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SCUTTLEBUTT 2030 -- February 14, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary,opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE In recent months, the pages of ‘Butt have been filled with stories of trans-oceanic solo record attempts and of high-tech new boats. And we’ve just stumbled on another saga that combines both elements into one fascinating adventure. Here’s what Wave Vidmar, California Adventure Athlete/ Explorer told us about his plans. “I will start in early June from Cape Cod (Chatham, Mass), weather dependant. At minimum it will take 60 days to cross the Atlantic, and could go as long as 150 days. I’ll be sending out daily updates to several websites, along with pics, and this time with short audio and video clips. People will be able to track my location and progress in real-time on the web. My target is England (Lizard Point meridian. “The boat is being made in Holland has a lot of innovations and is basically the result of over a year of research and the cumulative mistakes and experiences of all other ocean rowers over the last several decades. It is a sandwich construction, mostly of carbon fiber, with a skin of Kevlar on the inside, over a 1” foam core (Corecell). The boat hull and canopies will be resin infused as one piece. Every critical system is redundant; communications (3 types of satellites; Inmarsat, Globalstar, Iridium), navigation (5 GPS units on-board, sextant and paper charts for backup), living, safety, power (200watts of solar panels/modules), dual-electric systems (if one were to become damaged I can switch to the other, dual electric panels, charging regulations, etc..), cooking stations (x3), two types of cooking stoves (gimbaled The rowing cockpit has been designed to allow for a great deal of adjustability (seat height, slide length, position, oar position, height, stroke, etc…). 3 sets of oars, spare rowing seat and hardware, oarlocks, everything – the goal is to not need any kind of assistance once the row starts. “I’ll have a bunch of instruments on-board, from ultrasonic hydrophones, to High Definition video cameras, weather monitors, to VO2 sensors, ECG, and body performance monitors (tracking over 25 different body functions) to track my performance and allow me to adjust my work load, techniques, and the boat for optimum performance. With a Panasonic ruggedized laptop I will be able to record and analyze data, and send it out to other researchers while still on the expedition. I’ve arranged my living and rowing cockpit so that I can watch DVD’s while I row, or while I’m resting in one of my two living compartments. “The boat will also have a C.A.R.D. (Collision Avoidance Radar Detector), and a special active radar antenna that will make my small, 24 foot long boat appear to be a vessel about 160 feet long to other ships and marine traffic. I’ll have a water maker to supply water, life raft with manual water maker and ‘ditch kit’, cold water immersion survival suit, flares, spare radios and sat phones, extensive advanced first aid kit, and repair kits for the boat. Navigation will be by compass and GPS.” - There is a lot more to this story: http://www.oceanrowsolo.com/ VIEW FROM THE TOP ISAF President Göran Petersson (SWE) led the ISAF Executive Committee in three days of meetings in Gothenburg, Sweden at the start of February, with the Olympic Sailing Competition Format, the ISAF Strategic Plan and a World Cup of Sailing amongst the topics under discussion. Two ISAF Grade 1 events for the Olympic Classes have already taken place this year, and each have experimented with the Olympic Format. This format is in place for the Olympic Sailing Competition and it is up to the Organizing Committees of ISAF Graded events to determine whether to introduce the Olympic format, recognizing the difference in number of race days and scheduled races at some Graded events, compared to the Olympics. ISAF will be working with those Graded events that do wish to implement the format, and encouraging different scoring systems to be tested, to ensure the optimum system is in place for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition. The Format Working party chaired by Vice-President David Kellett (AUS) will make the final decision on the scoring format to be used at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition. ISAF has received praise from both the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Broadcast Services on the changes, and will continue to work in partnership with both organizations. - There is much more to this report: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j1,Fh/6k2 RTW SHORTHANDED Over the next three years the Open 60 class have the Velux 5 Oceans, the Barcelona World Race and the Vendee Globe, three round the world races, two singlehanded one doublehanded. Yet tomorrow will see the launch of yet another shorthanded round the world race, the Global Ocean Challenge. Does the sailing world need yet another round the world race? Organizers Brian Hancock and Josh Hall think so and so do the sailors wishing to compete in their race says Hall, for they are a slightly different breed to the full-on pros of the Barcelona World Race or the Vendee Globe or even the mixture of entries in the Velux 5 Oceans. In fact it could be argued that the new race has really come about as a result of Clipper Ventures' decision for the Velux 5 Oceans not to allow 40 footers and to go for fewer stops and longer legs. Thus the Global Ocean Challenge 2007-8 is for 40 and 50ft monohulls, not Open 60s, the former including not only Open 40s as allowed previously in the Velux 5 Oceans' predecessors, Around Alone and the BOC Challenge, but also the new and rapidly growing breed of 'Class 40s'. These boats are going through a phenomenal growth period at the moment. To give an example of the 38 boats so far registered to compete in this autumn's Route du Rhum, 21 are Class 40s. They as typified by Groupe Finot's Pogo 40 or the offerings from Owen Clarke and are effectively dumbed down Open 40s, aimed at keeping costs to a minimum by for example being production boats, banning canting keels and exotic materials. - http://www.globaloceanchallenge.com BUTTHEAD DISCOUNT Scuttlebutt readers save $25 at NorthU seminars on Racing Rules & Tactics, Wind & Strategy, Cruising & Seamanship, Weather for Sailors, or Expedition Performance Software. Or try a Florida Race Week, a Bluewater Miles Passage, or Bonnell Cove Foundation Suddenly Alone Seminar. See the full schedule plus the latest in books, CDs and DVDs. You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better sailor. Accelerate the process at NorthU and Save $25. Put “Butthead” in the comments when you register for a seminar at: http://www.NorthU.com HORRENDOUS Bass Strait certainly lived up to its notorious reputation as the fleet racing in leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race hurtled at breakneck speed towards Wellington. ABN Amro two (Sebastien Josse) describes the first 24 hours at sea ‘horrendous’. This crew has suffered a succession of problems including ripping the mainsail which forced them to sail reefed, losing all power to the boat, which meant the crew had to scramble around in the dark to find out what had come lose and get power going again, and finally, Johnny (Gert Van Poortman) cut his head open after getting swept down the deck in a really nasty wave. He now has several stitches in the wound and some nasty bruises after being slammed hard against the dagger board. “The force of the water is quite unbelievable,” wrote navigator Simon Fisher. “It is little surprise that Johnny took a beating, when just 30 minutes later, the bow came out of a wave with the pulpit seriously bent. That’s a stainless steel cage, laid flat by the force of the water alone.” Steve Hayles, navigator on Ericsson Racing Team, describes the feeling onboard of “run away speed” as the boat hurtles down each wave before spearing into the bottom of next wave. “You feel the impact a second or so before solid water smashes into the cockpit and finds its way inside the boat through the tiniest of openings.” Now clear of this treacherous piece of water, the fleet is in the Tasman Sea in lighter breeze. As the yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race head into their third day at sea, the crews can look forward to some respite ahead. ABN One appears to have exactly the right sail for the wind angle. The black boat is pulling away from the fleet at rate which will be alarming the chasing pack, gaining more and more with every position schedule. - http://www.volvooceanrace.org Volvo Ocean Race Positions at 2200 GMT Monday: 1. Team ABN Amro One, Mike Sanderson, 706 miles to finish 2. Movistar, Bouwe Bekking, +21 miles 3. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard, +42 miles 4. Team ABN Amro Two, Sebastien Josse, +51 miles 5. Brasil 1, Torben Grael, +60 miles 6. Ericsson Racing Team, Neal McDonald, +70 miles QUOTE / UNQUOTE (Following is an excerpt from an email sent by Dee Caffari from the 72-foot Aviva Challenge on her solo westabout circumnavigation. Caffari’s is currently sailing in 32 knots of wind and has made 92 miles in the last 24 hours with 11,000 miles to go on this record attempt that started in November.) “I get very frustrated at how long this journey is taking me and after our speedy Atlantic start, feel that I have let people down by being so slow. Then when we are back in our forty-knot depressions and I am being beaten up, I realize why the journey has taken so long and that survival and getting round safely are actually ahead of speed. There are many things we can control and believe me I am working hard changing sails every time there is a change in the wind to maximize progress, but the one thing we have no control over is the weather. Unfortunately the weather has dealt me a bad hand so far in the Southern Ocean, but now at the half way stage I have started a new game, so have a new hand of cards and hope they prove to be better for the rest of the journey, delivering some better weather to help progress rather than hinder progress.” - Dee Caffari, http://www.avivachallenge.com CALLING OUT THE LAWYERS The future of Cowes Week is under threat as a result of a decision to begin charging £90,000 (approx. US$156,731) for policing the event. Hampshire Police Authority wants to recover the cost of patrolling the 180-year-old regatta. But the Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC), which runs the Isle of Wight event, said it would resist the payment and was taking legal advice. Andrew Turner, the island's Tory MP, joined tourism and business leaders to condemn the levy, saying that if the Notting Hill Carnival in west London could be policed without charge, so too could Cowes Week. "Neither are events from which the organizers seek to make a profit," he said. "I believe that my constituents should be treated in the same way as those in West Kensington." Cowes Week, in August, is the highlight of the yachting calendar and habitually attracts about 1,000 competitors from around the world. Tens of thousands visit for the duration to watch from the shore and the firework finale usually attracts around 30,000 spectators. - Stewart Payne, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/7cxdn SOLD! Our Camet Code Zero QuickDry short sleeve shirts have been an overwhelming success! We created the long sleeve, the first shirt for all-around use in hot and humid or cold and windy conditions. These shirts out perform any shirt on the market today. With its superior ergonomic design, quick dry moisture management technology and UV protection its no wonder we have sold out and had to make more! Order yours today before they are all gone! http://www.camet.com NEWS BRIEFS * Staying dry on a VOR 70 must be akin to staying cool in the desert. Photographer Jon Nash provides these images to show just how wet it can be: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/abn0213 * The International 12 Metre Class Association has re-launched its website. The aim of the website is to be a repository for everything 12 metre. The Class asks all boat owners and aficionados to share history and details of any and all 12 Metre activity. One of the highlights of the site is 'Where are the 12’s?’ Here you will find a data set of all 12 Metres boat names, numbers, owners and locations known to exist with links to text details, photos and web links for each boat. This data will be continually updated as details are made available. - http://www.12mrclass.com * North Sails has partnered with expert meteorologist Chris Bedford and his team at Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts for the Lands' End St Petersburg NOOD regatta from February 17-19, 2006. Sailors can sign up for forecasts by logging on to the North Sails Weather Center at: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf * During a weekend when a winter storm dumped more than two feet of snow on some parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, Southern California J/105 sailors were enjoying wonderful sailing condition for their Midwinter Championships. Photographer Glennon Straton provided us with the following images of the event, which was won by Jon Dekker of San Diego, CA: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0213 * Yachting New Zealand has launched their new look website. The website includes all the latest news from Yachting New Zealand, including a look back at the recent ISAF Grade 2 Sail Auckland and the 470, Tornado and F18 New Zealand Championships. The website also features a calendar of events, as well as information for sailors, coaches, and classes, as well as details on Learn-to-Sail programmes and the environment. - http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz * A story on the Yachting Monthly website points out that the danger of sinking and damage from lost containers is not going away. “Lloyd's List has reported that fifty-eight containers were washed into the North Sea from a ship on passage from Rotterdam to Hamburg. Nine of the boxes were washed up on the Dutch island of Terschelling where police were called in to guard beaches after sportsgear and Barbie dolls were found scattered along the coast. The P&O Nedlloyd Mondriaan, now part of the Maersk fleet, lost the containers overboard during bad weather while many others were damaged.” - http://tinyurl.com/bb2s3 JUST LAUNCHED - J/65 HULL #2 It was only last September when the newest and fastest addition to the J fleet, the J/65, splashed in San Diego. Now Hull #2 follows closely behind. Owners report this luxurious, Carbon/SCRIMP built 65 footer to be exceptionally quick, hitting double digit speeds in 12-14 knots of wind. Images: http://www.jboats.com/j65 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. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Scott Fox: Paul Henderson's voice of reason regarding the new Olympic scoring method is refreshing and one I hope the current "leadership" at ISAF is listening to. * From Will Graves: Just a clarification on the subject about ESPN’s coverage of the America’s Cup back in 1987….as many pointed out, Turner didn’t have anything to do with the coverage. And the famous, liminal race in sailing’s television history in which Dennis’s genoa tore in half was against Chris Dickson and the mighty plastic-fantastic, Kiwi Magic, not Kookaburra. Kiwi Magic had taken races off of Dennis before, so it was all the more exciting. * From Rob Overton: The report “Not a Valid Protest” in Scuttlebutt 2029 raises some questions about the hearing held in Melbourne regarding the in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race. If, as stated in that report and in the previous report on this issue, the Ericsson Racing Team filed for redress (in contrast to protesting another boat), no protest flag was required by the Racing Rules of Sailing (see rule 62.2 on redress, which ends in the sentence 'No red flag is required'). Thus, under the international rules, a request for redress cannot be ruled to be invalid on the grounds that no protest flag was displayed. It is possible that the sailing instructions modified rule 62.2, though that is very unusual. Unfortunately, the sailing instructions for the Volvo Ocean Race are not posted on their website, so we 'Buttheads have no independent way to determine this. * From Geoffrey Emanuel: I lost a protest recently in a major regatta after the initial attempt at arbitration flushed out the fact that the yacht that protested failed to fly a protest flag. The arbitrator recommended the protest be disallowed. The jury ignored the recommendation and proceeded to hear the protest. If the flag had been raised, there would have been irrefutable proof that the protesting yacht was serious and we could have made a reasoned decision to do our turns or defend the protest. Without it, we felt assured no foul had occurred and continued to sail the race. It's about time a high-profile protest such as the incident involving the VOR 70 Erricson turned on the failure to raise the red flag. * From Eric A Sorensen: The next generation of the VO70 will be much like the next generation of Maxis (witness Wild Oats) and the 'new' (unannounced and maybe undeliberated?) AC class. The records being set by Argentina's Juan Kouyoumdjian's designs are smashing previous mileages and speeds. He has dialed in a successful strength component that the Farr boats apparently missed. If the ABN boats continue as they have, unbroken and fast, there will be a scramble to imitate them. Fast is beautiful in this sport and imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. There is just too much success here to ignore. Consider Mari Cha at 140' being beaten by a 70' boat. That ultimate, built for record breaking, boat, is now in second or third place with the days distance record to two different (but similar) 70' boats. There is much debate on these pages about safety and reliability. All good points. When and if ABN finishes two boats, unbroken, in front of the fleet, they will have set the bar for all larger race boats that have the resources to build and maintain such speed machines. This is the story line for a fine TV documentary. How did they do it? Inquiring minds want to know! * From Steve Schupak: I'm in need of help! Why are there so many scuttlebutt readers complaining about the VO70 racers slowing down? Let me see if I understand the logic, it's blowing 45-50 kts, 30-40 foot waves, you're on a 70 foot planing hull with more horsepower than a Ferrari. And some people question the seamanship ability of the sailors and robustness of the boats for de-powering in these conditions? Are these same people keeping every inch of sail up on their boats at all times? I think not. Do they drive to work, to type on their computers, without using the brakes on their cars? I think not. Does Michael Schumacher and Richard petty use their brake pedals while on the race track? Sure they do. Does Lance Armstrong use his brakes on his bike during a blinding decent in the Alps? Sure he does, (oh yeah, he's also marrying a rock star). [Curmudegeon’s Comment: No he’s not - Sheryl Crow announced they have broken off their engagement.] Finishing the race is the first component in winning, followed by going the fastest the longest. Knowing when to back off and when to push are what separate the winners from the other competitors. I doubt these same people would stand face to face with Mike Sanderson, Sebastien Josse, Paul Cayard, Torben Grael, or any of the other heroic racers taking part in this race and question their judgment, seamanship skills, or abilities. Please make the insanity stop! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's" Special thanks to North U, Camet Sailing Gear, and J/Boats. |
