|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1744 - December 31, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. TRASHED Skandia skipper Grant Wharington yesterday said his uninsured $4 million super-maxi was "trashed" and he would have to build a new yacht, complete with bits and pieces from the present model, to compete in the 61st Sydney to Hobart race. A devastated Wharington found the damage to his upturned yacht was so extensive he will be unable to race her again, with the $700,000 mast broken into four pieces and her giant mainsail in tatters. Both the mast pieces and the remains of the mainsail were being dragged behind the yacht yesterday as she was towed to Flinders Island, where she will be lifted by crane, put on a barge and taken to Melbourne. "We have to start from scratch again. She is trashed," Wharington said. "It's a bloody, total mess. There are certainly some holes in her. We will basically have to rebuild her from scratch, have to start afresh." The upside of the costly situation is Wharington will be able to use more advanced technology during the rebuild, making the new boat more up-to-date and competitive for the next Sydney to Hobart. - Amanda Lulham, full story: http://tinyurl.com/3zt2t ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART RACE As smaller boats continue to finish the grueling 628 nautical mile Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the British yacht Aera still leads the IRC handicap standings in the 60th anniversary ocean classic. Big boats dominate the top placings with Aera, a Ker 55 owned by Nick Lykiardopulo from Royal Yacht Squadron in England, provisionally leading the IRC standings ahead of line honours winner, Nicorette, the Simons/Voogd 90 owned by Sydney-based yachtsman Ludde Ingvall. Aera is now provisionally the 12th overseas yacht to win Australia's great bluewater race - appropriately a British-owned boat, Rani, won the first in 1945 and now, in the 60th race, victory appears likely to go to another UK boat in Aera, skippered by English yachtsman Jez Fanstone for its London-based owner Nick Lykiardopulo. In provisional third place is Matt Allan's Farr 52, Ichi Ban, the current Australian IRC champion, while fourth is AAPT, Sean Langman's Andy Dovell-designed Open 66. - http://rolexsydneyhobart.com BIG LEAD Ellen MacArthur's 75-foot trimaran B&Q is passing 550 miles south of Tasmania and heading towards Campbell Island, south of mainland New Zealand, 910 miles further to her east this afternoon. MacArthur has built up a lead to over two days, capitalizing on the current fast reaching conditions and B&Q has increased her advantage over Joyon's time by another 24 hours since Monday morning. Presently, she is nearly 58 hours ahead of the record. The remaining good north-westerly breeze and much less rough seas are providing ideal conditions that are allowing the 75-foot multihull to race close to her potential. "Things are much better now then they have been the last few days, we've got breeze between 20-25 knots so the boats sailing pretty easily," MacArthur said. We've got a nice wind angle of 130 [degrees] and although its very misty and pretty cold and the water temperature is down to 6 degrees (32F), things are pretty okay. Ellen getting close to her personal best 24-hour run, clocking up 471.7 miles at 1610 GMT Thursday - just 10 miles short of her current best 24hr run of 481.6 miles We've certainly got a few obstacles ahead of us - one of those obstacles is a light wind area and we've got to get through the corner and then out again back into the stronger south westerlies. But we've also got the iceberg zone which is to the east of the Campbell Islands, just south of New Zealand. What I'm trying to do is use the two in tandom to try and help us by sailing into the ridge and coming out with a good angle of breeze, and by the same token using that going north to get over the icebergs." - www.teamellen.com QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Ben Ainslie "Ellen (MacArthur) is a phenomenon, really, and, like everyone else, it amazes me what she does. There is no doubt she is the real driving force behind the British public's enthusiasm for sailing. They can identify with what she does and that is great. When Ellen and Mark Turner, her manager, announced their plan to take on Francis Joyon's record, it certainly seemed very ambitious, but if anyone was going to do it, it was Ellen. And it really is no surprise that she is doing so well when you look at the level of professionalism and the team ethos they have created. "This campaign is a follow-on from what Ellen did in the Vendée Globe in 2000 in Kingfisher, her Open 60. You look at all other successful sailing teams around the world, it is always a similar process. You need the right people, the funding is obviously key but, most important, you need to do all the small things well and that is what Ellen is good at. Everything seems to have gone well for her so far. She has had some tough conditions but has come through; the boat has stood up to it and she is coping." - Two time Olympic Gold Medallist Ben Ainslie. Full story: www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4-1420274,00.html OPINION Yacht designer Greg Elliott points out that this is why the Volvo Ocean Race has a hard time getting entries as it is solely based around professionals rather than owners. He also has grave concerns about the TP52 class. "To me that will be a flash in the pan. Firstly the boats are ridiculously expensive for their size and it will all be about professional yachtsmen taking over, so that the one with the most amount of money and able to buy the best jockeys has probably got a better chance of winning. That is what will happen to that class if they are not careful." - Excerpts from a story on The Daily Sail subscription website, www.thedailysail.com RIGGING, RACING, AND RESULTS All will be present in abundance at Key West Race Week and West Marine is there to help you win! We are discounting all running rigging purchases by 10% from December 13 - January 14, 2005 (labor attached orders only). Call 888-447-7444 and mention this ad. For all your racing needs in Key West, visit our store at 725 Caroline Street. On-site rigging will be available as well as all the latest and greatest gear from Harken, Lewmar, Ronstan, Forespar, Samson Rope, New England Rope, Suunto, Raymarine, Gill, Tylaska and more. http://www.westmarine.com MORE THAN 5000 MILES APART The sixteen remaining Vendée Globe competitors are strewn between the two Capes of Leeuwin (Western Australia) and Horn (South America), over 5000 miles dividing leader Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) from the backrunner Karen Leibovici (Benefic). The leaders on this 53rd day of racing are jumping from one depression to another in a highly strategic game of meteorology. The top five have racked up over 300 miles, as has 11th placed Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto), and Mike Golding covering the least ground of this group as a result of a more southerly course that he hopes will pay off when the chasing depression gives him new wind that will take him onto a port gybe on a direct course to the Cape Horn. "I'm in good form though I didn't get much sleep last night - battling to try and make out the icebergs from the rain showers," Golding explained. Patrice Carpentier (VM Matériaux) is due to head back into the race in the middle of tonight (GMT) in 14th place behind Anne Liardet (Roxy) after what promises to have been a 'repair à la Parlier' to his broken boom. He is currently 4067 miles from the front of the fleet off southern Tasmania. Meantime Mark Thiercelin (Proform) is still 70 miles (about 6 hours) from his intended pit-stop near Christchurch. Leaders at 1900 GMT December 30: 1. Bonduelle, Jean Le Cam, 8193 miles to finish 2. PRB, Vincent Riou, 197 miles to leader 3. Ecover, Mike Golding, 284 mtl 4. VMI, Sébastien Josse, 999 mtl 5. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, 1597 mtl 6. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick 1960 mtl 7. Skandia, Nick Moloney, 2556 mtl 8. Arcelor Dunkerque, Joé Seeten, 3119 mtl 9. Pro-Form, Marc Thiercelin, 3153 mtl 10. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 3530 mtl Complete standings: www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR? Vendée Globe sailor Mike Golding wears 'layers' of thermals when it is cold as wearing multiple thin layers of thermal-wear is more effective at trapping heat than one thick layer. For the south Golding has four sets of underlayers (worn closest to the skin) plus two extra tops, two sets of mid-layer thermals and two sets of foul weather gear - all of it made by British manufacturer Musto. He usually rotates his thermals once they have got excessively wet from working on deck through sweat or salt water. "You change them if you are unlucky once every four or five days. If you are lucky you might be able to last a week. But it is unlikely. What normally encourages me to change is if I haven't eaten and I use that as a pick-me-up and I use washing as a pick-me-up because you always feel better afterwards." Getting dowsed in salt water whenever he goes on deck also takes its toll (even though the Southern Ocean it is less salty than the Atlantic) with inevitable salt sores particularly around the cuffs and neck. "You can't avoid them. The only cure is fresh water and that lasts all of five minutes." So far in this Vendée Globe Golding says he hasn't washed his hair. "Frankly it is fine. It sorts itself out because after a while your natural oils recover because normally we are washing our hair so much your hair doesn't get the benefit of the natural oils. If you leave it comes right." - www.mikegolding.com AIRLIFT A helicopter airlift of an ill crewmember on Global Challenge yacht Imagine It Done is being discussed to speed up vital medical treatment. John Masters, 59, is suffering from a serious abdominal infection. He is said to be stable but in discomfort and is being treated on board with intravenous fluid and antibiotics after a transfer yesterday of extra medical supplies from Save the Children. Skipper Dee Caffari and her crew have ceased racing and have been motorsailing for Chatham Island, approximately 600 miles away, but as they encounter forecast gale force north-westerlies today they will be hard on the wind and able to make best speed only under sail. "There is a local hospital in the main port of Waitangi, but [John Masters] will probably need an operation and there aren't adequate facilities there, so he will be airlifted to Wellington," explains Andrew Roberts, project director of Challenge Business. The New Zealand Coastguard is coordinating the air evacuation, he adds. - Elaine Bunting, Yachting World, full story: www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20041129150840globalchallenge05.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar NEWS BRIEFS *Paige Railey discarded a third place finish and kept eight firsts and a second to score a four point win over Kyle Rogachenko in the 112-boat Laser Radial class at the Orange Bowl at the Coral Reef YC in Miami. Oliver Riihiluoma from Bermuda was the top Opti in a 210-boat class. Arantza Gumucio from Santiago, Chile took second place - one point ahead of Sean Moynahan. Adam Roberts & Marla Menninger from San Diego YC won the 95-boat 420 class and the California YC's Christopher Wenner scored an impressive 10-point win in the 43-boat Laser class. Complete results: www.coralreefyachtclub.com/OB04R/2004obresultsoverall.htm * The San Diego-based Challenged America Team of sailors with disabilities will be racing in the Transpac once again, thanks to the initial sponsorship by Blue Note Lodge of Julian, California. This donation has helped pay for the entry fee for the 2005 Transpac, and launch a fundraising drive. Currently there are 10 crew candidates (from the initial 44 sailors with disabilities) trying out for five remaining crew positions on B'Quest, their adapted Tripp 40 sailboat. - www.ChallengedAmerica.org * The Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (RSYC) has decided to cancel the Corum Phuket to Singapore Yacht Race 2005, which was intended to be held from 8 to 15 January 2005. "The recent tsunami tragedy and its huge human loss have made it inconceivable that the race starting in Phuket could be run as planned," Organizing Chairman, Kent Goeking said. "The Organizing Committee is now considering how monies raised for the event may be best used to assist in the disaster recovery efforts." - http://siyc.rsyc.org.sg * After three days of racing at the Hobie 17 Worlds in Melbourne, Australia, Dan Kulkoski (USA) is in second place, eight points behind Aaron Worrall (AUS). American, Greg Raybon is third overall and just five points behind Raybon, is defending National champion, Ron McDonald (AUS). In the Hobie 16 Woman's Worlds, Mexico's Pamela Noriega and Andrea Mier Y Teran lead the parade with American's Kathy Kulkoski and Judy Raybon in fourth. - www.sailmelbourne.com.au/ * A pair of Californians said they did not think twice about risking their lives to rescue some 50 tsunami victims who were floating off the island of Phukhet in Thailand. Julie and Casey Sobolewski of Carlsbad told NBC's "Today" show they were sailing with a friend when the tsunami struck on Sunday. A lot of smaller wooden boats broke apart, but their craft was spared. "The waves just came across a sandbar they were heading to, and hit the boats," said Julie Sobolewski. "They came apart, and all the people in the boats were floating in the water, screaming for help." www.nbc4.tv/news/4032192/detail.html * We know boats have fallen off hoists, but have hoists fallen? You might want to check the base of your local boat hoist after seeing these photos: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/leverage 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 not 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.) * From John McLeod: Skandia loses her keel and turns turtle. Konica Minolta nearly cracks in half. Nicorette makes it to the finish line by virtue of the crew bolting the cracked hull back together on the voyage. Is it just me, or is this plain wrong? Isn't part of putting safety first ensuring that your boat has the seaworthiness necessary to tackle the predicted conditions? Here's hoping the supermaxis are banned from next year's event - and from any other race in which they're likely to endanger the lives of their crews. Results like these are a black eye on the sport of yacht racing. * From Peter Willcox: Pleasure vessels transit the Suez in one day all the time. All they have to do is maintain the 9 to 10 knot transit speed. Sailing is not normally allowed in the Canal. I have done the Canal more times than I can remember now, both on yachts and merchant ships. The most important choice for a successful Canal transit is the choice of an agent. With an ETA of ten days, time is running out. Funds generally need to be transferred before a transit. * From Todd Jones: I was driving by the frozen-in yacht clubs today with my family and proceeded to tell my eight year old daughter "that's where you might be sailing next year on your own boat." She replied with "can I bring my friends and show them how to sail?" Perhaps the current thinking is off the mark with the Opti. I have been sailing competitively for 25 years on crewed boats and my daughter knows that. People and teams are what make the memories. * From John Adams: I started sailing in an Opti, but what made the difference in keeping me interested in the sport after I outgrew the Opti is my father unselfishly turning the tiller of the family Highlander over to me -- just as he had done to my two older brothers before me. Looking back on those years, I can see that he cared more about seeing us develop as helmsmen than he cared about skippering the boat himself. He unselfishly gave my brothers and me a life-long love of the sport. Maybe more parents should quit buying their kids the boat d'jour and hand them the tiller of the family boat. * From John Sherwood: Ellen MacArthur has the Vendee Globe fleet just ahead of her. (Hope she doesn't bump into somebody!) She should benefit from the experience those boats have with ice in the Pacific and winds in the Atlantic, especially getting through the Doldrums. I assume she has a way of monitoring what the VG sailors are doing, as can we. I also assume the rules of her passage permit her to receive such information. Likewise, the VG sailors might benefit from her experience, but I think their rules are more constrained. Are they allowed to monitor her web site? CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION A "Seagull Manager" is a supervisor who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves. |
