 4 jib to a storm jib. We are doing between 25 and 30 knots, averaging probably 24 knots. We are pushing 30 in the gusts." Now into the Gulf Stream, the seas are hammering the state-of-the-art 140-foot maxi schooner. "This morning we had to slow down the boat, because it was so bad," continued d'Etiveaud. "It was a big sea with square waves, very big waves." Mari-Cha IV and Maximus continue to take a long loop south while Joe Dockery's Carrera perseveres with the great circle route, closer to the shore, but with the prospect of facing severe headwinds. This morning, Mari-Cha IV was leading on the water, but at the noon GMT update, Carrera had once again regained first place, sailing the more direct course to the north. Most of the leaders are currently heading for the Gulf Stream, some 200 miles offshore. "We are aiming for the top of this warm core eddy, and hopefully that will keep us moving," said Mike Broughton, Stay Calm's navigator. Planting themselves into a favourable north-easterly-flowing eddy can add three or four knots of boat speed, but to achieve this, they must monitor sea temperature closely. - http://transatlanticchallenge.org OFFSHORE RACING (Tony Bessinger has been sending daily Transat Race reports from aboard Sariyah to the Sailing World magazine website. Here's an excerpt from Tuesday's story.) Writing my report in the pilothouse can mean an interruption or two; as I was writing Monday's report I was asked by our captain, Tim Laughridge, to help change headsails. Luckily, it didn't involve getting into my foulies and heading for the bow. Instead I was operating joysticks. As I watched for signals to start or stop furling, I rolled in the yankee by pushing its joystick forward as our engineer, Dale (Crusty) Tremain, slackened its sheet. Kevin Burnham watched up forward and signaled me when the sail was all the way furled, which was hard for me to see from my vantage point. Then we reversed the process with our genoa. And neither I, nor the crew on deck were doused with waves as we "changed headsails." - Full story: www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=37027&typeID=419&catID=0 SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Six flights and 30 matches were completed on the first day of the ACI H1 Match Race Cup, Stage 7 of the 2004-'05 Swedish Match Tour. With the northeasterly gusting up to 18 knots, there were penalty flags flying and crews falling overboard. The small, non-overlapping jibs were used in the final two flights. Seventeen penalties were issued on the day, versus 16 green flags (indicating no penalty), and Pizza-La Sailing Team bowman Kazuhiko Sofuku was nearly dragged around the leeward mark in one race. Frenchman Bertrand Pacé of the BMW Oracle Racing Team, the event's reigning champion, used a little luck to rise above the fray and post a perfect 6-0 record on Day 1 of the 19th annual regatta. Another Frenchman, Philippe Presti, lies second with a 4-1 mark. He's marginally ahead of New Zealander Kelvin Harrap, of Emirates Team New Zealand, who finished the day at 4-2. Ed Baird (USA), of Team Alinghi, and Peter Gilmour (AUS), of Pizza-La Sailing Team, are tied for fourth at 3-2. The top two skippers on the Swedish Match Tour leaderboard both disembarked their boats scratching their heads. Baird said everyone got the best of them. Gilmour called his day a dog. - Sean McNeill ACI H1 Match Race Cup Standings (After 6 of 22 scheduled flights) 1. Bertrand Pacé (FRA) BMW Oracle Racing, 6-0 2. Philippe Presti (FRA) le Défi, 4-1 3. Kelvin Harrap (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-2 4. Ed Baird (USA) Team Alinghi, 3-2 T. Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team, 3-2 T. Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 3-2 7. Mathieu Richard (FRA), 2-3 8. Dario Kliba (CRO), 2-4 9. Björn Hansen (SWE), 1-4 10. Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Shosholoza, 1-5 T. Flavio Favini (ITA) Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team, 1-5 Event website: www.swedishmatchtour.com MARION - BERMUDA RACE WEATHER ADVISORY! Combine weather and currents. Strategize early. Cutting edge technology will help you do the pre-race homework, increasing both safety and competitiveness. Bill Biewenga is bringing Commanders' Weather and OPC meteorologists together. Draw upon our skills developed over hundreds of thousands of offshore miles and decades of dealing with the weather. Learn about the trends and options in an online interactive weather seminar convenient to your schedule and specific to your race. Sessions will be archived for thorough preparation and review. Other races available. Be part of the June 12th online interactive event. http://www.weather4sailors.com/seminars.htm SRO Cities on the East and West coasts have been debating the safety of building dozens of liquefied natural gas terminals to increase U.S. imports of the popular fuel. Tonight that debate will come to Long Beach, where the City Council will consider whether to cut off talks with a Mitsubishi Corp. subsidiary that wants to build an onshore LNG terminal at the city-owned port. City officials are predicting a standing-room-only crowd at the 5 p.m. meeting. - Deborah Schoch, LA Times, www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lng24may24,1,902433.story NEWS BRIEFS * Last weekend, a stationary high pressure system over the southwestern US produced some unusual winds for the J80 North American Championship on Galveston Bay. Much of the regatta was sailed in very light air and/or drifting conditions that left many boats frustrated. Final results: 1. John Kolius, Quantum Racing, 12; 2. Glenn Darden, Le Glide, 19; 3. Kerry Klingler, Lifted, 21; 4. Ozeri/ Hinrichsen, Infinity, 31; 5. Jay Lutz Synergy, 32. - www.j80.org/ * The Swedish Challenge's America 's Cup yacht Örn (SWE-63 was loaded onto a freighter Monday and within a week, Örn will have arrived at the America 's Cup harbor in Spain. One week after that, she'll be in the water. Under the direction of designer Mani Frers, the boat has been modified to V5 of the America's Cup Rule which allows more sail area, a lighter boat with deeper keel but with the same stability as before. - www.victorychallenge.com/ * Oops - we mislabeled the gallery we posted in yesterday's issue from the J/24 Nationals. Let's try it again: Gallery of J/24 sinking: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/j24sink Gallery from J/24 Nationals: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/j24usn * Andy Forbes and his team on BG Spirit have maintained their easterly position whilst leading Global Challenge yacht, SAIC La Jolla, looks to have altered course and may well re-converge with the westerly pack. Having picked up stronger winds of up to 30 knots, BG Spirit is in third place, maintaining an average speed of 10 knots. The team could well reap further short-term benefits with winds predicted to become more variable, and much lighter to the southwest. BP Explorer is in second place - 14 miles behind SAIC. - www.globalchallenge2004.com/en * The International 49er and International 29er Class Associations have a new joint website that can be found at either www.49er.org or www.29er.org IN MEMORIAM San Diego yachting lost a bit of its history on Saturday, May 21 with the passing of JoAnne Wright after a year-long battle with cancer. Most local and visiting sailors got to know Joanne courtesy of their marine chandlery, The Boat Shop. Opened in 1972 with her husband David, JoAnne brought her sense of community to the fledging business, supporting numerous sailing events with an eye always towards the junior sailing programs. The Boat Shop became a leader in the marine industry and was a center of activity when the America's Cups were held in San Diego. A lifelong sailor, Mrs. Wright was a member of Coronado, Mission Bay and San Diego Yacht Clubs throughout her life in San Diego. Mrs. Wright is survived by her husband David Wright, son David Wright III, daughters DeAnn Reynolds and Jerelyn Biehl and 6 grandchildren. All live in San Diego. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, May 28 at 10:00am at St. Peter's by the Sea Lutheran Church, 1371 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, San Diego. Donations are suggested to the Junior Program, San Diego Yacht Club Foundation, 1011 Anchorage Lane, San Diego, CA 92106. NEW FROM DUBARRY: THE ONE DESIGN SERIES Introducing Annapolis, a lightweight, waterproof, Gore-Tex® lined mid-calf height boot that offers warmth and breathability on a development of Dubarry's non-slip sole. Also, Riva, a lightweight, fast-drying athletic shoe with cup sole construction, superior traction and lateral stability, designed to be worn both on and in water. For details: http://www.dubarryna.com 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 Turvill: In general modern dinghies have enough bouyancy to float while swamped. Many of the dinghies I sailed in the 60's had inflated airbags for bouyancy (EG Firefly, Enterprise). Modern cars have airbags that deploy automatically, and erring on the side of caution, sometimes inappropriately. Following on from the news of the J24 that sank when turtled, and the tragic news (Butt 1835) of sailors who were lost having abandoned a 'sinking' yacht that didn't, surely I'm not the only person who has wondered about emergency airbags for yachts? * From Phil Smithies: Congratulations to Paige Railey for winning Seahorse magazine's sailor of the month award , this young lady has worked and is still working extremely hard to perfect her skills , it is great to see the healthy side of sailing rise to the top and be recognized at such a young age . * From Donal McClement, Ireland: The IRC thread is causing me to despair and it proves that the 'Not Invented Here Syndrome' is alive and well in the US. Congratulations to both Chris Bouzaid & Barry Carroll for all their efforts and let's have a few facts on the table. IRC or CHS by a previous name has been around for more than 20 years and is still growing in popularity. Endorsed certificates were introduced because of plain cheating by some owners in regard to self measurement information they supplied. An endorsed certificate is for major regattas and should not be necessary for local club events and indeed the vast majority of IRC Certs are not endorsed. Most importantly your handicap will not be subject to input at a local level. Of course some owners will wish to optimize their boats, but they will do this no matter what rule they are using, whether it is IMS, Americap, PHRF, or indeed the famous 'Underwater Basket Weaving' rule. The question of cost has been unfairly represented by many. Even if you require an endorsed cert it should be possible to arrange your measurement with others thereby reducing expense and remember the 'First Time' costs do not reoccur. Come on you Americans stop whining, do proper research, use your common sense, and be open to ideas from elsewhere. IRC has been well proven worldwide and is accepted as the best available at this time. * From Dan Hirsch (On measurement costs): I worry that Messrs Johnstone and Carroll have missed a very important thing about their customers. That somebody can afford a serious, competitive yacht racing program is not a miracle. Usually it results from serious, prolonged personal efforts to make and secure a lot of money. That these successful folks become the target of people and organizations seeking support, help, donations, cash, jobs, lunch or whatever is a fact of life. I saw this firsthand years ago crewing on a Santa Cruz 70. Owners must resist these 'outreach' efforts to maintain their budget. Another $1,500 (or whatever) expense that does not improve performance or predictability (Are we ahead of that boat back there? We give him 24 seconds on this course, so we are behind...) should be resisted. If you are telling people: 'it's not that expensive,' you should remember: you're not looking in your wallet, or are you? * From Robert T. King: As pertains to Mr. Whitton's commentary in Scuttlebutt 1845 re the 1D-48' 'With regard to the 1500 Lbs. of missing displacement, this could be caused by the boat being lighter... (and) could be caused by the hull and deck being attached slightly differently.' While I have not followed the previous segments of this thread, I find the latter part of Mr. Whitton's statement challenging to fathom. In a very basic laminate, at a 2:1 resin-to-reinforcement ratio,1500# would represent approximately two fifty-five gallon drums (1,000#) of resin and 500# of fibrous reinforcement; this would constitute approximately 8% of the total displacement of a 48! Such quantity of material would not be required to bond the hull to deck. Aside from provision for water ballast, two 1D-48s I am familiar with have, or have had, internal lead ballast. Perhaps the absence, or presence, of internal lead ballast is a factor the weight disparity being discussed. In their heyday, when John Bertrand and other prominent sailors were involved, there was a 1D-48' Class Association and business office. Pertinent information might have been preserved; perhaps, if located, the 'as-built' data for the various boats might offer some answers. These are great boats; their one-design intent and the spirit of the Class is worthy of preservation. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Ham and eggs. A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig. |
