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SCUTTLEBUTT 2021 - February 1, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
TRIPLE THE SAFETY MARGIN
(Greg Waters of Central Coast Hydraulics and Engineerings discusses
movistar's canting keel ram and hydraulic set-up on a new story posted on
The Daily Sail subscription website. Here are a few excerpts.)
"I think it is the search for the fine line between being the lightest and
strong enough to do the job," he says. "The actual hydraulic component
failure, valves, etc has not been an issue. The only problems they have had
has been with lightly constructed rams chasing that fine corner to try and
build the fastest boat." Problems have been limited to rams themselves and
the structure surrounding them. Waters also attributes this to the degree
of guesswork going into the dynamic loads being applied to the boats. "Who
really does know what the dynamic loads are?" he asks. "Until you start
breaking them, then you can get some quantity of numbers. We know what has
worked and what hasn't worked, so obviously what is good is somewhere in
between."
Waters also reckons that while titanium rams should certainly be strong
enough, the ones being used simply weren't. "In my opinion, they should
have been about 50% heavier, and even then, they would have saved a lot of
weight in comparison with the ones we are going to mount now. Titanium has
peculiarities that have to be taken into account when working with it, and
it is better to make them a bit heavy rather than the ideal weight." In
essence their safety margin was insufficient. "The ones had a margin of
between 1.5 and 2, while the ones we have mounted have a margin of between
5 and 6. So you could say that with the stainless steel hydraulic arms, we
will triple the safety margin". - www.thedailysail.com
KEELHAULED
The keel troubles which have cursed The Black Pearl for the first two legs
of the Volvo Ocean Race may finally be over, according to their skipper
Paul Cayard, who watched as the giant bulb and fin were refitted to his
boat this morning. Cayard revealed the titanium keel rams which broke
during the second leg, inhibiting their keel's ability to cant fully, have
been replaced with a stainless steel set.
It is similar to the measure carried out by movistar, who also suffered
keel ram failure during the leg to Melbourne, but Cayard will stick with a
titanium cylinder whereas Bouwe Bekking's team has opted for a heavier
steel version. The Pirates decision, Cayard explained, has come at the cost
of 100 kilograms from their keel bulb, roughly 60 kilos fewer than the
Spaniards shaved from theirs in order to keep within the 15 tonne weight
limit. He now has his fingers crossed that tonight, when his boat is
re-measured, that she tips the scales within the legal margins permitted by
the race rule. "I hope we measure tonight. I'm confident that we will and
then we can plough on with our preparations for the In-Port race (this
Saturday)."
He also feels optimistic that their "slow keel" problem has been corrected.
During the Cape Town In-Port race the Pirates wiped out three times while
attempting to gybe, a problem which was later attributed to their keel
which took almost twice as much time to swing fully from side to side as
the other boats in the fleet. "You look at the ABN Anro boats and they were
canting their keel from one side to the other in 12 seconds. It took us 35
seconds. We then had to carry that problem into the Southern Ocean for the
last leg. With that sorted out, I hope it is, we will be a lot more
effective in this In Port race."
If Cayard's boat meets the measurement requirements he hopes to see The
Black Pearl lowered back on to the water tomorrow morning, with the rig due
to be erected in the afternoon. A training sail has been penciled in for
the evening when Cayard plans to kick-start his preparations. "All being
well we will be sailing tomorrow evening. It's not as much time as we would
have preferred, but we have sorted a lot of problems and if the boat makes
the weight we will be in very good shape. I hope the problems are behind us
because this is a very quick boat." - www.volvoceanrace.org
MUST SEE
Take a look at Port America's Cup in Valencia on a remarkable interactive,
panoramic view. While many of the team bases are still under construction
and changes are still taking place every day, this amazing display will
show you what's really happening in Valencia. --
http://www.americascup.com/en/galleries/pano.php
J/80 DAD & KIDS BRING HOME KEY WEST SILVER
"It was a dream come true," said John Stork. "I did Key West with my sons
and daughter. Rumor took second for the week. Our UK sails were terrific -
very fast upwind and able to sail real deep. UK-Halsey's Kerry Klingler
provided invaluable assistance, patiently telling me how to prepare and set
up the boat." Actually, all our customers get service like this. And isn't
it nice to know you can win without your sailmaker replacing your family!
For the nearest of 50 UK-Halsey lofts (plus sail tips, animated rules
quizzes, free downloads and more) go to http://www.ukhalsey.com
BROKEN PROMISE
Valencia Mayoress Rita Barbera used the Europa Forum meeting in Madrid to
issue a wide range of criticisms of the Madrid Government, stating that it
had 'failed to fulfill what it had promised' and even managed to stop
projects for the city that had been contracted by the previous government.
"The Autonomous Communities that are not ruled by the Socialists have now
to sit by and watch as previously contracted works are stopped or simply
not carried out," she stated. Taking the case of the High Speed Train link
between Madrid and Valencia that was supposed to be ready for next year,
she stated that she doubted very much if it would even be ready by 2010 as
had been promised as several parts of the track have yet to be put out for
tender, let alone built, she added.
Turning to the Americas Cup races, she stated: "This is something that will
convert Valencia into one of the most important sailing centres in the
Mediterranean, and despite having been told that it was 'a project of
state' by Madrid, all that has happened thus far is that we have receive
permission to spend 500 million Euros which only enables us to sink a
little deeper into debt." -- ValenciaLife newsletter, --
publisher@valencialife.net
MEDIA EVENT
The February 4 Melbourne in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race will be
broadcast on the race website by both English and Spanish commentary teams.
English listeners can hear BBC World Service race reporter Guy Swindells
and Australian yachting author and commentator Rob Mundle, while Amanda
Blackley and Maria Bertrand will be doing the commentary for the Spanish
audience. Preview programs will bring you interviews with all the main
participants in the race, before race commentary begins 15 minutes before
the scheduled start.
The in-port race starts at 14 00 local on Saturday 4 February (03 00 GMT
and on Friday 3 February at 22 00 USA east coast and 19 00 west coast).
Live commentary will also be broadcast from the leg re-start on the 12
February at 13 00 local (02 00 GMT and on the 11 February at 21 00 USA east
coast time and 18 00 west coast). To follow the action online, Click on the
'listen live' icon at www.volvooceanrace.org
TRIVIA QUESTION
Who will be the most recognizable sailor in 2006? (Answer below)
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RELENTLESS POUNDING
As Dee Caffari continues on her westabout 'wrong way' solo circumnavigation
she reported, "Day seven of seeing over 30 knots in a row and to be honest
I am not really enjoying it anymore. I have been in worse; it is just the
relentless pounding that is winning in the battle to wear me down. I am
very tired, both mentally and physically. Although I have worked really
hard at trying for some sleep the constant crashing into waves easily keeps
you awake as you listen for the right noises to make sure everything is
okay on deck. Also the momentary periods of weightlessness as you are
suspended awaiting the crash landing on the next wave, do not help you
enter into any sleep state."
Caffari's Aviva Challenge still has 14,502 miles to go, and progressed only
91 miles in the last 24 hours for a 3.8 knot average. Aviva has completed a
total of 11,700 miles in 72 days. It took Ellen McArtur 71 days, 14 hours,
18 minutes and 33 seconds to circumnavigate the globe eastabout. "I will
have been in the Southern Ocean longer than she took to sail around the
whole world," Caffari said. - www.avivachallenge.com
TRIVIA ANSWER
We must admit that in answering the question of "who will be the most
recognizable sailor in 2006," we are operating way out of our area of
expertise. In fact, if not for the help of a Scuttlebutt contributor's
teenage daughter, this story would have taken a lot longer to find our
radar. Typically, when fashion designer Calvin Klein selects a new model to
represent their latest line of underwear for men, we don't blink. That is,
unless that model is also top American youth sailor Parker Shinn.
A year ago, Parker was best known as a skipper on the powerhouse Point Loma
High School sailing team in San Diego, CA, and a perennial frontrunner on
the US junior sailing circuit. He is currently listed on the USC Sailing
Team roster, however, we have a hunch now that Parker will soon be known,
very well known, as the guy in the Calvin Klein underwear ads. If you can
handle it, here is a link for some of Parker's images on the CK site:
http://tinyurl.com/978pa
NEWS BRIEFS
* Cory Sertl, a world-class sailor and youth coach, was presented with the
Leadership in Women's Sailing Award for 2005 for her outstanding
contributions to the sport. Sponsored by the Boat Owners Association of The
United States (BoatU.S.) and the National Women's Sailing Association
(NWSA), the award honors a male or female who has leveraged their name,
skills, or position in the sailing world to reach out and enrich women's
lives through sailing. - Full story: http://www.BoatUS.com/news/releases.asp
* Scuttlebutt discount tickets are now available for Strictly Sail Chicago,
the largest indoor sail show in the US, being held February 2-5, 2006 at
Navy Pier in Chicago, IL. The four-day event offers the newest sailboats
and hottest sailing accessories on the market. Click here for show details
and to purchase your discount tickets:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/jump/strictlysail.html
* Harken Yacht Equipment announced that its newest Harken-owned sales and
service office is open in Sydney to serve the Australian market. This move
represents a shift in distribution from an independent distributor, to a
Harken-owned operation. Key staff members from Harken's former
distributorship will continue with Harken to ensure a smooth transition and
a strong foundation for the future. Company president Peter Harken explains
the reason for creating a Harken-owned office: "Our former independent
distributor who was doing business as Harken Australia has moved on,
providing us with the opportunity to control our own destiny in this
important market." -- http://www.harken.com.au
* Results of the 58-boat Florida State Etchells Championship 1. Judd Smith/
Henry Frazer, 20; 2. Vince Brun, 24; 3. Simon Williams, 25; 4. Phil
Garland, 29; 5. Jeffrey Siegal, 29; 6. Vessella, 30; 7. Chris Larson, 36;
8. Bruce Golison / Steve Flam, 39; 9. Kasper Christoffersen/ Andy
Beadsworth 41; 10. Tom Hughes, 48. --
http://www.etchellsfleet20.org/2006_jag/results/flstate.htm
* Pro football has nothing to do with sailing, but the Super Bowl is this
weekend, it is the biggest sporting event on the planet, so we thought we
would ask the question as to which team Scuttlebutt readers thought would
win. Click here to cast your vote:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/06/0131
* North Sails has partnered with expert meteorologist Chris Bedford and his
team at Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts for the
Etchells Mid-Winter Regatta from Feb 1-4 in Biscayne Bay, Florida, which is
part of the Etchells 2006 Jaguar Cup. Sailors can sign up for forecasts by
logging on to the North Sails Weather Center at:
http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf
YOUR VALENTINE DESERVES IT!
Candy and flowers are soo last year…get your valentine something that lasts
forever! An Onne van der Wal print is the perfect gift, and his online
gallery is 15% off until February 15th. Key West pics are up, and our
expert advisors will help you look good this VD. http://www.vanderwal.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 Stuart Streuli, Sailing World magazine: I can understand Charlie
Ogletree's frustration with the new scoring system. Few people in his
situation firmly entrenched at the top of his discipline‹would embrace such
a change. In addition, the results from the Rolex Miami OCR proved to a
large extent that the current system of weighting the final race doesn't
really succeed when it comes to ensuring some drama at the end of the
regatta. However, I think it's more than a little unfair to paint the media
as the bad guy in this battle.
We (as I am a member of the media) are a business and as such, we broadcast
and write about what sells to the public. Currently there are few sports
harder to sell than Olympic sailing. More human-interest stories, creative
camera angles, and expensive graphics will help increase viewers. But
Olympic sailing is already an extremely expensive sport to televise. Why
should the sport expect the general media to pour more money and effort
into a product that has already proven so difficult to move. Olympic
sailing needs to make some changes. While people might refer to these as
"media-friendly changes," the fact is the changes should be made to
increase the public's interest in the sport. The viewers are the ultimate
arbiters of how much coverage any sport gets and they are an even tougher
crowd to please. But once you get them on your side, the media will be
happy to follow along.
* From Paul Pascoe (re Olympic Scoring): While the various Grade 1 one
events are using the proposed Olympic scoring system it cannot be
considered a 100% direct comparison to an Olympic Games which generally
have smaller and more even fleets, and less points between competitors. In
the last three Olympic Games (when 11 race series began), there has only
been one event in the 32 sailed where a boat has been more than 20 points
in front going in to the last race.
* From John Diggins: I like Charlie Ogiltree's idea. Let's work on coverage
techniques. Try tethered balloons with remote control cameras, or drone
aircraft. Golf didn't change to fit the media, coverage changed. Focus on
mark roundings and other action bites that can be narrated with excitement
in the presentation and those new camera angles
* From Ray Tostado: Mike Priest has just focused on a most significant
observation in regards to modern day technology, "... they are using
different physics to go around the course..." Traditional rules were
written to adjust a certain general sophistication regarding physics as
applied to the art of racing a sail boat. Today's boats will require an
entirely new definition, and an entirely new rationale for rule making.
I see no value in arguing the place of these newest designs within the
traditional rules. The two are simply incompatible; but neither is in error
to the purpose of designing and racing. The simple observation on Mike's
part makes this very clear and distinct. The general public's favor will go
with what they can afford, and what pleases them. One dunking with a
malfunctioning articulated keel and that owner will be in the market for
something less dynamic and more predictable. The boating industry has seen
these gyrations over and over again over the past 4 decades.
* From Tom Whitmore: In response to the great pics of Southern California
sailors I thought some of you might like to see the kind of dedication it
takes to become a successful sailor in more northerly climates such as here
in Stockholm. Yes that is ice, at the time of this writing it's still a bit
too thick for sailing, but it won't be long before the ice boats make way
for sailboats again. These shots are by photographer Oskar Kihlborg
(currently on assignment for the Volvo Ocean Race). -- http://tinyurl.com/b2v2d
* From Mike McGuane: OK - we saw your picture of the SoCal kids racing in
their board shorts and sandals, but you should be aware that last Sunday in
Seattle we took a few friends on a little just for fun race. Almost 40
mixed keel boats showed up for a Just for fun, no protests. No fees, no
registration, no handicaps, all in one start, one lap around Lake Union. It
rained 0.97 inches that day and seemed like it was mostly during the race.
Temp 40 degrees. Not your southern oceans by any means. But one of the
crew, who just started sailing a few years ago, made a fun comment. She
couldn't believe so many crazy people turned out in foulies to have fun on
a Sunday afternoon in the rain. Then after the race on the way to the dock,
we sailed past 10 Mini 12 meters (Deception) being raced by a group of men
in their 60s and 70s. By the way, one of our crew is 87 years. As we were
cleaning up, not even needing to get the hose out in the downpour scrubbing
the deck, another group was heading out. The wind was coming up so a dozen
juniors were heading out to go race in Lasers. Those Board shorts and
Sandals crowd might have better pictures (because it is dry enough to take
pictures), but Seattle Sailors are in no way in Winterized Lockdown!
* From John Longley: I don't agree with Paul Cayard when he says that the
Americas Cup is using antiquated equipment. Is he saying that any boat that
does not have a canting keel is antiquated? If so that rules out most of
our sport. He also seems to forget that the Americas Cup gets its appeal
from its match racing element, not pure speed which seems to be the main
attraction of the Volvo boats. It is hard to see how match racing, as we
know it, could work in canting keel boats.
* From George Bailey (re hiking in the Melges 24): If you are going to
allow hiking, do it right; feet in under a strap, like in Lasers. Better
yet, add wires to the Melges. Better yet, add a platform and wires, like
skiffs. Better yet, race skiffs.
* From Allan Prior: My good old friend Bob Fisher correctly called
attention to Conny van Rietschoten's two wins in the Whitbread Round the
World Race, the predecessor to the VOR -- which the Dutch were very proud
of at the time. Also there was Roy Heiner on BrunelSunergy. I think this
was a Dutch entrance in the 1997 -98 Volvo (she came 8th), and way back
when (before some of the current Volvo sailors were conceived), in the
1985-86 Whitbread there was a Boat called Philips Innovator, which came
second on handicap.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
Special thanks to UK-Halsey, Team One Newport, and Onne van der Wal gallery.
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