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SCUTTLEBUTT 2071 - April 12, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary,
opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
SIZE MATTERS
(In Palma James Boyd and Toby Heppell of The Daily Sail subscription
website speak to RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park. Here are just a few
brief excerpts from a huge story.)
Take a stroll around the various sailing bases for the Princess Sofia
Regatta in Palma and you will see Skandia Team GBR branding on hundreds
of pieces of equipment and people: 185 sails, 52 boats, 13 RIBs, 7 vans;
78 sailors and 25 support staff to be precise.
Team GBR's presence the Princess Sofia exceeds that of every other
sailing nation and is sizable to the extent that one could be forgiven
for thinking that it was an ISAF Grade One (it is in fact Grade 2 - ISAF
rules only allow three such regattas per continent, per year: Hyeres,
Kiel and Holland Regatta). The RYA will be bringing an equally large
squad in terms of both sailors and shoreside personnel to other major
events this year, in particular Hyeres. This latter regatta will also be
the first outing for the team's brand new corporate hospitality vehicle.
The size and depth of Skandia Team GBR is one of the major factors of
its success. The RYA recognizes this and does the best it can to nurture
young talent up to an Olympic level. "One of the advantages of having
the depth in numbers that we have is that we are able to train our
development sailors next to our performance squad members. This means
they have a clear yardstick of how far they have to go and how far they
have come," says Park. But, he adds, it is still necessary for them to
come to Olympic class regattas such as the Princess Sofia to measure up
against international competition. -- http://www.thedailysail.com
Curmudgeon's Comment: Most sailors competing in the Princess Sofia
Trophy in Spain ended up spending the day waiting. Today's lack of wind
tested everyone's patience and in the end, the only U.S. sailors who
ended up racing today were the Yngling sailors, Sally Barkow/ Carrie
Howe/ Debbie Capozzi lead the Yngling class with a one point lead over
Sarah Ayton/ Victoria Rawlinson/ Sarah Webb (GBR) Hannah Swett/ Melissa
Purdy/ Liz Filter are in eight place in this 26-boat Yngling fleet.
Mikee Anderson-Mitterling/ Dave Hughes (USA) sit 23rd in the 76-boat 470
Mens fleet -- two place ahead of Stuart Mcnay/ Graham Biehl. Amanda
Clark/ Sarah Mergenthaler are in eighth place in 49-boat 470 Women's
class. Zack Railey is the top North American in the 41-boat Finn class,
presently in 11th place. Anna Tunnicliffe is just one point out of the
lead in the 76-boat Laser Radial class with Paige Railey in third - just
two points further back. Brad Funk (USA- 16th place) is the top North
American in the triple digit Laser class. --
http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/dinghy/index.html
MAJOR MILEAGE
Happy sailors and fast speeds are the order of the day for the Volvo
Ocean Race teams. No one can deny the constant trade winds speeds and
slightly cooler temperatures are a welcome relief to the sweltering heat
of only a few days ago. It might look like plain sailing as the Volvo
Ocean Race fleet scorches through the Caribbean en route to Baltimore,
but it's actually more complicated than it initially appears. "The
weather is starting to really throw some curve balls for us for the last
couple of thousand miles to Baltimore," explained Mike Sanderson,
skipper of ABN Amro One.
The mental game is commencing and the weather forecast indicates that
there will be plenty of re-start possibilities. For ABN Amro One this is
their worst nightmare and will ensure that the last week of leg five
will be as stressful for the Dutch boat as possible. The forecast shows
two low pressure systems and a high pressure ridge for the fleet to
negotiate between the Caribbean and the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
In the last six hours, ABN Amro One's nightmare became reality as they
slowed to 15.9 knots and the chasing pack was hounding them down at 17
knots or over. The order has not changed tonight, but the entire fleet
is reducing ABN's lead and is likely to continue to do so over the next
six hours. - http://www.volvooceanrace.org
Volvo Ocean Race Positions at 2200 GMT Tuesday
1. ABN Amro One, Mike Sanderson, 2029 miles to finish
2. movistar, Bouwe Bekking, +42 miles
3. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard, +82 miles
4. Brasil 1, Torben Grael, +89 miles
5. Ericsson Racing Team, John Kostecki, +110 miles
6. ABN Amro Two, Sebastien Josse, +175 miles
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
"This must have been the night of the flying fish. It was if we were
under attack of them. Stu (Wilson), not the smallest person on earth,
got hit in the face when driving, Big Mikey (Howard) in the chest, Pepe
(Ribes) on his arm. And some really big suckers as well. Just fish
everywhere on deck. With the moon being so bright you could see
something flying towards you. Imagine our boat speed around 19 knots,
guessing similar speed of the flying fish, so you can feel it when they
hit you with nearly 60 km. It was like a boxing match on deck, body's
moving all the time to avoid to get punched by a fish." -- Bouwe
Bekking, movistar skipper
"We had been stressed about our lack of speed for long enough. So we
stopped the boat and Erle Williams and Anthony Merrington went in. The
conditions were fairly tame, 13 knots of wind and smooth seas. Putting
people in the water is never something to take lightly at sea. We
discussed the whole maneuver before hand, set up ropes that hung over
the entire length of the boat on each side, and had one crew member
dedicated to watching and assisting each swimmer. The whole operation
went smoothly. Fortunately or unfortunately, they found nothing." --
Paul Cayard, Pirates of the Caribbean skipper
IN GOOD COMPANY
Newport Shipyard salutes its family of tenants: Churchill Yacht
Partners, Nautor's Swan, Oyster Marine, Marsh USA, Nordhavn Yachts,
Seaton Yachts, Camper & Nicholsons, Brooks Marine Group, the Captain's
Concierge, W-Class Yacht Company, Rodger Martin Yacht Design,
Pantaenius, J. Thompson Marine Carpentry, Bob Simmons's Aquidneck
Marine, and Ship to Shore. One-stop shopping and the best boat scene in
New England. http://www.newportshipyard.com
CONGRESSIONAL CUP
With France's Mathieu Richard leading the way by winning all five of his
matches, the five European competitors in the 42nd Congressional Cup
presented by Acura won 18 of their 25 races Tuesday to claim the top
three positions in the early standings. Close behind Richard, who is
eighth in the current International Sailing Federation (ISAF) rankings,
stand Great Britain's Ian Williams and Finland's Staffan Lindberg at
4-1.
Conversely, the three New Zealanders---four if you count local Scott
Dickson who has lived in Long Beach for a decade---were 7-13, an
atypical mark for a small country that turns out champion match racers
like sheepskin slippers. Go figure.
Gavin Brady (3-2), a Kiwi who is a two-time Congressional Cup winner,
although he resides in Annapolis, had an explanation: the soft spring
breeze was more to the Europeans' liking. "These Mediterranean guys like
it light," Brady said. "We discussed that [when he was] at [BMW] Oracle.
One of our weaknesses as Kiwis is sailing in light air." Richard, 29,
loved it. He grew up sailing in light wind on a small lake at his home
in Angers in western France. "It's just a good feeling we have," he
said. "It takes a long time to learn how to sail in light air."
Bobby Frazier, principal race officer for the host Long Beach Yacht
Club, was commended for clicking off the first five of the week's 18
rounds of a double round robin in nearly six hours of fluky winds. The
customary sea breeze never showed, although it did increase to 7 knots
for the final round when Brady beat Williams by 14 seconds in the last
race of the day to hand the Brit his first loss and dampen a minor
re-enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar against Richard on Wednesday. --
Rich Roberts, -- http:www.lbyc.org/concup/
Standings after five rounds:
1. Mathieu Richard 5 - 0
2. Staffan Lindberg 4 - 1
2. Ian Williams 4 - 1
4. Simon Minoprio 3 -2
4. Gavin Brady 3 - 2
6. Peter Wibroe 2 - 3
6 Johnie Berntsson 2 - 3
8. Scott Dickson 1 - 4
8. Brian Angel 1 - 4
10. Cameron Appleton 0 - 5
FOR THE RECORD
Record-setting seems to be playing an ever increasing role in sailboat
racing these days. On Tuesday, John Reed, Secretary to the World Sailing
Speed Record Council distributed a listing of the record attempts in
progress or planned (which only includes projects which have completed
all the necessary documentation - there are several more currently
processing). Amazingly, that list currently includes seven World Record
attempts, four Performance Certificates attempts plus seven scheduled
Speed Sailing events. Those projects are all listed online --
http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/news.html
Curmudgeon Comment: Here are updates on three of those record attempts:
* Ellen MacArthur and her crew on the B&Q trimaran have just set record
#5 on their current "Asian Record Circuit." This one is "The Cotton
Record" (Qingdao - Shanghai) 1d 5h 25m 33s (308nm). Ellen and her crew
beat their self-imposed target time of 32 hours by 2 hours and 35
minutes- a feat that was looking doubtful mid-way through as lack of
wind and continual fog hampered the record, but a fast finish delivered
the result they were looking for. -- http://www.asianrecordcircuit.com
* The trimaran Geronimo will set sail on Wednesday, 12 April 06 from San
Francisco to make an attempt at the record to Yokohama in Japan. On a
complicated course, Olivier de Kersauson and his 11 crewmen will have to
improve on the time of 19 days, 15 hours 18 minutes and 09 seconds set
by the American Steve Fossett, the current record holder. Matt Bryant
will now be the second American on board Geronimo alongside navigator
Larry Rosenfeld. Matt Bryant is a consultant with North Sails in San
Diego where Geronimo's sails were taken to be inspected and repaired. --
www.superyachting.com
* Following are excerpts from a message from Dee Caffari who is
attempting to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stop westwards
round the world: "Aviva was wonderful today, apart from the sail changes
during the morning, the rest of the day was spent with my head in small
spaces loosing a battle with the water maker. I saw very little of the
day. I am carrying emergency water and I can shower in the warm tropical
rains ahead so I am not too stressed as there is not long to go, but I
am frustrated and determined not to let it get the better of me. It is
more of an unnecessary inconvenience that I am determined to overcome
somehow. All that said, by six o'clock this evening I sat and burst into
tears, I think it was frustration more than anything. I then read the
messages sent over the weekend and today and burst into tears again.
There were some great messages and nearly all of them referred to me
doing well and here I was sat in amongst the debris of water maker parts
with no result or solution just yet. ~ www.avivachallenge.com
NEWS BRIEFS
* Just released -- the 2006-2007 Edition of the Cowes Port Handbook is a
192-page publication that is packed with valuable information for
boating enthusiasts. Complete with a full event calendar, information on
major events, details of local clubs and classes, and a new Town Guide,
including where to Eat and Drink, and a very useful High Street map.
Free copies are available at any of the Yacht Clubs, all the marinas,
Cowes Harbour Office, in race packages and from many pubs, cafes, and
shops throughout the town. It can also be ordered online:
http://www.cowes.co.uk
* Two audio podcasts from Destination One Design have been posted on the
Scuttlebutt website that can be either listened to using your computer's
music player or can be transferred to your mp3 player. Look for an interview
with Emirates Team New Zealand member Terry Hutchinson, where Terry discusses
his background, the America's Cup, as well as team motivation and drive.
Additionally, there is an interview with Mark Reynolds where he provides
details on his sailing background along with his insights on large fleet
starts, the risks involved, as well as tactics and timing.
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/#media
* In ideal wind conditions all week-end, the Southern Yacht Club, New
Orleans, LA, lead by Corky Potts took 13 races to win the 2006 Jackson
Cup Invitational Team Race Regatta hosted annually by Boston YC. The
consistent breeze allowed race organizers to run a record 68 races in
two complete round robins and a final round over the two week-end
sailing days. The final standings: 1. Southern YC, 13 wins; 2. Larchmont
YC, 12 wins; 3. Seawanhaka Corinthian YC, 10 wins; 4. New York YC, 9
wins. Complete results and more at:
http://www.bostonyachtclub.net/Racing/JacksonCup.htm
* 130 boys and girls Ages 13 to 18 came to Alamitos Bay YC from 17
states, including Hawaii, for four days of onshore lectures and offshore
drills to fire their ambitions as world class sailors in a program
directed by an all-star faculty assembled by clinic director Robbie
Dean. They were selected from twice as many applicants to participate on
the basis of their competitive resumes, and the curriculum was geared to
the top level of talent. "It forces you to go a hundred per cent the
whole time," said Myles Gutenkunst, 18, of Mill Valley, California." --
www.cisasailing.org and www.abyc.org
* Szabolcs Majthenyi & Andras Domokos (HUN) discarded a first and second
place finish as they coasted into the International Flying Dutchman
World Championship with an eleven point lead over Hans-Peter Schwarz &
Roland Kirst (GER). Italy's Roberto Cipriani & Stefano Morelli were ten
point further back in third. Lin Robson & Eric Boothe (USA) were the top
North American Team in the 34-boat fleet, finishing seventh in the
regatta hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club. -- http://tinyurl.com/lsmg5
MUM'S THE WORD...!
Celebrate your "Mum" on May 14...Mother's Day! North Sails has put
together a collection of fashionable gifts & accessories that your
Mother is sure to love. From tailored polo & tee shirts to great tote
bags, you will find something perfect on the North Sails Web site. Don't
delay, you only have 30 shopping days left...!
http://na.northsails.com/an/AN_catalog.taf?_function=list&category=27
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 Hal Eisen (RE: BMW Oracle's "Bump in the Road"): Do we know which
boat hit the bump? If it was USA87, I would not rule out having hit a
steel cable, but maybe not by accident. If there was an observer present
to note exactly how far down the channel USA87 had progressed, then the
position of the keel strut could be fairly accurately derived from such
a bump.
* From Andrews H. Hooker: Enjoying the thread on proper nautical terms,
which can be overwhelming for a beginner. Let them just enjoy sailing
and learn the basics, their vocabulary will improve with time. I had one
new crew member whose intent was to take a nap in the quarterberth, but
announced "I'm going below to crawl into the after-berth". Don't get any
on you.
* From John McBrearty: Language has, and will, evolve! Long ago, and,
dare I say, far away, sailors developed terms which simplified what they
did. If sailors used the "same" term, everyone on board knew what it
meant. However, like I said earlier, language does evolve, consequently,
the terms change. Having, relatively recently, aquired an "asyo", I
quickly learned what a downf&%$*r was. That's linguistic evolution!
* From Andrew Troup New Zealand (edited to our 250-word limit): I'm all
for holding a blowtorch to convention, but before we ditch it, I think
it's important to understand why it was adopted. The discussion is
largely irrelevant to dinghies, but the habits are hard to break when -
as most of us do - we move on to larger things. There has always been a
need to call directions and locations, with respect to the boat. This
has to remain unaffected by, and distinct from a) the orientation of
items within the boat, and b) the compass heading of the boat .
In a building, we can talk about the North lobby or the West staircase.
In a boat, these global cardinal directions are only useful for things
outside the boat. In a boat, the four cardinal directions, localised to
the boat, are by convention: (pronounced) forrard, starboard, aft, and
port. Front and Back, Left and Right are avoided in this situation to
save confusion, not just with the crew's left and right side, but with
the four sides of individual items, (eg lockers, stoves, gensets, radar
repeaters).
If we send someone below to get a wrench, we can tell them it's the one
at the front of the tool drawer, regardless of the drawer's orientation.
In the bowels of a ship, they may not even be sure where the bow is, but
no matter, they'll know where the front of the drawer is. On some
vessels I've sailed on, "front" get used interchangeably with "forrard".
* From Manfred C. Schreiber, Germany: Thanks Anatole Perry for putting
it right with the NZL-20 age. Oh, I did feel very old as well. The
nickname of that wonderful fast boat, known to me at that time, had been
"Skiff on steroids" but that might have been a short lived one like
hopefully the "Volvo 80" term for the ABN1 boat, which I recently read
from a jealous competitor.
* From Glenn McCarthy: I have researched the carriage of CO2 cylinders
on commercial passenger aircraft. We all need to accept that any
compressed gas is, and always will be, considered a "Hazardous
Material." Almost all Hazardous Materials are banned. The FAA, and IATA
(international), do allow airlines to make the decision whether to carry
the Inflatable PFD CO2 cylinders on their airplanes, or not. Each
airline has a risk management department that negotiates insurance
premiums and has to declare what their operating policy is towards the
carriage of Hazardous Materials. With price being everything in air
travel today, wouldn't you negotiate a lower insurance premium at the
cost of more hassle for your boating travelers?
The CO2 cylinders under your seat were inspected by the FAA during
installation. The manufacturer who makes 90% of these cylinders in the
U.S. is against the idea that any cylinder goes on a flight. Why? Other
gases are put in identical cylinders, including O2, Propane and could be
dangerous in the wrong hands. The FAA said that they don't like the idea
that CO2 will explode in the event of fire, potentially injuring
rescuers (I've seen pictures of an exploded cylinder that went through a
cinderblock).
No regulator is going to be able to force any airline to carry a
hazardous material on their airplane. I suspect that someone will invent
a new technology that does not involve hazardous materials that will be
able to travel freely. Until then, it will remain complicated.
* From Ted Pike: The passing of Bill Lapworth is indeed a great loss. My
heart goes out to all his family and friends whose lives he enriched. It
is amazing how many great boats he designed and how many sailors have
enjoyed them. I have been very lucky and grateful to have sailed several
of his designs and to have spent a bit of time with him. My first
experience was an L-32, then raced on an L-36, and sailed the great 77
Transpac on the Cal 40 Montgomery Street with Jim Denning. In many ways
these experiences showed me Bills amazing ability that his boats were so
well balanced, fast, and so much fun to sail. Bills ability as a great
designer and engineer will be a very appreciated and long lasting
legacy.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
"The sail, the play of its pulse so like our own lives: so thin and yet
so full of life, so noiseless when it labors hardest, so noisy and
impatient when least effective". -- Henry David Thoreau
Special thanks to Newport Shipyard and North Sails.
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