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SCUTTLEBUTT 2076 - April 19, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.REST PERIOD After the three podium places for leg five were taken earlier by ABN Amro One (Mike Sanderson), movistar (Bouwe Bekking) and Pirates of the Caribbean (Paul Cayard), the final three boats finished in quick succession. Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) held off Ericsson Racing Team (John Kostecki) to take fourth place by whisker, finishing 12 minutes ahead of the Swedish boat, while ABN Amro Two (Sebastien Josse) brought up the rear in sixth position, finishing just under an hour later. "The last 24 hours were terrible," said skipper of Brasil 1, Torben Grael. "Everyone is really exhausted. We were all working on deck for the whole day and didn't have a minute to rest, always checking where the other boats were. This result is good for the team's morale. We fought for so long for this fourth place and winning it is a confidence boost for the next legs," he said. Leg five has seen a shake up on the overall leaderboard. Although ABN Amro One has an advantage of 22 points as the team stretched their lead to 62.5, movistar now moves up from fourth place overall to second, with 40.5 points, and ABN Amro Two drops down a place to third. Pirates of the Caribbean exchanges third overall for fourth but the bottom of the leaderboard is unaffected and Brasil 1 and Ericsson maintain their fifth and sixth places. Although ABN Amro One has a strong advantage in the top spot, the race for second place is very open and there is everything to play for in the next in-port race scheduled to be held in Baltimore on April 29. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org Leg Five Finish Times: 1. ABN Amro One, Mike Sanderson, 4/17/06 -18:57:52 2. movistar, Bouwe Bekking, 4/18/06 00 - 14:15 3. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard, 4/18/06 - 1:22:48 4. Brasil 1, Torben Grael, 4/18/06 - 13:21:25 5. Ericsson Racing Team, 4/18/06 - 13:33:24 6. ABN Amro Two, Sebastien Josse,4/ 18/06 - 14:41:59 WHAT NOW? Ericsson has been beset by clouds this leg, losing miles and losing places in the dead winds they bring, but as they arrived fifth into Baltimore this afternoon they couldn't escape a cloud that has hung over their heads since Brazil. Will John Kostecki remain as skipper, will Steve Hayles actually leave the team as he suggested in Brazil, and will Neal McDonald continue to sail in a team which ousted him as captain to make way for Kostecki? All these questions emerged during the last stopover and now, a port later, we are still no closer to answers on at least two of three fronts. Furthermore, the team's management group, Atlant, will wonder why, after such drastic crew changes in Brazil, such a talented team could only manage a fifth-placed finish. The answers will certainly be revealed in the coming days as the post-mortem into the result is carried out, but for now the murky skies persist. They are certainly not clear on the future of Kostecki. He admitted the result was "disappointing" and explained the decision of who will skipper the team for the remaining legs is to be taken by the management group. In Rio he said he would "love to stay on," but there is confusion over his commitments to illbruck, who are sailing in the TP52 class. He said, "My position is the same as it was in Brazil. We will debrief in the next couple of days to see what is best for the boat. I've had a lot of fun and would like to go on." The team can certainly feel happy about the McDonald "situation". Rumors in his home-town of Hamble, southern England, suggested he was ready to jump ship, but he has scotched them as completely "unfounded". His decision to stay on the boat and restate his commitment to the project, despite his demotion to watch captain, is, as his crewmates have all said, a true measure of the man. In his new role as watch captain he said, "I loved it. Great sailing." The foggiest horizon, however, remains on the next move of Hayles, the navigator. He has patched up his differences with Guillermo Altadill, with whom he had an altercation with during the last leg, but he wasn't happy with his team's handling of the situation. In Brazil he said he would leave the campaign when they reached Baltimore, a comment he subsequently refused to confirm or deny, and when the boat arrived in Baltimore this afternoon he wouldn't be drawn on whether he would like to stay on the boat. Hayles said, "We have got to sit down now and get the collective thoughts of the team on whether there will be any changes." When pressed over any desire he has to remain onboard, he pointed to his previous answer and said, "That's all I can say on it." -- Excerpt from a story on the Volvo Ocean Race website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/q7a9e RACING RULES QUIZ True or False? When you intend to file a request for redress for an incident that happens while you are racing, you don't have to display a red protest flag on any size boat. (See answer below) WHERE DO YOU LOUPR? Sailors are finding more and more applications for the remarkable Yale LoupR. Bending on sheets, securing runner blocks, attaching boom hardware, shroud attachments; you name it, LoupsR have done it. Multiple spliced coils of UHMPE surrounded by an HMPE sleeve sounds simple, but Yale's proprietary finishing process maximizes the strength to give outstanding performance with real weight savings over traditional shackles. Visit Yale at Oakland Strictly Sail and tell us your favorite LoupR application. Come by and talk about LoupsR, the new VMG cover, and other great Yale products. Yale Cordage, when there's a lot on the line. http://www.yalecordage.com THE TACTICIAN Terry Hutchinson is among the best tacticians in the game. A large amount of credit for the way Emirates Team New Zealand has rebounded from its 2003 Cup defeat can be attributed to him. For Hutchinson, the key to success is in the relationship between the tactician and helmsman; for Emirates Team New Zealand, that's Dean Barker. "Dean and I continually work on our on and off the water relationship. The stronger that is, the better we are," Hutchinson says. Developing trust and communication skills is paramount to making the relationship work. The helmsman has to trust the tactician to place the boat in the best place on the race course. The tactician has to trust the helmsman's driving skills to maximise speed and steer the boat with flair through tight traffic and tense situations. In order to place the boat in the right spot on the course, the tactician must be in tune with the opposition and the weather. Hitting the right shift can win a race, while missing one is sure to put the team at a disadvantage. During the race itself, Hutchinson is constantly feeding information to helmsman Dean Barker. His job is to take in all the available information and distil it into short, sharp morsels so that he, Dean and the rest of the afterguard can decide what to do. How effectively they work together is easy to judge - the team either wins or loses. "Between the flights you have to feed the team, get re-hydrated but also focus on the next race. As soon as the race is over we take on board a full load of food, weather radios, and that kind of thing. For the second flight of the day I listen far more closely to what the weather guys are saying because I've been out of that conversation for a couple of hours during the first race. "After racing, during the tow in we have good solid de-brief on the boat where we can clear up any problems we had and make sure Dean is happy with the way the day was run. We'll get in on shore - we don't have an afterguard de-brief until the next morning - but we usually spend about 15-minutes with the coaches coming up with talking points for the next day. I might have to go to the mixed zone for some media interviews and then I spend an hour or so in the gym working the day out of my head. I usually leave around 19:30 or 20:00. On average it's a 12 or 13 hour day, but it goes by pretty quickly. -- Excerpts from a story on the official America's Cup website; full story: http://tinyurl.com/gh8st CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar EPIRB RENTALS For boaters heading offshore beyond reliable VHF radio coverage (around 20 miles), an EPIRB can offer you real peace of mind. For many boaters, however, an EPIRB is a budget buster. But you don't have the money to purchase one to enjoy its life-saving benefits. The non-profit BoatU.S. Foundation's EPIRB rental program offers ACR Satellite 406 EPIRBs for as little as $50 a week, allowing boaters to save money and stay safe offshore without the hassle of maintaining and registering their own EPIRB. Roundtrip shipping and Coast Guard registration are included. During the peak months of May through August, EPIRBs may not be available on short notice, so reservations (taken up to six months in advance) are recommended. To reserve an EPIRB, boaters need only to fill out the Foundation's information form at www.BoatUS.com/foundation/EPIRB or call 888-66-EPIRB between noon and 5 pm EST. Please note that EPIRBs are not available at BoatU.S. or West Marine stores, but are shipped straight to the renter within the Continental U.S. NEWS BRIEFS * US Sailing and the Canadian Yachting Association have selected the 2006 Hobie 16 North Americans as their respective Pan Am trials for sailing in the Open Multihull discipline. The trials will be held in Narragansett, R.I. on September 11-15. Brazil will host the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro. This event will include sailing in nine of the Americas most popular one-design classes. More information including a Notice of Race can be found on the North American Hobie Class website at http://www.hca-na.org/. Specific information about qualifying will be available on the CYA and US Sailing Websites. * Gary Jobson hitched a ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean for their last 18 hours of Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean race. At the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, skipper Paul Cayard slowed the boat from 20 knots down to about 8 and jobson hopped aboard off a RIB. While he was not given an opportunity to drive the boat, he did conduct interviews with Cayard, bowman Jerry Kirby and others which can be seen on http://www.vssailing.com * The SE Trade winds are being very settled now for Dee Caffari as she attempts to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stop westwards round the world. Her 72-foot Aviva is enjoying the consistent sailing conditions and with just 4200 miles still to go, Caffari advanced 166 miles in the last 24 hours. ~ www.avivachallenge.com * Luna Rossa, the Italian America's Cup challenger, has started an interesting new video section in their website, where they publish footage of their different activities. So far, they have published three videos, two from the base inauguration party and boat presentation and one of the team during a two-boat training and testing session off Valencia's coast, probably shot on a sunny day in early April. -- Valencia Sailing, Luna Rossa video: http://www.lunarossachallenge.com/ * Cold water and its effects are involved in virtually all kayaking and recreational boating deaths. For example, between 1985 and 1995, of the 182 deaths in the waters of the Pacific Northwest, only 2 occurred above 70 F, with 133 involving water between 40 - 60 F. An article posted on the Yachting World website helps explain what makes cold water exposure so potentially risky, reviews some strategies to minimize that risk, and raise a few hairs with some stories of tragic, and mostly preventable, cold water deaths. -- http://tinyurl.com/qwkf5 * Sixty Melges 24 teams from 12 countries across Europe and Scandinavia took part in the four-day SNIM Regatta over the Easter Weekend in Marseille France. The event provided a variety of conditions and some incredibly close racing for this first regatta in the Melges 24 European Ranking Series 2006. After ten tough races it was Italy's Nicola Celon helming Bete for Amadori Ezio who took the laurels from Benjamin Cohen of Monaco sailing Sogeti Transiciel. The French Partner & Partners crew of Philippe Ligot with helm Francois Brenac took third with John Pollard's Excellent from the UK in fourth. -- http://tinyurl.com/zemcx SPINLOCK PXR: THE CLEAT YOU TUNE FOR THE WAY YOU RACE Designed for high performance sailors, PXR is a development of Spinlock's successful PX range. The first cam cleat to offer precision control with 3 stages of adjustment, PXR allows users to fine-tune release pressure depending on application and conditions. To buy PXR cleats, visit http://www.spinlock.co.uk/us/pxr for US stocking dealers. ANSWER TO RACING RULES QUIZ True. Rule 62.2 explains the requirements for filing a request for redress. The last sentence of this rule says, "No red flag is required." (For 99 more questions like this, check out the Racing Rules IQ Test at http://www.SpeedandSmarts.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. 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 Ryan Hamm: After hearing Dan Cushings Comments about Pro golfers getting a lot of money for last and sailors getting little for first I almost shed a tear. It is absurd to hear someone actually say the poor get poorer as relates to sailing in general. No wonder no one else takes us seriously. Our sense of reality is a little off. Golf is open to everyone and is accessible almost everywhere. It was a closed elitist sport that has been wise in opening it up to the masses. Sailing has tried and there are a few places that offer sailing to the public but our "poor" sport is still a rich man's game. We are a closed elitist sport that has realized this too late. Good luck trying to find anyone to feel sorry for us poor guys. * From Chris Upton: Doran Cushing's remark about the looser in golf winning as much as the winner in the Congo cup is right. Doran got it backwards though -- they are golfing and we are sailing. We as sailors are richer for it. Golf is no longer a rich man's sport. * From John Rumsey (For Dorian Cushing): There were perhaps a thousand eyes watching the Congressional cup and millions watching the golf. * From Rich Roberts: L'Apache was the name of the boat in the Ted Sierks incident in the 1951 Transpac, not L'Apace. And here's a related trivia question: What was unique about the boat's sailing master? (A: Peggy Slater was the first woman to command a Transpac racer. Details of the episode are included in the DVD "Transpac: A Century Across the Pacific," available at http://www.transpacificyc.org/) * From Keith Rarick: While it is entertaining to watch Geronimo sail and go for all these records, I have a problem with their New "California to Hawaii" record. Even though they beat last Novembers run by 24 minutes and change, they were in fact slower over the ground for this run. Anyone who has done both a TransPac and a Pac Cup knows what I'm talking about. San Francisco is roughly 200 miles nearer to Honolulu than LA, making this just another record and should have nothing to do with the November run. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde Special thanks to Yale Cordage and Oceanair Marine |
