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SCUTTLEBUTT 1305 - April 10, 2003Powered 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 emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. SWEDISH MATCH TOUR - Congressional Cup Registering five wins today, New Zealand's Gavin Brady remained undefeated after the second day of the Swedish Match Tour's Congressional Cup and, with 27 seconds being Brady's narrowest margin of victory, he has easily established himself as the favorite to add a third "Crimson Blazer" to his wardrobe. Todays win total pushed Brady's overall record to 10-0, as the native Kiwi sailed through the entire fleet of teams gathered at the 39th edition of the United States premier match racing event. "It's a nice position to be in," said Brady. "The difference between a great day, good day and bad day is a three or four degree windshift 30 seconds off the line." In Brady's first match of the day against Denmark's Jesper Radich he copped a port-starboard penalty in the pre-start. Moments later Brady drew Radich into a windward-leeward situation with Radich being assessed a penalty, wiping off Brady's in the process and allowing Brady to cross the start line five seconds before his Danish opponent. The most serious threat to Brady's streak came in the last match when Pillot protested the race committee, seeking redress, after a close call with a press boat two minutes before the start. As the boats returned to the harbor, Brady and Pillot were summoned to the committee boat for a hearing with the umpires. Chief umpire John Doerr of Great Britain said Pillot's request for redress was denied, explaining, "there were no grounds for redress. The incident did not have an effect on the outcome of the race." In spite of disappointing two win days, Australian James Spithill, former helmsman for the OneWorld Challenge, and Italian Paolo Cian, former helmsman for the Mascalzone Latino Challenge, now sailing with the Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team, are tied for second with overall records of 6-4. "It was actually a pretty tough day for us," said Spithill. "We struggled to get off the line early and our boathandling was rather average. We consider ourselves lucky to be in second place." Also, registering three wins were American Ken Read of Saucony Racing and Great Britain's Chris Law and his team, "The Outlaws" to rebound from disappointing 1-4 records yesterday. "It's a fine line between a great day and an average day," confessed Read. "I'm still trying to get back in the groove after taking a couple of months off, luckily the crew did another great job today." - Shawn McBride and Rich Roberts STANDINGS (after 10 of 18 flights): 1. Brady, 10-0; 2. Spithill, 6-4; 3. Cian, 6-4; 4. Holmberg, 5-5; 5. Gram-Hansen, 5-5; 6. Radich, 4-6; 7. Dickson 4-6; 8. Read, 4-6; 9. Law, 4-6; 10. Pillot, 2-8 - www.lbyc.org/ / www.swedishmatchtour.com QUOTE / UNQUOTE 'The toughest thing, outside Olympic sailing, is trying to find sponsorship money." - Ben Ainslie, GBR Olympic Gold medallist, from an interview by Gareth A Davies, in the Daily Telegraph, http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=%2Fsport%2F2003%2F04%2F08%2Fsomysp08.xml WAR LOW PRICES! Get 15% discounts on all printed apparel and design during April. Orders over $250.00 get free digitizing of a logo for hats, polos, and vests. If you want FREE BEER for your event, you'd better get that order in right now! A keg of beer for your regatta when you spend $750.00 or more outfitting your event. Now, what local screen printer will do that for you? Call (888) SAIL-BUM for details, a free catalog and a cool widget or log on at http://www.pirateslair.com/sailing SOUND ADVICE (Following are two excerpts from a comprehensive article by John Rousmaniere posted on the SailNet website.) When asked to recommend a guide for preparing a boat for cruising, I answer, "The Special Regs." If that usually draws a quizzical response, it's because Special Regulations Governing Offshore and Oceanic Racing, to give the 50-page booklet's full title, is not widely known outside the small community of owners of boats that go racing. (Only one sailboat out of ten is raced.) But it is a rich source of tips for making any boat, cruiser or racer, multihull or monohull, better in five types of sailing, from daylight events in protected waters (Category 4) to races to Bermuda or Hawaii (Category 1) to trans-ocean races in cold waters (Category 0). This helpful booklet is available for $15 from the national sailing organization, US Sailing (www.ussailing.org, to the Store link, then Cruising). The Special Regs provides two types of prescriptions: "shall" commands mandate safety practices; and "should" advisories are recommendations that aid seamanship. Many are event-specific, like the requirement for watertight bulkheads for Category 0. Yet numerous prescriptions apply to all boats, for example this very good one: "Sea cocks or valves shall be permanently installed on all through-hill openings below [the waterline]. . . ." Some prescriptions combine commands and advisories, such as: "A foul-weather suit with hood shall be provided for each crew member. It is recommended that a foul-weather suit should be fitted with marine-grade retro-reflective material, and should have high-visibility colors on its upper parts and sleeve cuffs." * Using the Special Regs as a reference, cruising sailors can judge for themselves whether a "shall" makes more sense if it is read as a "should." But for the racing sailor, there is no option because the Special Regs is part of the racing rules. That's true even when a rule is foolish. An over-enthusiastic rulemaker can react to a perceived problem with excess alarm and write a regulation that should have been left as a simple advisory. - John Rousmaniere, full story: http://sailnet.com/collections/seamanship/index.cfm?articleid=rousma0079&tfr=fp NEW HYDROKNIT! A TOASTY, WATERPROOF FLEECE HYBRID FOR SPRING Sailing Angles' waterproof fleece, Hydroknit, is your ticket for staying warmer, dryer and more focused during this cool spring season! Hydroknit laminates fleece, polyurethane & lycra into a skin-friendly, water-impermeable, toasty, 2mm (+/-) sandwich, cut in Farmer John styling. This garment can be used as an outer wear or inner wear depending on conditions, and comes with or without a neoprene back-of-the-leg and buttocks protector. Sizes XS-XXXL. Find it today at APS or at http://www.sailingangles.com AROUND ALONE Leg Five of the Around Alone Race starts on April 13. The leg from Salvador in Brazil back to Newport is another sprint. Luck and tactics still play their part. The doldrums have to be crossed again, then the yachts will run into the Northeast trades that will push them fast towards their destination, but there is another agonizing choice. Go straight which means close to Bermuda and risk a high-pressure system removing the wind, or take the longer westward route, closer to the US Coast, where at least the Gulf Stream will give you miles even if the wind disappears. The tactics in ocean racing are all about the weather. The shortest distance may appear to be a straight line between two ports, but this may not give the shortest time. The sailor who plots their way carefully between the high and low pressure systems, aiming to keep the wind blowing at their boat from the most advantageous direction and with sufficient force to maintain a high average speed, is the one who will win in the end. Luck with weather systems always plays a part, but it is usually the case that the best students of the application of meteorology seem to be the luckiest. - http://www.aroundalone.com/ NEWS BRIEFS *The first day of racing at the Lightning International Masters in Miami, FL saw a building breeze on Wednesday, where Jim Crane of Connecticut sits one point ahead of Bill Mauk of Miami in second, with Fay Regan of Miami in third. Chilean Manuel Gonzalez, with son Tito and Jay Lutz of the US crewing, all of whom are past World Champions, are in fourth. Racing continues Thursday. - www.mastheadsailinggear.com/lightningworlds * The largest ever BVI Spring Regatta presented by Nanny Cay Marina concluded with 138 boats competing substantially beating the record set last year of 114; the increase was spread through a number of classes. Throughout the week of sailing in the British Virgin Islands, the full gamut of weather conditions were encountered from typical Caribbean breezes, to heavy showers, thunder and lightning, 50-knot squalls, whiteout conditions and finally no wind. Regatta results available at www.bvispringregatta.org * Matt Struble and WF Oliver continue their early dominance in the Alter Cup by taking 3 more bullets, 6 for 6 over the first 2 days! Another day of steady 13 to 18 knot breezes kept competitors on the water until almost 8 pm as PRO Fairlie Brinkley cranked off 6 more races after an almost 2-hour weather delay. The event is sailed in Bimare Javelin 2s and sponsored by Rolex Watch USA. - www.ussailing.org/alter/alter03/reports.htm * US Sailing has determined that the U.S. team that places highest at the 2003 U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship will be selected to fill the "host country slot" at the 2004 World Women's Match Racing Championship. The qualifying event will be held November 13 through 16 at the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, Louisiana. - www.ussailing.org/championships/womens * After nearly two years of sailing coverage, CNN has decided to close their Inside Sailing Web site. www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/sailing/04/08/archive.spt/index.html REGATTA GEAR - TEAM DICKSON - CONGRESSIONAL CUP Did you see Dickson Racing Team sporting Regatta Gear's hottest new yacht racing gear of shorts, polo's, UV shirts, caps, custom T-shirts and jackets at the Congressional Cup this week? Order your crew's matching racing gear now and look like a team. http://www.regattagear.com GREAT AMERICAN II REMAINS ON RECORD PACE The trimaran Great American II, which is attempting to set a new sailing record from Hong Kong to New York today, fell off the pace set by the current record holder 154 years ago. Reporting today from the Indian Ocean, 1,000 miles south of the US military base in Diego Garcia, sailors Rich Wilson (Rockport, Mass.) and Rich du Moulin (Larchmont, N.Y.) said the ghost of the square-rigged clipper ship Sea Witch had passed them overnight on their 15,000-mile voyage to New York City. A week ago the 53-foot trimaran from Marblehead, MA, was clear of Sunda Strait at the south end of the China Sea and had broken into steady tradewinds after trailing Sea Witch by up to three days. Driven by the trades, the duo spurted a day and a half's sailing ahead of the record set by skipper Captain "Bully" Waterman, who raced his cargo of tea to New York's waiting markets in record time a century and a half ago. But Sea Witch's performance in the trades has proved stronger. "As of noon yesterday Sea Witch's comparable position was just 10 miles behind us," Rich du Moulin reported by satellite email. "We estimate she passed us in the night and our chart now shows her out in the lead by 70 miles! We could imagine her silhouette moving past us on the horizon." Complete update at www.sitesalive.com/oceanchallengelive LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * Ray Tostado: If in fact there is a major change is made to the ACC rules regarding appendages, their design and applications, the U.S. patent office will be scoured for prior art claims by otherwise amateur designers. Following up with a previous contributor's selection of patent #6,349,659, I located patent #6,032,603, submitted by B. Olcott. His patent provides a simple cavity forward of the conventional fin keel into which alternate dagger boards are lowered into place. At which time, it is claimed, the vessel will achieve a higher angle of attitude towards weather. Each board is shaped with a flat side and an alternate cambered side, according to the tack. It will be curious to witness whether a new concept will prevail in the next ACC event, or some design from a dusty closet of long forgotten ideas. * From Ray Wulff: On the 'wow' factor, Congressional Cup organizers, sponsors, and LBYC should be commended for having streaming video of the first day of racing posted on their website. Some clubs have a hard time posting results in a timely manner. These guys have color commentary by the Staff Commodore of the day's racing! Amazing work guys. -www.gencast.net/longbeach/begin.html * From Alan Johnson (Replying to Robert King's and Mark Van Selst's advice on harnesses and tethers): The strength of the stitching is roughly the thread strength times the number of stitches joining the layers. The standard MILSPEC for stitching is 4-8 stitches per inch; more than that and the fabric is perforated. The standard Box-X stitching usually does not put enough stitches into the joining area. Using a series of narrow V pattern, straight stitching will provide more stitches per area. Stitching should be done with Size V-138 polyester as a minimum and often sizes up to V-295 are used. Polyester is preferred over nylon for UV resistance thought nylon will have a higher tensile strength and abrasion resistance. Webbing is usually nylon for higher strength and stretch which will absorb shock loading better. If you are having jacklines custom made for boat, have them made several inches short. Soak the nylon webbing as it will stretch when wet and shackle in place. Use an electrical cable tie to secure the shackle pin. They will dry to a nice taught webbing that will not be flopping about the deck. MILSPEC 1" nylon tubular webbing has a breaking strength of about 5500 lbs; the commercial grade less. Some grades of 1" webbing are even stronger as they get thicker. Folding 2" and stitching is a poor substitute for the proper specification in the first place. * From Bob Black: The best thing about the America's Cup--certainly in the old days--from the public's view, was that it's "a development class." The changes that came out of the Twelves, from keels to Kevlar, dribbled down to smaller boats and improved the sport overall. I started working on the Cup in 1967 and worked as a journalist and publicist forever after. With the venue changing to Europe this time around, there will be huge interest there and probably more interest here in the U.S. than resulted from Kiwi-land. New stuff fascinates people. It raises the interest in sailing amongst the cognizenti and in the general public as well. One hopes the Defender and Challenger of Record see it that way, too. France's Baron Marcel Bich, the first non-Anglo/Australian to come to the Cup, used to plead for his designers and crew for "just one tenth of a knot more." It's new designs, thinking, materials and planning that will do it and the public will be dragged into the world of sailing along with it. * From Pat McCormick: This summer over 60 sailboat owners have promised crews a sunny sailboat ride to Honolulu, Hawaii in July. This summer will also be the 26th anniversary of Transpac anonymous, an organization that the curmudgeon co-founded to protect naive crewmembers from unscrupulous boat owners promising sunny sailboat rides to Hawaii in July. I was on the 1977 Transpac race on a Cal 40. We were dismasted along with 4 other boats on the same evening about half way through a particularly rough and windy race. I faithfully joined Transpac anonymous, along with many other disillusioned crewmembers that year. In subsequent years your efforts were arguably responsible for a decline in Transpac entries. As entries are approaching the largest number in years, you owe it to crewmembers everywhere to resurrect the thread of Transpac anonymous. You face an uphill battle with digitally enhanced pictures of recent Transpacs that have turned frowns of crewmembers into smiles and cold, cloudy days into sunny ones. I have been asked to go on several Transpacs since 1977 and have declined for a variety of reasons. I am ashamed to say that I actively pursued a position on a couple of boats in recent years, but fortunately they didn't work out. This year I have been tempted to accept a few offers but have held strong. I know there are others out there like me who need help. You have got to stop the madness. 26 years Transpac free, taking it two years at a time. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: You're a stronger person than I am Pat. I've yielded to the temptation six times since that catastrophic race in 1977. However in 1993, I knew it was indeed my last Transpac. I put my sextant on a shelf so high that I knew I would never be able to reach it again. And it worked. Although I've had invitations to sail on each of the Transpac Races since '93, I found the strength to say no - quickly! But if you or others get tempted, remember, the Curmudgeon still provides 24-hour emergency service. Just call the hot line: 310-306-5678. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS The first liar doesn't stand a chance. |
