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SCUTTLEBUTT 1885 - July 21, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. HIGH-SPEED GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE The game of cat and mouse in mid-Pacific was about to play out as five boats remained on a record pace in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii Wednesday. Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory was still setting the pace now only two miles ahead of led Roy Disney's Pyewacket---obviously the cat. But a big horse---Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk---was stalking both of them from behind and below. Morning Glory navigator Peter Isler liked his boat's position for its leverage 19 miles south of Pyewacket and well south of the rhumb (direct) line to the finish in the moderate northeast trade winds of 12 to 20 knots. "In an ideal world you'd like to have your competitors dead astern of you," Isler said. "We have a lot of respect for their running speed. They have a little better configuration than us for that. But that said, it looks it's a going to be pretty hard for them to get around is, in the short term." Both are watching Genuine Risk, which paid a price of about 50 miles to get even farther south, hoping to roar up on a strong reaching point of sail from below. Although Morning Glory's speed fell off from the 16.4 knots it averaged on the previous day's race record 24-hour run of 393 miles, the German boat and Pyewacket were each averaging 13.5 knots for the race and had passed all of the Division III and IV boats that started two days ahead of them. Stealth Chicken, the Division III frontrunner, was averaging 7.9 knots in what is not a particularly windy Transpac year. About 180 miles behind the leaders, Philippe Kahn's new Transpac 52, Pegasus, was flying like its equine namesake. Its 296-mile day seized the lead in Division II and the race for the King Kalakaua trophy for first overall on corrected handicap time. Davis Pillsbury's Ralphie was making a rout of the Cal 40 contest with a 51-mile lead and 829 miles to go. Craig Reynolds' Bolt remained the handicap leader in Division III, although Tim Beatty's Stealth Chicken had a 23-mile lead. Tabasco, a 1D35 chartered by the Alamitos Bay syndicate, with Steve Rossi as skipper, burst into the Division IV lead by averaging 8.7 knots over 208 miles. That was an amazing 59 miles better than the former leader, Kerry Deaver and Bob Williamson's Kahoots, which now trails by 32. -- Rich Roberts, http://www.transpacificyc.org/ QUOTES FROM THE BOATS "It took us the better part of nine days to get here, but Dancing Bear is finally relishing in the solid northeast trade winds we came out here searching for . . ." -- Herb McCormick, Cal 40 Dancing Bear, www.cruisingworld.com IT'S OFFICIAL (Following is the official announcement posted on the BMW Oracle Racing website.) CEO Chris Dickson returns to the role of sailing team skipper. During Acts 4 and 5 in Valencia last month, Dickson had stayed ashore to focus on his CEO responsibilities. The New Zealander is back on board the race boat. In other changes, John Kostecki relinquishes his roles as BMW Oracle Racing Sailing Director and tactician. Kostecki remains part of the America's Cup team but in a consulting capacity and he will no longer be based in Valencia. An amicable and mutually-agreed arrangement was reached. He will be a resource to the team for the balance of the campaign and likely will sail with the team from time-to-time. "John has made significant and valuable contributions to BMW Oracle Racing over the past two years and we look forward to his continued contribution for the balance of the campaign," Dickson said upon announcing the new arrangement. Kostecki is free to do other non-America's Cup sailing. The BMW Oracle Racing team is at the halfway point of its campaign for the 2007 America's Cup. "We are fortunate to have a team of many, many talented people not only on the sailing team but our design and shore teams are second to none," Dickson said. "We are proud of the exceptional team we have assembled and the next two years will be extremely important in developing not only a fast boat but a winning team on all fronts. I am confident we are on track to achieve our goal." -- http://tinyurl.com/97eff COMMENTARY Speculation of a rift within the Oracle team, who are headed by New Zealand's Chris Dickson, has been circulating. Leading up to last month's cup pre-regattas in Valencia there was talk a majority of the sailing team were contemplating a walkout over Dickson's management style. Just before the regattas, Kostecki was appointed sailing manager and skipper in what could now be perceived as a way of alleviating the problems. Dickson did not sail during the regattas, choosing instead to stay on shore and focus on his CEO duties. But Oracle's mediocre performance in the two pre-regattas resulted in Kostecki's demotion and Dickson's reappointment as skipper. It has been suggested that other crew members are considering their futures. The America's Cup rules, however, prevent them from joining another syndicate. Kostecki turned down a job at Emirates Team New Zealand in favour of Oracle. He has been linked with the Disney entry in the Volvo Ocean Race. -- Julie Ash, NZ Herald, full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10336830 THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE NUMBERS What makes Ockam data better? Almost 30 years of research as well as utilizing a scientific approach to solve the issue of instrument accuracy. Ockam allows for the calibration of sensor inputs to ensure more reliable and accurate data into the CPU while also providing a simple way to refine your numbers using the Matryx display. This combined with up to 8 times per second processing by our proven Pentium-powered Tryad CPU means your race winning decisions will be more reliable than ever. Break away from the middle of the pack by contacting Ockam: mailto:lat@ockam.com VOLVO YOUTH WORLDS Wednesday brought the most wind yet to the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships on Suyong Bay, Busan. The 8-12 knots of breeze with sizable swells from of a tropical storm which has been hitting SE Asia presented a new dimension on the three race course areas. In the Girls Laser Radial Class American Paige Railey is still on track for her second overall girls' singlehander title. Railey is counting no score worse than second at the moment, but an OCS in Wednesday's second race did nothing to relieve the building tension, and China's Xu Lijia is now just six points back. The USA's Megen Magill and Briana Provancha still hold second in the Girls 420 Class, 16 points behind Marie Lumeau and Claire Bossard from France. The Adam Roberts and Nicholas Martin (USA) moved up to fourth place in the Boys 420s; Royce Weber (USA) and Cy Thompson (ISV) are running 5-6 in the 36-boat Laser Fleet; and T.J. Tullo/ Jerry Tullo are now in seventh place in the Hobie 16 class. In the country rankings, France still leads the parade with the USA and Great Britain tied for second - 33 points back. Spain and Italy complete the top five in the field of 46 nations. -- www.worldyouthsailingbusan.com SWEDISH MATCH TOUR The seventh season of the Swedish Match Tour got underway with the beginning of the ˆ100,000 (approximately $120,000) PTPortugal Match Cup in Cascais, Portugal. Racing was dominated by a light northwesterly wind between 3 and 8 knots. The breeze blows off the land in that direction and is very streaky, making tacticians sweat over their decisions. The six crews in Group A completed their round robin with Peter Holmberg (ISV), of Alinghi, coming out on top at 4-1. He advances to the Quarterfinal Round along with Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Team Finland, and Peter Gilmour (AUS), Pizza-La Sailing Team. Lindberg and Gilmour both finished 3-2, but Lindberg won the tiebreaker to place second and Gilmour third. Group B is scheduled to sail its round robin beginning tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Standings of Group A after 5 of 5 scheduled flights: 1. Peter Holmberg (ISV) Alinghi, 4-1 2. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Team Finland, 3-2 3. Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team, 3-2 4. Chris Law (GBR) The Outlaws, 3-2 5. Michael Dunstan (AUS), 2-3 6. Hamish Pepper (NZL) Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team, 0-5 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar JUST LAUNCHED The world's newest super maxi yacht, Sydney-based New Zealander Neville Crichton's 30m (98ft) Alfa Romeo, hit the water in Sydney Harbour late yesterday, her owner's sights set firmly on winning line and handicap honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2005. Alfa Romeo will be one of at least five maximum-sized super maxi yachts expected to contest this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the others being the yet-to-be-launched Wild Oats, the New Zealand boats Maximus and Konica Minolta and Skandia from Victoria. The new Alfa Romeo is again a Reichel/Pugh design with a canting keel, main rudder and canard for'ard rudder. It was built by McConaghy Boats in Sydney's northern beaches suburb of Mona Vale entirely of carbon fibre using the latest technical advances. Yachting World, full story: http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050620093615ywnews.html NEWS BRIEFS * On Monday, Brazil 1, first Brazilian entered in the Volvo Ocean Race, passed the capsize test. Using a crane, the sailboat (without the mast) was inverted 180 degrees with four crewmembers inside - skipper Torben Grael, Brazilians André Fonseca and Kiko Pellicano, and New Zealander Andy Meiklejohn. When the crane released the Brasil 1, the boat quickly righted itself, returning to its normal position. The test was performed under supervision of American race official Nick Nicholson, and the whole process took just under 15 minutes. The boat was completely upside down for only 30 seconds. -- www.brasil1.com.br * Photographers Carlo Borlenghi and Max Ranchi have accomplished the near impossible - they have made the slab-sided, plumb-bowed entries in the 2005 Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship look exciting to sail. Great scenery, including Dee Smith getting tossed into the drink. Slip on your sailing shoes and enjoy the latest photos on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/imsworlds * Mallorca Spain -- The 11º Breitling Regatta of the Breitling Medcup TP52 Circuit starts on Thursday with a 38 mile coastal race, while the rest of the races will be on windward-leeward courses. Dean Barker, skipper on Emirates Team New Zealand, who will take the helm of Lexus, substituting Russell Coutts. John Kostecki will take over as tactician on Caixa Galicia, substituting Dee Smith, who has other professional obligations. Both Coutts and Smith will return to their positions when the Copa del Rey begins on July 30 in the Real Club Nautico, Palma Mallorca. -- http://www.medcup.org/ * Mondsee, Austria -- With six races completed, Sally Barkow (USA) is now in second place in the Women's Divison of the Yngling Worlds - just two points behind Sharon Ferries of New Zealand. The USA's John Ingalls is placed fifth in the 60-boat Open Division. -- http://www.yngling2005.com/en/ * The BoatU.S. Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Program is adding 34 new sites to its nationwide program that provides a simple way for parents to borrow a properly-sized children's life jacket at launch ramps, marinas and waterfront businesses. Since its inception eight years ago, the program has saved the lives of at least three children. It is estimated that BoatU.S. life jackets are loaned out more than 50,000 times a year. The Foundation also operates more than a dozen programs including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course and a low-cost EPIRB rental program. -- http://www.boatus.com/Foundation/LJLP/ * North Sails has partnered with Chris Bedford and his team of expert meteorologists at Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts for the weeklong Rolex Swan American Regatta, beginning with a week's overview on Sunday, July 24 and a single forecast for the Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race on Friday, July 22. Forecasts for the Rolex Swan Americans will be emailed to subscribers daily by 0730 (with the exception of the Sunday forecast, which will be sent mid-day) and the Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race forecast will also be sent mid-day. To sign up: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf SOUTHWORTH DOMINATES 2005 J24 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Congratulations to Ian Southworth and the "Hedgehog" team for an outstanding performance at the 2005 J24 Europeans. Crewing was Chris McLaughlin, Tactician; Andrew McLelland, Cockpit; Richard Cooke, Trimmer; Mark Hayman, Bow. Powered by a full inventory of Ullman Sails, "Hedgehog" won by 14 points (31 without discard). These commanding results follow their sweep of the 2004 UK Regional and National championships and the Irish Nationals. When speed is clearly a dominating factor to superior regatta performance, only one sailmaker can deliver the "Fastest Sails on the Planet." Contact the nearest Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.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. This is neither 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. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Magnus Wheatley: So Kostecki walks the plank back to Nevada heh? The fall guy for a bad showing in Valencia. Next up Gavin Brady I suppose - then what? Why doesn't Chris Dickson jump into the helmsman's role and save us all the drama? He's the best helmsman they've got, the only guy in BMW Oracle Racing that can shake a stick on the match-racing circuit, the only guy us Press Corp are interested in and he could, just could, potentially gel a unit around him with two years to go. The syndicate should stop looking for fall guys and make some honest decisions otherwise the most technically advanced syndicate ever to compete in the AC will just deteriorate into another embarrassing shambles. It's Dickson's turn to step up to the plate. * From Hank Evans: Reading about all the comings and goings at BMW/Oracle, one might wonder if Larry Ellison has a degree from the George Steinbrenner School of Sports Management. * From Mike Ingham: My son and two of his friends have qualified from the quarter finals for the US sailing area B Sears cup (US Sailing Jr. triple handed championship) eliminations. The Area B eliminations (the semi finals) cost $225 for the entry fee, $75 for insurance, $225 for "Food/ Event". That is a total of $525 for a 2 day event. The Sears finals cost $625 for "Charter/ Entry", plus $480 for "Food and Event". That is a total of $1105 for a 4 day event. That is a grand total of over $1600 for the two events before we even consider transportation and damage deposit. This seems exorbitant for a junior event. Does anyone else have a problem with this? Does anyone know where all the fees go? Are all the US Sailing championships this expensive? * From Michael H. Koster: I was wondering if ISAF President Goran Petersson could explain why a rule book is even needed to get young people interested in sailing. We should be encouraging young people to just get out there and "Just do it!" Why does it have to be racing? How about just going out and enjoying it, just as one might do on ski slopes. Unfortunately, most young people are directed into organized sporting activities by well meaning parents and seldom are encouraged to explore activities with their peers independent of an organization. Gone are the days when our youth have pick-up baseball games, play street hockey, go bike riding, etc., without some type of parental supervision. Every weekend I look out over Greenwich Bay, and rarely do you see kids in small sailboats just sailing around having fun without adult supervision. What I do see are young people flying around in inflatables, having a great time. They all have their PFD's on and the majority handle their craft responsibly. Kudos to the parents and individuals who took the time to teach basic boating skills. Let's forget about the rule book for now, and concentrate on just getting kids out there, whether its organized or not. * From Chris Huntington (regarding the 24 hour records set in the Transpac): Was just wondering if Illbruck's 24 hour mark of 484 miles on the Baltimore - La Rochelle leg of the '02 Volvo race still stands as "The" mono-hull 24 hr record? Curmudgeon's Comment: Not even close. The World Sailing Speed Record Council recognizes the 24-hour run of 530.19nm set by MoviStar, a Volvo 70, last April as the monohull record. The multihull record was set by Bruno Peyron (FRA) and a crew of 10 on the 120-foot Catamaran Orange II in the North Atlantic last August when they traveled 706.2 nautical miles in 24 hours - an average speed of 29.42 knots. -- http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/distancerun.html * From Paddy Gregory: As an Irish Sailor and a member of the largest Irish Club, I have sailed under both handicap systems. Both are applied to open and club events here. The IRC system is straight forward enough but the ECHO system is reviewed every 3 races by an appointed club liaison officer who reports directly to the Regional ECHO officer appointed by the ISA. I left sailing as a kid but returned a couple of years ago with what proved to be a non IRC competitive boat 'unless you had a rock star crew' but many of mine were new to sailing. IRC was 'out of our league' but we persevered under both systems, but only really competing under ECHO. We were watched, we improved, we were penalized, but eventually we collected a little 'glass'. We have since changed the boat, moved up a division, compete and do quite well under IRC, and are currently the Class National Champions of IRC, but those small pieces of ECHO glass were enough to keep us motivated, they were hard earned in those early years but I think they had the desired effect envisioned by the creators of ECHO, and believe me 'carpet baggers', 'sleepers' or 'pot hunters' are soon shown up and hammered. * From Chuck Sherfey, ChuckSherfey@msn.com (re: "Golf" Type Handicap Ratings): Those interested in reading about the approach taken by Chicago's Columbia Yacht Club for its beer can fleet can find a description of our approach in the "What is the BCRF anyway?" article on the Beer Can page at www.columbiayachtclub.com. The spreadsheets illustrating the calculations are not currently on the website, but I would be happy to send a copy to anyone requesting them. * From Scott Truesdell (Re: handicapping rules): Unless there exists a sufficiently large number of any given boat (e.g. J/24) to provide a decent sampling of sailing talent within the fleet, any subjective system (like PHRF) will always rate the skipper and crew to some extent. But when I see competitors complaining of ratings being off by -- for example -- 3 seconds per mile, I try to point to the one-design fleets. If the commodore's Catalina 30 is losing to the leaders by 2 minutes, I point out the Etchells fleet where it can be twice that time difference between first and last place -- and these boats "rate" exactly the same. On the other hand, if a boat is racing 24 or more races a year with new sails, prepped bottom and crack crew and they are losing to the duffers with 7-year-old sails who drink beer the entire race. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS When a man talks dirty to a woman, its sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man, its $3.95 per minute. |
