|
SCUTTLEBUTT #207 -- October 28, 1998AMERICA;S CUP UPDATE(The following analysis is provided by John Roake in Issue No. 74 of DEFENSE 2000) Prada - On the Waitemata Harbour this week. Sailing America3 and Mighty Mary. Very professional, well funded. Two new boats to be built. New York Yacht Club - On the Waitemata Harbour for the past two weeks. In New Zealand until December. Two new boats to be built. Very professional, well funded. Nippon Challenge - World financial downturn impacting on this challenger. Not expected in New Zealand before September 1999. Building one boat only. Only 60 per cent funded. AmericaOne - Due in New Zealand in January. Cayard's team well organised. Probably has the best design team. Very well funded. Two boats being built. A very strong challenger. Aloha Racing - Will do all their trialing in Hawaii. Two boats to be built. Not yet fully funded. America True - Due to start training in New Zealand in December 1998. Will stay until March. Two boat campaign. Not yet fully funded. Yaka France. Now fully funded. One boat campaign. Arriving Auckland August 1999. Yacht Club of Australia - Expected to train on Sydney Harbour. One only new boat. Financial situation unknown. Not signed for a Viaduct Basin base. Has tried to negotiate a base without success. Spirit of Britain - Also not signed for a Viaduct Basin base. No announced positive funding in place. Might only be a probable starter now. Fast 2000 - (Switzerland) Starts trialing in Auckland in December using France's 95 Cup yacht. Funding almost in place. Building of their one yacht already commenced. Team Dennis Conner - Currently does not have a yacht building contract. Secured the prime base site in the Viaduct Basin. No crew announced. Funding not yet secured. Team Caribbean - Expected funding announcement has not been made. Their participation now questionable. Espirit France - Already announced that they will not be building a new yacht. Partially funded by two French syndicates. Must be regarded as an"also ran." Age of Russia - No sponsorship, funding questionable, but have started model testing. No base in the Viaduct Basin. They just might surprise us all and turn up. Spirit of Hong Kong - Already been in New Zealand and left a trail of bad debts. Not flavour of the month amongst many Kiwi business firms. Unlikely to front. Formal withdrawal notice awaited from the Aberdeen Yacht Club, Hong Kong. The Spanish Challenge - Partially funded but have two major sponsors to be announced in December. Building starts on their first of possibly two boats in November. Will not appear in New Zealand before July 1999. GUEST EDITORIAL -- Tom Moulds Now that the consensus is that race committees should notify individual racers that they where over early, does this logic apply to protests? Let me paint a scenario for comments/information. During a race week the boat I sailed on was involved in a hectic downwind mark rounding. During the course of action a boat yelled protest. We wondered who they where yelling at, but had enough to do at the time. After the race the boat that yelled protest sailed up to us and asked us if we where over early, we told them we where not. Later that night at the party by shear luck we heard that the RC was looking for us at a protest hearing. We rushed over, but the hearing was over and we where DSQ. We filed a counter protest to try and get reinstated based on the fact that we where never informed of the protest. This was denied on the reasoning that all racers must stop by the race committee headquarters (which was not at the marina or at the party area) and read the protest board. We did not do so, so we where out of luck. This knocked us out of contention for first place of the regatta. We felt this gave a very unfair advantage to the protester, for there chances of winning are greatly increase if the protested boat never knows to show up for the hearing. What do you think?
THANKS DAVE
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON >> From Nick Gibbens -- The Great Pumpkin Race starts and finishes in Point Richmond. >> From Ali Meller -- Regarding the endless debates regarding handicap system A versus B, how A should be improved to handle the [insert new wrinkle/problem here] situation ... race ONE DESIGN! I have a hard time feeling sorry for anyone trying to point out that their [insert type of boat here] is unfairly handicapped by [insert name of handicap rule here] under the [insert situation here] situation ... this goes double if you're a builder · after all, you could have optimized the boat with the rule in mind if you wanted to. You might even fix it after the fact if you catch it early (see note about Sydney 40 being bumped for IMS) · maybe the Big Fella is just a quicker study than Johnstone ... ROLEX AWARDS In the October issue of American Sailor, US Sailing invited nominations for the Rolex Yachtsman / Yachtswoman of the year. This should be an interesting year, (Aren't they all.) OK -- who do you think should win those coveted racing prizes this time around? Let the lobbying begin · TIP O' THE WEEK A simple rule of thumb known as "The Crosswalk Rule." It happens all the time, a starboard tack boat sailing upwind with a port tack boat about to attempt a cross. Without thinking the starboard tacker yells, "Starboard." So, the port tacker tacks to leeward, a few seconds later the windward boat is forced to tack away. Or, perhaps, one boat is sitting on the starting line on starboard with a port tacker approaching to leeward. Instead of defending the starboard tacker assumes the port tacker will tack safely to leeward, unfortunately the port tacker enters and tacks too close and forces the starboard tacker head to wind, the windward boat complains and protests and the ensuing on-the-water argument takes place without regard to the race starting without them. Next time it may be better to institute "The Crosswalk Rule;" just because you have rights does not mean it's to your advantage to assert those rights. Just because you are legally in a crosswalk does not mean that if a truck is barreling toward you it will stop. You may be right, but you're dead. Think about it the next time another boat is about to infringe your rights. -- The Coach, at Sailweb.net AROUND ALONE
CLASS I (Distance to Finish) (Miles Behind) |
