SCUTTLEBUTT No. 884 - August 21, 2001
Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
THE JUBILEE
This must be what the visionaries behind the America's Cup Jubilee dreamed of when the wheels were set in motion on this event several years ago. An incredible day of racing on the Solent saw Team GBR mark Britain's return to the America's Cup with a win in the first race on the America's Cup Class course while Swiss America's Cup skipper Russell Coutts beat one of his old Team New Zealand protégés, Cameron Appleton, on the 12-Metre Grand Prix course.
The weather was very different on Commodores Day at the Jubilee. Yesterday's hard and heavy conditions were replaced by warm sunshine and moderate wind as a building high pressure system smiled on the South of England. This weather is forecast to hold through to tomorrow's UBS Jubilee Around the Island Race - a re-enactment of the 1851 course for the race that started it all.
On the America's Cup course, races two and three were sailed today. Yesterday's race one, postponed due to the heavy weather, will be sailed on Wednesday.
"This was a big day for us," said Ian Walker, helmsman on GBR-52, and sailing manager for the British team, reflecting on a win and a second place finish from two races sailed. "We were able to sail around the course with Prada and Team New Zealand, teams that have been at this game for a long, long time, and we gave them a hard time. I think our crew work was incredible today."
Team GBR did more than give the Italians from the Prada Challenge a hard time. It was able to win the first race, against a boat and a team that won the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000. Although the America's Cup Class boasts a nine-boat fleet at the Jubilee, the teams are essentially paired off according to the age of the boat, with GBR-52 and Prada's ITA-45 the only new-generation craft in the race. The British team actually fielded two crews, with GBR-41, an earlier generation boat, scoring two fourth place finishes on the day, despite a man-overboard incident during the second race of the day. - Peter Rusch, Keith Taylor
Full story: www.americascupjubilee.com
AMERICA'S CUP
COWES - Team New Zealand syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg rejects the idea that big-spending challengers will bury New Zealand under a pile of money at the next America's Cup regatta. "By hiring our people it seems as though it was an attack on us. It was like a double win, you strengthen your own syndicate and weaken the opposition all at once," Schnackenberg said at Cowes, where Team NZ are racing at the America's Cup Jubilee regatta. It does bother us a little, but sometimes more money just creates more money, or more confusion. As long as we have enough to do what we want to do, then we feel we have enough. Often when you have large budgets a bigger portion of them is misspent. The serious money that is used to win the event by these big higher-paying syndicates may not be that much more than we use. If a syndicate is just focused on us there's a chance they'll miss something, so no, I don't think they're trying to bury us under a pile of money, even if it seems so."
Financially, Team NZ have secured a little over 70 per cent of the money they need to cover the defence and run the event. A glance around the packed marina at Cowes, off southern England, inspires doubt as to how a New Zealand syndicate can hope to compete with overseas wealth.
Fighting off moneyed challengers with a weak New Zealand dollar and a flat economy would seem to be a task of heroic proportions. None of that bothered Schnackenberg, who said he was pleased with the progress his young team had made on and off the water. - NZ Herald
Full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/sports
TRENDS
When you attend a big regatta like the North Sails Race Week, you quickly find out what's hot and what's not. And this past weekend it was instantly obvious that the curmudgeon's glowing descriptions of Camet Sailing Shorts have not fallen on deaf ears. Camet Shorts are everywhere. And although everyone loves the advantages of the drying Supplex and reinforced Cordura seat patch. I think it's the variety of new colors with Hawaiian stripes that has pushed them over the top. www.camet.com
PIRACY
Late last Tuesday afternoon, with the sun hanging high in a cloudless sky and his water reserves running low, Bob Medd made his peace with God and prepared for death on the Baja Peninsula (in Mexico). It had been two full days since a pair of pirates had boarded the 53-year-old's sailboat off the west coast of Mexico, knocked him unconscious, cut his throat with his own bread knife and left him to die. His chance of survival appeared just as bleak after his boat, the TLC, drifted on to the rocks and sank north of Santa Rosalia, Mexico.
"There was no boat traffic whatsoever. It was like being stranded on a desert island," Mr. Medd, a long-time seaman from Sidney, B.C., said yesterday from hospital in San Clemente, Calif. "When the wound got infected, I figured that was it, I was pretty well done for. There was no way I was going to last another night."
Two fishermen spotted a near-unconscious Mr. Medd on Tuesday evening and loaded him into their panga, or small boat. They delivered him to the hands of the Mexican navy, which in turn took him to hospital in Santa Rosalia for treatment. Physicians say the Canadian survived only because the raiders missed his carotid artery and jugular vein when they cut into his neck. - Charlie Gillis, National Post.
www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010820/656376.html
TESTING YOUR SAIL TRIM KNOWLEDGE
(Following is just one of the many questions asked by Brian Hancock in his story on the SailNet website. The answer to this question is at the end of this issue of Scuttlebutt.)
Q: When you are sailing hard on the wind, you should generally have equal tension on the leech and foot of your headsail, true or false?
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
leweck@earthlink.net
(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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Molly Dawson: In response to Jesse Deupree's statement in 'Butt 833, "The benefits of excessive crew weight and using the lifelines as hiking aids are marginal to boat speed", I ask Mr. Deupree to observe a Farr 40 regatta. Having sailed as many as 50 pounds light in a Farr 40, I assure you, there is a major difference in boat speed in any breeze over 10 knots. As far as the hiking harder, just go out on the racecourse and watch two one-design boats sail against each other and then tell me that the boat hiking harder does not experience a visible speed advantage.
While I agree that is unhealthy for a crew to show up at a regatta 40 pounds overweight collectively and then proceed to spend two days sweating in their foul weather gear to hit their numbers, the fact of the matter is, that weight does make a significant difference. Otherwise, we wouldn't do it. The crew weight limitation is necessary to maintain the integrity of grand prix one-design racing. Perhaps, as others have suggested, a better system should be devised to police it, like random weigh-ins throughout the duration of regattas. But the reality is, whatever the procedure, or the rules, competitors will quickly find a way to push it to the limit of the rule, that is the nature of good competition.
* From Ralph Taylor : Unlike Posner in 'Butt 882, I think Dobbs in #879 was referring to actual wind shear, where winds at different heights can differ dramatically, and without respect to Coriolis force, in strength and direction. This is a different phenomenon than the tendency of wind at the surface to be slowed and backed due to friction. In true wind shear, there is a boundary (not a gradual spiral) above and below which the wind moves in different directions.
Ask a pilot; aircraft experience wind shear more often than sailboats, since they move through more levels of the atmosphere. Seems natural that, if the shear boundary reaches as far down as the top of a mast, it will soon reach the surface.
Another way to observe wind shear is to watch approaching storm clouds (especially thermally-generated thunderstorms) and compare their movement with the wind at the surface -there may be a 180 degree difference. The storm is steered by winds aloft, but the wind at the surface is often inflow into the storm.
Just another of those things that make this sport so intriguing.
* From: Scott Truesdell: I read with interest Jesse Deupree's comments on rail meat and especially on "the practice of sitting with one's torso between the lifelines and leaning out" which he says "is dangerous as well as stupid" and darn uncomfortable, I would like to add. I also agree with how Jesse puts the benefits of this extreme PHRF hiking into perspective.
Races have always gone to those willing and able to invest a little more commitment and concentration than their competition, as well they should. But when that commitment extends to hard-core stamina and the willingness to endure pain, I feel a line needs to be drawn. 20-30 years ago I would have laughed at these observations. I'm not laughing now. It hurts. Sailing isn't supposed to hurt.
ON THE STREETS OF COWES
After not knowing what to expect, simply overwhelmed at what is happening in this small corner of the world. The best way to describe it is it's like three different America's Cups going on. One focuses on the J Class era from the 1920s and '30s, another on the Twelve Metre era from 1958 to 1987 and the last on the modern America's Cup era, which started in 1992. Now imagine being able to choose the point in time where you want to be, either to sail or spectate.
Today I programmed the time machine for ultra nostalgic and watched the three J-Class boats--Velsheda, Shamrock V and Endeavour. Each are over 130 feet long and the only of their kind remaining in the world today. Sailing the course with the behemoths (perhaps too crass a word for such visions of beauty) was the 23-Metre Cambria. All but Cambria shredded their spinnakers in the brutal 30-knot breezes the Solent whipped up. Did you know that nothing is quite as elegant as a J-Class boat having such problems?
So, what boat are you sailing on?" If you're in Cowes for the America's Cup Jubilee, this is the next question you're asked after "Wooaaah, I haven't seen you in ages...how the hell ARE you?" Everyone who's anybody in the yacht racing world is here, and frankly, anybody who has ever raced at all knows somebody here. So, if you're getting it that everyone--even if he's not Russell Coutts or she's not Dawn Riley (and yes, they are here, too)--feels a bit flattered if not famous in Cowes this week then you understand the spirit of things. The main street is logjammed with people, making it nearly impossible for a car to pass, especially at the Pier View Pub, which has been blessed as the place to be seen being seen after racing. A convenient English law allows patrons to spill out onto the sidewalks, so never is it too crowded to find your buddies among the supposed 2800 competitors plus their spouses and friends who number at least half as many again. - Barby MacGowan, Scuttlebutt's official Jubilee correspondent in Cowes.
LIVE FROM COWES
BT Openworld has made the America's Cup Jubilee radio station available on the Internet: www.btopenworld.com/sport/sailing/
EDS ATLANTIC CHALLENGE
The three leaders are battling it out just 16 miles apart at the head of the fleet. Stiff winds are pushing leader Fila at 18 knots. But, those same winds are pushing second place ECOVER, just 13 miles behind, and and third place Kingfisher just as fast.
As close as the racing is up front conditions for Sill Plein Fruit in fourth and Gartmore in fifth place are the same. All five yachts are in the same fast conditions. Only AlphaGraphics now 480 miles from the lead, are still in relatively light conditions. For the others its decks awash and surfing down the face of waves at 30 knots.
Life aboard these high-performance yachts in such conditions is hard to imagine for those who have experienced it. But, Gartmore skipper, Josh Hall, gives us a glimpse in an email to the Web site today: "It's fast progress towards the finish line but it's far from a comfortable ride as we hop, skip, jump and lunge at 15-20kts across, around and through the waves. Thank goodness the sea water temperature is warm because on deck we spend most of the time under a deluge of solid water as the boat screams along. We are fully charged - every sail, every line, every winch is at maximum pressure with the apparent wind angle at a hot 60 degrees off the port bow and wind speeds of 22-32 knots true wind." - Stephen Pizzo
Results - 21 August 2001, 01:43:53 GMT: 1. FILA, 979 miles to go; 2. ECOVER, 998 mtg; 3. Kingfisher, 1003 mtg; 4. Sill Plein Fruit, 1095 mtg; 5. Gartmore, 1234 mtg; 6. AlphaGraphics, 1502 mtg. - www.edsatlanticchallenge.com/en/
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CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
* September 1-2: Labor Day Regatta, Sarasota Sailing Squadron. One design, PHRF and Mulihulls. www.sarasotasailingsquad.com/reg.htm
* September 13-16: Big Boat Series - St. Francis Perpetual Trophy Regatta, St. Francis YC. TurboSleds, Santa Cruz 52s, Farr 40s, Schock 40s, Express 37s, J/120s, J/35s, One Design 35s, J/105s and Americap II classes. www.stfyc.com/
* April 4-7, 2002: BVI Spring Regatta, Nanny Cay Marina, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. www.bvispringregatta.org
INDUSTRY NEWS
Kos - who made her name as one of the top marine/sports photographers in the world - has launched her book '20x20' during the 150th America's Cup Jubile. '20x20' is simply enormous. The books dimensions are 520mm x 630mm opening to 1,040mm x 630mm and weighing nearly 10kgs - that's more than 22 pounds. There are over 144 pages of full colour images on 250gsm fine art paper and tectonic translucent material. The binding is hand-sewn black CARBON FIBRE. Purchase Price. £750.00 (which at Monday's exchange rate was $1084.90 US)
A-SCOW INLAND LAKE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota - The A-Scow Inland Lake Championships hosted by the Minnetonka Yacht Club was won in convincing fashion by John Porter and his team on Full Throttle. 38 foot A-Scows with their mast-head asymmetrical spinnakers competed in breezy and shifty conditions. These 1800lbs speedsters without keels or winches can obtain speeds in excess of thirty knots in only 20-25 knots of breeze. John Porter's team on Full Throttle included: Brian Porter, Harry Melges, Hans Melges, Jeff Ecklund and David Ferguson. Buddy Melges, after finishing third on Silverhawk, immediately hopped a plane to England to be inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame during the America's Cup Jubilee in Cowes.
Final results:1. John Porter (Full Throttle) Lake Geneva, WI 3,1,1,1,1, dns* 7; 2. Rob Evans (Cosmic Warrior) Minnetonka, MI 2,2,4*,2,2,2 10; 3. Buddy Melges (Silverhawk) Lake Geneva, WI 1,14*,5,3,3,5 17; 4. Rick Kotovic (Buck'n A) Pewaukee, WI 6*5,3,4,4,3 19; 5. Tom Burton (Adieu) Minnetonka, MN 5,3,6,5,10*,4 23.
ONE-DESIGN
CHICAGO (August 19, 2001) - Wally Tsuha, Robert Hughes and their Team Saturn crewmembers captured the Farr 40 Great Lakes Championship following their first-place finish here in the Chicago Yacht Club's annual three-day Verve Cup Regatta. Team Saturn will represent Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club in the fabled Canada's Cup International Match-Race Series set to begin September 8 on Lake St. Clair against a challenge from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club of Toronto.
VERVE CUP
Chicago YC - Final results: www.chicagoyachtclub.org/VerveCup/2001RaceResults.htm
J/22 NAs
Although there is nothing posted on either the J/22 website nor the website for the hosting Rochester YC, we've heard that Greg Fisher has added another crown to his extensive collection. www.j22.org - www.rochesteryc.com
ANSWER TO SAIL TEST QUIZ
As a general rule the leech and foot will have equal tension. If the foot is too loose, move the sheet lead aft. Similarly, if the foot is too tight move the lead forward. Following the line of your trim stripe will give you a good average setting for the genoa lead. The answer is True. - Brian Hancock, SailNet website: www.sailnet.com/collections/seamanship/index.cfm?articleid=hancoc0021&tfr=fp
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS
He who does not hope to win, has already lost.
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