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SCUTTLEBUTT #751 - February 14, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome. GUEST EDITOR SPEAKS: VENDEE GLOBE: JOURDAIN FINISHES THIRD Marc Thiercelin, 1000 miles from Les Sables d'Olonne, is going along at 6 knots towards home port, plagued again by light airs from the anticyclone off the Spanish coastline. The worst hit were Dominique Wavre (Union Bancaire Privee) & Thomas Coville (Sodebo), who have run into a windless abyss, which is keeping them captive for a little longer. Looking back on their track record of weather in this race, it could be said that these two have had more than their quota of light winds. Josh Hall (EBP-Gartmore), only 60 miles ahead of Bernard Gallay (Voila.fr) now, always cheerful just to be out on the sea, is still being hampered from getting to the bar in Les Sables d'Olonne by unfavourable heading and wind direction. Mike Golding (Team Group 4) has the wind on his side, reportedly beating through a big sea in 41 knots of breeze. No doubt, Golding was pleased to hear that the four boats ahead of him were struggling in light airs. Marc Thiercelin is expected in on Saturday and Dominique Wavre Sunday or Monday. - http://www.vendeeglobe.com THE RACE: 1000-MILES LEAD FOR CLUB MED An unusually bright and excited Grant Dalton had the following comments to make this morning: "A 1000-mile lead we'll take it all. 1000 miles is a nice buffer, we'll need a lot for what is coming up. We are going to be slowed in the South Atlantic High." But conditions are still complex where Club Med is currently located. The boat has had every set of conditions in the last 24 hours including some very confused and rough seas: "We had a rough night last night. We dropped down through the wardrobe all the way down to three reefs and a storm jib. We have now gone back up the other way and now we're flying every stitch we have, big spinnaker and full main.Last night it was impossible to sleep. The boat was leaping around in all directions. I had to lie spread-eagled face down in my bunk to rest. But even then I was being thrown around." But sailing further North means sailing towards warmer weather and generally more pleasant conditions: "There isn't a gradual warming up as you sail North. It is a sudden transition. I've just been on deck doing some sail handling and I got really hot. Now I'm down below with all my layers on and it is still really hot. Apart from the few hours through the Cook Straits this is the first time we have started to feel warm for a very long time". And on the pace being set by Club Med towards the finish line in Marseilles, Dalton was adamant: "A lot of people ask me when we are going to finish. It is really not the right thing to talk about. There is no way we can work that out. It is just too many weather systems away to want to predict at all." Current positions: Event site: www.therace.org RACING RULES SEMINAR The seminar will feature commentary by Dick Rose and Bill Bentsen. Other speakers will be Ben Altman, Art Engel, Rob Overton and Mary Savage, all members of the US Sailing Racing Rules Committee. Cost: $40 per person before March 20th ($45 per person at the door).
Register online at the US Sailing website: COLD WATER SAILING TORNADO WORLDS Race two saw Bundock and Forbes round the windward mark first again, with Styles & May just behind. Mitch Booth overtook the British crew down the run.The British showed good pace up the beat to round just behind Booth, and attacked him down the run, but he defended well to keep 2nd, with Stlyes and May 3rd. This worlds makes the last event that the boat will be raced in its original format. Later this week the class will hold their A.G.M were it is expected that the new Olympic rig will be implimented. The new rig will include a second trapeze and asymetrical spinnaker. Results after two races For full results go to: www.eliotinc.co.za/tornado/worlds/results FRED BROWN He dedicated many years spending his weekends either racing in regattas or working on race committees. Fred was one of the founding members of the California Corinthian Foundation, where he served in helping young racers achieve there goals in competing on a national and world wide level. There will be a memorial service at the California Yacht Club this Saturday, February 17th at 11:30 a.m. GOOD STUFF LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Ralph Taylor <rtaylor@informationtools.com>, on the Albatross Yacht Club / USSA imbroglio: We've tried to follow this matter for several months now, but information seems limited - coming only from the Executive Committee, and that pretty vague. Why did AYC reject the entry in the first place? The rule says the RC has to state their reason; what was it? What were the opinions of the Appeals Committee? Certainly, rejecting an entry is a serious matter, not to mention suspension of a club from membership and effectively banning it (and anyone associated with it) from any connection with the sport. Without getting into personalities, we all have a stake in this issue and are entitled to know what's out-of-bounds. I can only guess that, in some way, the ExCom saw a conflict with the Stevens Act protecting eligibility to compete, but that hasn't been spelled out. * From Glenn T. McCarthy <gmccarthy@myersbriggs.com>, on garbage on the high seas: Do I hear a call to action? Should there be a new Racing Rule of Sailing? Should this proposed rule require that all racers never throw any garbage or dispose of waste overboard? This could be a sound image thing for the sport, we can use this as a statement to the world that we are "friendly to the environment", unlike those mountain climbers that leave their trash everywhere.. There is a downside to this, doing a Transatlantic, or a Transpac could be difficult in carrying many weeks of human waste. How about "The Race" competitors, or the Vendee Globe sailors, how could they carry months worth of waste? We should solve all of the problems before we offer a solution. * From James R. Teeters" <JamesRTeeters@compuserve.com> In response to Philip Crebbin: (edited to our 250 word maximum) To brag about an IRM 37.5 footer beating IMS 40's is naive. Length is only one of many factors that determine speed. Any designer can target a 40 foot boat and beat it with a shorter one with some combination of increased sail area, stability, draft or reduced displacement, wetted area. The comment about IMS encouraging slow boats is equally naive. ALL fair measurement rules will give a faster boat a faster rating. There is inevitably some degree of type forming which discourages deviations from the norm. To IRM's credit, IR2000 rule 2.13 states "It is accepted that IRM will be type-forming." A single number rating system is a throwback. The simplicity may be attractive to some but is wide open to exploitation. It completely ignores crossovers with wind speed: A is faster than B in light winds, B is faster in heavy. Just imagine the cost as boats re-configure (aka exploit) for the Med, the Solent, and Hawaii. The real problem is the explosion in yacht technology: designers have tools that enable them to optimize overnight. IMS is guilty of being the current target. Lastly, the complexity of sailboat performance comes from Mother Nature, not IMS! If you want to fairly rate diversity, you had better model some of that complexity. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
