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SCUTTLEBUTT 1797 - March 17, 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. ORANGE II DEMOLISHES RTW RECORD Orange II and Bruno Peyron's crew have set a new round the world record - subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) - of 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes and 4 seconds, achieving an average speed of 22.2 knots. This puts them ahead of Cheyenne skippered by Steve Fossett (USA), the previous outright record holder, by 7 days, 17 hours 12 minutes and 41 seconds and also ahead of Geronimo and Olivier De Kersauson (FRA), the previous Jules Verne Trophy holder, by 12 days, 21 hours 39 minutes and 42 seconds. The Orange II maxi-catamaran, launched on Monday 22 December 2003, once again stakes her claim that she is the fastest ocean racing yacht in the world. Having already smashed the 24 hour sailing record (706.20 miles) and the Mediterranean record (Marseilles/Carthage) last summer, she has just added this supreme challenge to her list of successes. "The hurdle of fifty days is now within reach, showing the huge amount of progress that our sport makes each year," said De Kersauson, the chairman and former holder of the Jules Verne Trophy. "No other racing sport can claim to have made this progress, as each new generation of boat pushes back the limits still further." The Jules Verne Trophy remains the outright reference for human and technological commitment, and Bruno Peyron has just added a new chapter, his third, to its history.' - www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6~Fhyj/B Orange II website: www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ Images: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/orange-rtwr/ COMMENTARY Bruno Peyron and his team have just pulled off a fabulous result. He has done a consummate job of choosing the right boat, the right crew and sailing with speed, precision and control for 25,000 miles. The speed of Orange 2 is very impressive, averaging 22.3 knots for the entire trip. We have averaged 19.3 so far (on Doha 2006) and another 15% of speed would be very hard to get, despite the different course they are very fast indeed. It looks like the catamaran design is ideal for the Jules Verne course, because from the start at Ushant, all the way to Cape Horn and on to Rio it's all downwind with a very small bit of reaching in the SE Trades. The width of the tri is not required for downwind, but the freeboard of the Ollier cat allowed it to keep moving fast in the Southern Ocean, staying ahead of the fronts even if the seastate was less than ideal. Having a small speed advantage here, even one or two knots, allowed Orange 2 to stay in the same weather system for days longer than earlier generation cats. The weather systems have been catching us very slowly when we were sailing at 25 knots, and when they catch you it's basically a slow fall backwards until the next set of NW'lys catch you on the leading edge of the following depression. It is just feasible to ride the same depression all the way from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn, you just need a fast enough boat. - Brian Thompson, Doha 2006, (and former watch captain on Cheyenne when they set the RTW record in 2004). - www.maxicatdoha.com MORE COMMENTARY Playing a huge role in the record is the Gilles Ollier-designed and built Orange II. Not only was the yacht fast, allowing 12 days with runs greater than 600 miles, but reliable too. Through two decades of championing giant multihulls, Peyron has immeasurably enriched the sport, as have his brothers. Loick has had three decades of success with his trimarans while Stephane, a film-maker, windsurfed across the Atlantic in 1987. - Tim Jeffery, The Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/4fxnh A LETTER TO BRUNO Bruno - You have perfected the Round the World. Before your first record in 1993, the best time was 109 days by Titouan Lamazou. Now on your third you have brought the record down to less than one half that time. lthough I am sad to see my record broken after only one year, I still have the satisfaction of being part of the progressive history of this Round the World Record. Your new record is likely to last, and certainly you have made a special mark on sailing history by breaking the Round the World three times. You and your crew have sailed extraordinarily well. I am happy for you. - Kind regards, Steve Fossett ULLMAN SAILS POWER WINNERS! Ullman Sails powered many customers to victories at the 2005 St. Petersburg NOOD. To recognize a few, congratulations go to James Doane "Flame," 1st in the competitive J/105 Class. Following up on our J/105 class victory, three of the top five Corsair 28's also flew Ullman Sails; congratulations to Robert Remmers "Fifty-Fifty," 1st place. Additional top place finisher's: Tom Reese and Don Wigston, Corsair 28; Edward Dixon, Corsair 24; Doug Fisher, Melges 24; and Josh Wilus, SR Max. For the "Fastest Sails on the Planet" and "FiberPath Sails," visit your local Ullman loft or on line at http://www.ullmansails.com MONSTERS (The Bang the Corner website interviewed Simon Fisher - navigator for ABN AMRO 2 on the Volvo Ocean Race. Here are some of Fisher's quotes.) "These boats are monsters all right! Sitting in the nav-station you can be thrown around a bit, but luckily the instrumentation stays steady so the guys can work out where they're going and stay fast. In order to deal with all the aggressive movement and rapid changes, the majority of boats in this race will be using a Sailmath WTP processor from Brookes and Gatehouse (B&G), invented by Graeme Winn, the same guy that brought us Deckman for Windows. It beats the hell out of everything else around as not only does it process the data many times faster than other instrument systems, but also filters out all the "noise" or bad data caused by the pitching and rolling of the boats as you get hit by, or sail down, waves. A small movement on deck as you slam through a wave, translates to a big movement up the rig - something any bowman will attest to! This movement causes inaccuracies in the data coming from the wand at the top of the rig, which upsets all the wind information - as you are not measuring the wind alone, but also the movement of the boat. But, due to the presence of a rate gyro measurement, and some cunning mathematics happening many times a second, this entire duff information is removed and you end up with nice steady wind information to drive to, and accurate information sent to the computer to help the tactical decision making. "There is little difference from the last race in terms of technology advances when it comes to not crashing into objects. However there is some smart stuff about to make the existing technology just that bit better. Obviously the main tool for avoiding ocean debris is the radar. Improvements in technology mean that we will now be able to have the radar display on deck so that the guys doing the sailing can see what's going on by means of some rugged deck computing and a PC based radar system. Unfortunately, a lot of debris that can cause damage just can't be seen by radar, so often it comes down to your keeping your eyes peeled, and a set of night vision goggles for when it is dark!" - ABN AMRO 2 Volvo Ocean Race navigator Simon Fisher, from an interview posted on the Bang the Corner website. Full interview: www.bangthecorner.com/da/17362 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar ORYX QUEST 2005 Doha 2006 is 250 miles west of the longitude of Cape Town after crossing the Greenwich Meridian and reentering the Eastern Hemisphere during the day on Tuesday. They are currently sailing along the 45th parallel, skirting under a ridge of high pressure that has blocked a direct route to Madagascar, the next major milestone in the race. It's a delicate balance; to the north the winds are light and variable. To the south is an area littered with icebergs. Standings at 0004 GMT Thursday: 1. Doha 2006, 6091 miles to finish, 2. Daedalus 3715 miles to leader; Retired: Geronimo & Cheyenne. - www.oryxquest.com/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE We will probably be the second to last sailing boat through this portion of the Southern Ocean until the Volvo Ocean Race fleet comes blasting through later this year. Daedalus will come past in a few days and then this ocean will be left to the albatross and petrels to play on. - - Brian Thompson, Doha 2006, www.maxicatdoha.com GLOBAL CHALLENGE The second Southern Ocean leg living up to its fierce reputation. It may be difficult for those of us who haven't done it, or even stepped onto a yacht (which was massive percentage of the crew, by the way, before they started their training) to actually imagine what these guys are going through 'down there' at the bottom of the earth. They've been away for nearly 6 months, so have been removed from all that's familiar and normal, their family, friends and oh…their own wonderful, comfortable beds! They are cold, completely shattered, wet, probably quite smelly, undoubtedly questioning their own sanity, eating a diet of stodge, facing some of the harshest environment on earth and they're caught up in an unrelenting pursuit of the competition. Even those out in the front know that times are hard as current winning BP Explorer skipper, David Melville told us this morning in a satellite call to Race HQ: "It's week 3 and we've always identified that one as a difficult week for everyone mentally, you're stuck in the middle and everything seems a long way away so we tend to focus on morale a lot more; in our daily meetings, watching out for people and jollying people along. It's a tough one actually because it's a very hostile place out here and I don't think anyone wants to spend a minute longer out here than they need to." Leaderboard: 1. BP Explorer, 3380 miles to finish of leg; 2. Imagine it Done, 12 miles to leader; 3. Barclays Adventure, 37 mtl; 4. Spirit of Sark, 51 mtl. - www.globalchallenge2004.com/ A POWERBOAT SAILORS LOVE TO BRAG ABOUT It takes a lot for hard-core sailors to admit they'd rather own a powerboat. For professional sailor Ken Read, it took a True North 38. "Everything about the True North design works. It has that same sense of efficiency that I demand when I'm racing." Inspired by the rugged, reliable New England lobster boats and built to the highest standards by the leader in composite technology, the True North 38 is converting the minds and souls of sailors everywhere. Learn more about the True North 38 or the new True North 33 at 619-224-6200 or http://www.pearsonyachts.com NEWS BRIEFS * The skipper and three core crew members for TEAM ABN AMRO's second boat in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005/06 were announced. Thirty-year-old Sébastien Josse, the Frenchman who recently finished eighth in Vendee Globe, will take the helm while Simon Fisher (GBR), Nick Bice (AUS) and Simon Beavis (GBR/NZL) carry out core crew roles. The remaining eight crew members will be chosen through a selection process which is currently taking place in Portimão, Portugal. - Yachting World, http://www.yachtingworld.com * Round-the-World Racer Bruce Schwab and Olympic Gold medalist Kevin Burnham headline 90 seminars that run all five days of the Strictly Sail Pacific show April 13-17 at Oakland's Jack London Square. Also, two full-day seminars on seamanship and sail trim will give show-goers some serious time with experts, and there is a US Sailing Safety at Sea seminar will be held on Sunday, April 17. The largest all-sail boat show on the West Coast will showcase 100 boats and 300 exhibitors. www.strictlysail.com DID YOU KNOW - A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. - A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. - A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue. - A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. - A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. You still don't know everything, but you're getting closer 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 Reynald Neron (edited to our 250-word limit): Bruno Peyron and his crew have restored the soul of the Jules Verne Trophy. Maybe you have to be French to understand how important the Jules Verne Trophy is in the world of offshore sailing. It is the result of 30 years of sailing across the oceans, when people like Tabarly, De Kersauson (...and more...and a few English ones too) created the world of ocean sailing as we know it today in Europe. Only in France can they get a crowd of few hundred thousands for the start and the finish of the Vendee Globe. Fortunately, the success of the sport of sailing is spreading (slowly) to the UK, thanks to Ellen McArthur and others. In the US, it seems to be very hard to get a sponsor to enter the Vendee Globe. In Australia, we do not even participate in the America's Cup anymore, by lack of money. Today's success of ocean sailing (and sailing in general) in Europe is the result of the efforts of all the sailors involved in the previous Jules Verne records attempts. The Jules Verne Trophy is a fantastic marketing concept for the development of offshore sailing, attracting the public and the sponsors alike. When Steve Fossett separated himself from the concept, then he was not helping the cause of the sport we all love. Yes, Steve's record was impressive, but it was not done within the spirit that has allowed the sport of offshore sailing to grow and to be shared. * From Craig Davis: I've seen Tom Whidden on 50s , Maxis and the Cup since 1990. Having been in San Diego for 15 months in 1991-92 worked with Dennis in 1995, and seen lots of Tom and family at events in Europe. I have gotten to know him quite well and all through this period he has always had a smile and a warm handshake. He is definitely one of the heros of the sport of sailing, always willing talk and explain. If more people were like Tom sailing really would be an amazing sport! * From Joe Dervin (edited to our 250-word limit): Having participated in my first Transpac in 2001, I can firmly echo Rich's comments about "the warmest welcome in sailing - no matter what time of day or night". Crossing the finish line at 3:49am, there was no spectator fleet, Goodyear blimp, local TV news helicopter or anything else. Just us, the Transpac buoy and that lonely rotating light up on the hill. No worries though. A few minutes later Dragonslayer, our escort boat, showed up blinking camera flashes and carrying all of our significant others, including our skipper's six week old daughter. We followed the escort around Diamond Head and into Ali Wai where HYC was lit up like daylight, Hawaiian music was blaring and a ton of people were waving and toasting us (remember, it's aprox. 4:30am). Then to our assigned slip. Now, a well made Mai Tai always tastes good. But after 10d 17h 49m 19s on a "dry" boat, existing on freeze dried food, instant oatmeal, granola bars and r.o. water (actually quite good), that first Mai Tai was nirvana. The ensuing party was better than I could have possibly imagined. Family, friends, lots of food (fresh fruit being very popular), plenty to drink, ESPN, local TV news, about half of the Pegasus crew (who we assumed had not set their alarms, but were just getting "home") and of course Rich Roberts. It's an experience I will never forget. I sincerely wish an equally good time for all of the 2005 competitors. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning, |
