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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 572 - May 18, 2000SPEED SAILINGIn a message to Mission Control directly from the boat, PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett: "We have entered the "Area of Many Icebergs". It's a little spooky because if we hit any ice, even a small growler, it would destroy PlayStation. The Titanic rests 150 miles to the south. We are studying up on icebergs--identification and likely location. We are maintaining a watch on deck and continuous radar monitoring. In addition we are using an Infrared Camera which displays anything colder than the water. We could have gybed south the iceberg region, but the longer course would have given us no chance of breaking the TransAtlantic Record. Such is the decision countless TransAtlantic racers have made over the years. The worst of the iceberg risk is tonight. Let's hope it's not foggy. You know we will be slightly disappointed if we don't see any icebergs." Website: http://www.fossettchallenge.com/ A SUMMER SAILBOAT RIDE (Follow is the text of an email received from PlayStation crewman Chuck Hawley) This continues to be a dream come true. PlayStation is zooming towards England at between 14 and 30 knots. A low pressure trough continues to make our chances at setting a TransAt record iffy at best. The crew is wonderful, international, and fun. We have Aussies, Kiwis, an Englishman, and a scattering of Yanks on board. Watches are four hours, with 3-4 crew on each. The retiring watch becomes "standby", which means you can't take off your foulies or get in a berth, but you can sleep until the next jibe or sail change. While we have all furling sails forward, the largest ones have to be put on and off, which is a Herculean task. Reefing the main is also something to be taken very seriously. Remember, the main weighs as much as a VW Beetle, so hoisting it with manpower is challenging. I should point out that it is challenging for me, but the crew takes it in stride. While none of them is going to give to give Arnold a run for the next bodybuilding title, each of them has great stamina, and continue to grind with winches while I cough and hack. If the world knew about life below decks on PlayStation, there would be a protest against it as a violation of human rights. OK, it is not that bad, but the hulls are only 6 or so feet wide, which allows barely enough room for berths and a passageway. Since the boat is not well insulated, it "rains" inside in all conditions. The berths are comfortable, though, although the vessel's creaks and groans are omnipresent. The daggerboard creaks, the winches creak, the blocks creak, and, as it turns out, carbon fiber is not a good noise insulator. Right now there is fog surrounding us with 100 yds visibility. We are making a modest 19 knots of boatspeed in force five winds. While the temperature is not cold, the constant breeze and 100% humidity has everyone on deck dressed in Musto HPX two-piece and one-piece FWG. Fleece and thermals round out the wardrobe. The competition for who has the best gloves rages on; some prefer ski or expedition gloves, while some prefer fleece. Finding the right combination of dexterity, warmth, and waterproofness is key. (Note to self: create ultimate cold weather sailing glove.) Stan and Steve share nav duties, and what a great navigation station they have. It is perpetually warm in the starboard hull just from the myriad instruments. This message is being sent via the Rock Hill Sailmail station, but there are about 10 alternative ways of sending e- mail. Weather information comes in minute by minute, with faxes showing the location of pressure contours, ice (yes, we are trying to avoid ice around eastern Canada), and the Gulf Stream. - Chuck Hawley STAR WORLDS - Report by Dave Gendell You had to be good to do well in Race #4 at the Nautica 2000 Star Class World Championship Regatta off Annapolis. This usually goes without saying in the Star Worlds, but today, in this fleet of overachievers, Sydney-bound heroes, and Olympic aspirants, you had to be especially good to succeed. This afternoon, in yet another warm and shifty fragile spring southerly, five of the top seven skippers were previous winners of the Star World Championship. Five of the top nine finishers had sailed to Olympic medals. Anyone who questioned the Chesapeake's ability to deal a fair regatta in terms of conditions had their concerns assuaged today. Wednesday's first sequence began after another lengthy delay spent waiting for the southerly to establish itself. After a General Recall, the Black Flag was hoisted for the day's second start, and the fleet was off, for the second straight day in a warm eight knot southerly. Race #4 was a shifty contest demanding the supreme concentration and patience that have come to define this regatta. The ultimate winners of this series will have mastered the art of staying in phase with every oscillation the Chesapeake puts forth. This evening's cumulative results, for the first time, reflected a discard of each team's worst finish. The standings are sorting themselves out, the visiting teams have tuned into the course conditions, and the top sailors have begun their predictable march to the front of the standings. A nice mix of conditions and those six long races will ensure that the series winners are fully deserving of the title of World Champions. Results - race 4: 1. ITA 7488 Benamati, Roberto/Maffezzoli, Luca ; 2. CAN 7876 MacDonald, Ross/Bjorn, Kai ; 3. USA 7995 Reynolds, Mark/Liljedahl, Magnus ; 4. USA 7515 Adams, Ross/Nevel, Chuck ; 5. ITA 7780 Strocchi, Federico/Torboli, Gianni ; 6. USA 7738 Buchan, Bill/Leppert, Scott ; 7. AUS 8006 Beashel, Colin/Giles, David ; 8. GER 7954 Hoesch, Vincent/Fendt, Florian ; 9. ESP 7937 Van Der Ploeg, Jose Maria/Trujillo, Rafael ; 10. ITA 7840 Santoni, Silvo/Devoti, Giuseppe ; Standings after four races with one throwout: 1. USA 7995 Reynolds, Mark/Liljedahl, Magnus 1-3-[22]-3 7 points; 2. CAN 7876 MacDonald, Ross/Bjorn, Kai [16]-2-6-2 10; 3. NZL 7939 Brady, Gavin/Gale, Jamie 5-1-10-[52] 16; 4. USA 7425 Schofield, Douglas/Schofield, Jr., Robert 7-6-15-[21] 28; 5. ITA 7879 D'Ali, Pietro/Colandinno, Ferdinando 11-5-[31]-13 29; 6. SUI 7965 Marazzi, Flavio/Marazzi, Rento [78]-13-3-15 31; 7. GBR7953 Walker, Ian/Covell, Mark 6-[60]-8-18 32; 8. ESP 7937 Van Der Ploeg, Jose Maria/Trujillo, Rafael 14-[16]-14-9 37; 9. IRL 7763 Mansfield, Mark/O'Brien, David 10-17-11-[30] 38; 10. GER 7954 Hoesch, Vincent/Fendt, Florian 15-[19]-19-8 42. The Annapolis YC Race Committee is posting regularly from the racecourse to and plans frequent updates throughout the race day. Check in for mark rounding positions, photos, and other information: http://www.annapolisyc.com/starworlds2000/ LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) and to exclude personal attacks or irresponsible statements. This is not a chat room. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Magnus Gravare (Regarding the discussion of 49er vs. Star at the Olympics started by the Bob Fisher qouted article in SCUTTLEBUTT No. 568.) - It seems that Mr Fisher have a slightly different picture of what went on at the ISAF meeting in Cyprus than some of the people that were there. The Events Committee recommended that the decision from Sydney to have 3 keelboat events to be reconsidered. Their proposal is now that there should be two keelboat events, Keelboat Match racing for women and keelboat fleet racing for men, with the dinghy slate as present. Because this was an un-agendered item, Council could take no decision. So, it will be considered and voted upon at the very first meeting at the Edinburgh November Conference to enable the selection of the Classes to proceed later in the schedule. The only thing that has changed is that it seems this committee would rather have the fight to be between the Soling and the Star than between the dinghies. Suffice to say that it is probably too early to pitt one class against another, and that the usual arguments will take place. -- From Mason Chrisman (Regarding Morgan Larson's letter on the Olympic boat controversy) - Let's us older sailors not be too quick to get offended. While most of us can't sail a dinghy without slipping a disk, I have come to believe the Olympics are about youth and athleticism. There are plenty of venues for us older guys, but I think the Olympics are about athletes as well as racing tactics. -- From Buddy DeRyder - I don't dispute Mark Herrmann's opinion on the rationale for the selection of Olympic Class boat types. However, his supporting facts regarding the US 470 Class is somewhat in error. At the 470 Trials in St. Pete, FL this past October there were indeed a Men's Division, won by Foerster/Merrick, and a Women's Division, won by Isler/Glaser. His statement of less than 15 boats is also not accurate. There were 9 Men's teams and 7 Women's teams for a total of 16 boats - and the Yellow flag was used for only a very few races - a very strenuous series! -- Andrew Gaynor (In response to Mark Herrmanns response to Morgan Larson in 'butt 570) - I don't think the current popularity of ANY sailboat in the US should be used as any kind of benchmark for International interest. (The only contest won there would be the club 420, and maybe the Vangaurd 15!) *The men's 470 class has, arguably, the toughest competition in the world among the Olympic classes (the last time there was a back to back men's World Champion was 1993) *The 470 serves a large range of sailors. In the men's fleet, crews can weigh anywhere from 120lbs to 170lbs. *For the economically smaller countries, the fact of sharing the boat with men's and women's teams means fewer purchases in establishing two disciplines. If any boats' existence in the Games deserves questioning - it is the Finn. There now exists a total of three classes in which large male sailors can compete. The same argument to keep the Finn could be turned around to support the creation of a singlehander for men in the 120 to 160 bracket. - maybe a Europe men's division (ugh, hiking!), or a catamaran... -- From Ken Guyer (Edited to our 250-word limit) - I think the banter about the high market value of the Kiwi sailors really needs to be put into focus. Perhaps those billionaires relatively new to Cup competition would look to placing high dollars on individual sailors and thus look to TNZ as a source, but design and organization is still the top dog in this competition. Buying New Zealanders makes for good copy and perhaps can be viewed as the creation of bargaining chips for those negotiating with TNZ or a way to disrupt the defender. But there are an abundance of great sailors from many countries who are Cup qualified. There are a lot of factors which led to the overpowering win by TNZ. The time between the '95 Cup and the first NZ defense. The challengers needing to develop a boat which will not only be competitive in the Cup match, but also survive months of competition to get there. I think the racing will be a bit different this go around and unless the Kiwi's can pull another design innovation relative to condition out of their hats, the boats will be closer in design and the opportunity for any design team to come up with something new is present with each team. It does seem to me though, the Cup is doing what its originators envisioned. It is spurring design innovation and new technology. Perhaps the "friendly competition among nations" has been diluted and a bit lost. -- From Herb McCormick - In 'Butt 571, Peter Huston writes, "How on earth can Herb McCormick validate these Cup rumors by even mentioning Bill Gates, Jim Clark and Bill Koch in the same sentence?" Had Peter made it to the first sentence of the fifth paragraph of the story in question, which appeared in last Sunday's NY Times, he would've read, "Gates, Clark and Koch have all denied any interest in mounting a cup challenge." The article appeared in the general sports section of a national newspaper and was a summary of events that had taken place over the previous two weeks. Believe it or not, Peter, there are lots of people in this country who are not poring over every America's Cup rumor in cyberspace, but who are still curious about the general goings-on in the event (the editor who assigned me the story, and wanted to know what all this Gates ballyhoo was about, was one of them). That readership constituted the major part of the intended audience. HIGH SCHOOL NATIONALS Long Beach, CA - High School Nationals for the Mallory Trophy - Brisk winds, close racing and crisp race management made for an excellent series. FINAL RESULTS: 1. Newport Harbour H.S. CA; 2. Coronado H.S. CA; 3. U of San Diego H.S.CA; 4. The Bishop's School CA; 5. Wilson H.S. CA; 6. Pt Pleasant Boro NJ; 7. Lakewood H.S. FL; 8. Belmont Hill MA; 9. Annapolis H.S. MD; 10. Jesuit H.S. LA. Low point A: Newport Harbour H.S.; Low point B: Newport Harbour H.S. Complete results: http://www.highschoolsailingusa.org WORRELL 1000 - Zack Leonard The Dutch team of Gerard Loos and Mischa Heemskerk showed nerves of steel as the split from the entire fleet and won Leg 9 of the Worrell 1000 by 1 and 1/2 minutes over Randy Smyth and Matt Struble of Blockade Runner. Team Rudee's Restaurant sailed by Brett Dryland and Rod Waterhouse were third, followed by Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston of Alexander's on the Bay, Kevin Smith and Glenn Holmes of First Response, and William Sunnucks and Mark Self of Great Britain. The fleet was extremely tight today, despite that fact that the Dutch separated from the main pack by as much as 8 miles at one point. Loos and Heemskerk sailed the Rhumb line from Wrightsville Beach to Atlantic Beach, while the rest of the fleet gybed several times to stay close to the beach. In the main pack the boats that stayed closest to the beach always gained, leading Smyth and Dryland to believe that Loos and Heemskerk would be burried out at sea. But the wind shifted to the Southeast with 5 knots more velocity 17 miles from the finish and the tables turned. What once looked ugly for the Dutch started to look a little better. Some of the boats by the beach had gybed in too far and were struggling to lay the finish in the new wind. Loos and Heemskerk rode the new wind down to the finish, sailing 3 or 4 degrees below optimum VMG angle. Smyth, leading the inshore pack reached up to the line, double trapezing and spilling power with the traveller. It was too close to call until the very end when the Dutch converged 1/3 of a mile in front of Smyth. "If the wind didn't fill in those guys would have been 10th," said Brian Lambert of the Dutch Team. Heemskerk agreed, "We knew we had to finish at this time for our strategy to work, if we got here 1 hour earlier the wind would not have been strong enough for us to win." Blockade Runner holds a 1/2 hour lead over Rudee's. The Dutch and Alexander's on the Bay remain 1 and 1/2 hours behind. The forecast calls for stronger breezes from the South tomorrow. This may turn into a gearbuster yet. The course from Atlantic Beach to Hatteras spans 81 miles and some potentially rugged seas. - Zack Leonard Full story and results: http://www.worrell1000.com/ INTER-COLLEGIATE YACHT RACING Top sailing colleges from seven Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association (ICYRA) districts across the country have qualified to compete for ICYRA North American titles in three disciplines: Women's Dinghy, Team Race and Coed Dinghy racing. St. Mary's College of Maryland will host both the ICYRA North American Women's Dinghy Championship sponsored by Boatscape.com, May 28-30, and the ICYRA/Ronstan North American Team Race Championship, May 31-June 2. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point, N.Y. will host the ICYRA North American Coed Dinghy Championship, June 5-7. For the women's and coed events, 18 colleges qualified to compete in each, with each college allowed to field a separate A and B division team. (For the women's event, entrants were chosen through district eliminations; for the coed event, 16 teams were chosen through district eliminations with two teams selected at-large.) Twelve three-boat teams qualified for the team race event. The ICYRA North American Championships signify the culmination of the college sailing year, which spans both the fall and spring seasons and ends June 7 with the naming of the 1999/2000 ICYRA/Ronstan All-American Sailing Team, College Sailor of the Year, Sportsman of the Year and winners of the Student Leadership Award and Leonard M. Fowle Trophy for the college with the best combined record in the North American Championships. - Barby MacGowan ICYRA website: http://www.collegesailing TALL SHIPS NEWPORT, R.I. - The arrival of the Mexican Tall Ship Cuauhtemoc on Friday, May 19 at Naval Station Newport will foreshadow this summer's Verizon Wireless Tall ShipsR Newport Salute 2000. Departing from her homeport of Acapulco, the 303-foot vessel, which serves as the Mexican Navy's training vessel, is making Newport, R.I. her only American port-of-call on her voyage to Europe. On Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21, the Cuauhtemoc will be open for public tours free of charge from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Naval Station Newport's Pier #2 (take Access Road in Middletown to Navy Base). - Barby MacGowan, http://www.tallshipsnewport.com THE CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a person mistake words for thoughts - Samuel Johnson |
