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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 909 - September 26, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; 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.
VOLVO OCEAN RACE As the crew on Amer Sports One described earlier, "Today has been the opposite to yesterday's conditions with lumpy seas, 25 to 30 knots of breeze on the nose and a lot of water over the deck while down below feels a little like a bucking bronco machine gone wrong. We started the day with a code 0 (zero) and full main and after a few sail changes during the day are now down to a number 4 (headsail) and one reef (in the mainsail)". Within two to three hours, one of the leading trio, illbruck (ahead by 1 nautical mile), Tyco and Amer Sports One, will have to take the tactical initiative to either tack back into the Atlantic or hug the Spanish and then Portuguese coasts.
STANDINGS on 26 September @ 0400 GMT:
ROLEX WOMEN'S KEELBOAT Although Sertl and crew finished a noteworthy 4-1 in today's races, they were surprised to find they were at the top of the leader board when they arrived back to shore. Scoring allows for a drop race after five are completed, and with opening day's three races combined with today's, the mathematical adjustment changed Sertl's one-point lag behind Haberland into a four point lead over her. "Because of the conditions, we definitely could focus more today," said Sertl, one of six Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year competing and one of a dozen or more here who have launched Olympic Yngling campaigns for 2004. Carol Cronin of Newport, R.I., who won a race yesterday and finished 3-7 today is only one point out of second place, while Paula Lewin of Bermuda is in fourth on equal points with Courtenay Dey. The 1996 Europe Olympic Bronze Medallist from Westerly, R.I. seems to be slowly but surely coming to grips with the J/22, a boat with which she is not all that familiar.
Standings after five races with one discard: The Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship continues tomorrow with two scheduled races and concludes Friday. Daily reports and photos are posted at www.ussailing.org. A link with the Annapolis Yacht Club web site (www.annapolisyc.org/rolexkeelboats) will take viewers to more regatta info, including live mark rounding positions and individual race finishes as they occur.
AMERICA'S CUP Several months of hard training, fitness sessions and intense learning lie ahead for the 30 strong sailing team. They will be out sailing GBR44 by the end of the first week of phase two and will be two boat training, with GBR52, by the beginning of November. In the meantime, back at the somewhat deserted Cowes base, the build team will begin work on the GBR Cup boat as soon as the final design decisions are made on 1 November. An intense building period over the winter months will ensure that the new boat is ready for the team to test out and train on when they return to the UK in March 2002. - Joanna Tipper
NEXUS WIND DATA
505 WORLDS
Standings after five races with one discard (105 boats):
MELGES 24 WORLDS "The Lauderdale Yacht Club regrets to announce its withdrawal from the organisation of the Melges 24 World Championship 2001. The effect of current world conditions and the uncertainty of events outside the control of the organisers over the next forty days led to the difficult but responsible decision. Lauderdale Yacht Club thanks the International Melges 24 Class Association, sponsors, committee members, and all Melges 24 sailors for their effort toward producing a high quality regatta and for their understanding of this decision." The IMCA would like to take this opportunity to thank the LYC and its members for their efforts to date in planning the event. Whilst we regret that the LYC is unable to go forward with the event we fully accept their decision in this matter. Despite the present problems, the IMCA still very much hopes to be able to run the 2001 World Championship, the first to be based on the U.S. East Coast. To that end it is in discussions with Premiere Racing with a view to incorporating the Melges 24 Worlds into the forthcoming Terra Nova Trading Yachting Key West Race Week from 21-25 January 2002. Key West is always a major event on the International Melges 24 circuit, attracting 60 entries in 2001. The majority of Worlds entrants were planning to stay on in Florida for Key West again this year and so this is a logical alternative for a replacement venue. Premiere Racing's track record in event management is outstanding and their successful history with the Melges 24 class will be invaluable in delivering a true Championship level event. Clearly, there are a number of technical and logistical questions that must be clarified before a final decision can be made and these questions are already being addressed. The IMCA and Premiere Racing will make a joint announcement about the status of the Melges 24 Class at Key West within the next week. - Fiona Brown, www.melges24.com
STEINER 7X50 NAVIGATOR BINOCULARS ON SALE FOR $399.00!
QUOTE / UNQUOTE "Right now, there is quite a complex chess game going on between cat and mouse. We have elected to invest in the west. With the approaching low pressure and associated cold front, we hope to get more lifted pressure sooner than the boats inside and south. They are closer to the mark than us at the moment but we expect to gain bearing over the next 24 hours. As the wind goes more southerly and increases, we will be waiting to see just how far it goes. "If it goes east of south, SEB and illbruck come out ahead. If it stays west of south and pressure better on the outside, we should come out well. When we are around other boats, we are happy with our boat speed and sails." - Mark Rudiger, Assa Abloy, Co-skipper and Navigator * "We must have been sailing very fast because we have been through the doldrums already! The last 24 hours have been very frustrating with the wind ranging between 2-5 knots and the direction all over the place. We managed to make a small gain by staying in the pressure longer but we were a little worried that the wind might fill in for the westerly boats (ASSA ABLOY) first. It was a relief at each sched (6 hourly fleet position report) to see that nobody had found the new breeze yet. Now it seems that we all found the wind at the same time because this morning we could see Tyco and Amer Sports One. Its good to be out here racing at last." - Ian Moore, illbruck Co-Navigator * "Over the last four hours the wind has gone on the nose and built to 15 knots. Unfortunately for those of us who were meant to be sleeping this has meant lots of action and no sleep. We are all still trying to get fully settled in - find it hard to sleep during the day and hard to stay awake at night!" - Jon Gundersen, News Corp * "Third day and the conditions have changed substantially today, from light winds to 20-25 knots upwind we are experiencing at the moment... it looks we are going to have this upwind stuff for at least one more day, and the main question we are going to have is "when are we going to be in the trades?.., how strong are they going to be?" This reminds me again, how different the weather can be from one Volvo Ocean Race to another in this first part of leg one." - Juan Vila, illbruck
FINN GOLD CUP / HALL OF FAME Frustrating day in term of sailing but a very special day as well... The International Finn Class had decided to honor one of its best and true "Finnster". Gus Miller was today inducted in the Finn Hall of Fame by ISAF President Paul Henderson. The Finn Hall of Fame has been recognizing the sailing skills and contribution to the Finn Class of 11 great people over the last 50 years. Among them are Richard Sarby, designer of the Finn, Paul Elvstrom, Olympic and Gold Cup Champion, and more recently Fredrik Loof, 3 times Gold Cup winner, Bronze medallist and current Star European and World Champion. No one could have described as well as Paul Henderson, the dedication of Gus Miller for the Finn sailors. Gus, a top level Finn sailor, has put his heart and soul to help less fortunate sailors sailing the Finn. At the PanAm Games, Olympic Games and various regattas, Gus has always been "The Coach" for many countries. He doesn't only share his expertise but also and most importantly his love for the boat and for the people who sail it. And as Paul Henderson likes to say: "Once a Finn sailor, always a Finn sailor". This surely applies to Gus, who at the age of 67, compete in the Finn Gold Cup and keeps the enthusiasm for the boat and its people.
SUPER J The Ranger project has been in development since its conception in September 1999 and its team of designers and naval architects have designed a yacht that will recreate the look and feel of the existing J Class yachts Shamrock, Endeavour and Velsheda. Scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2003, Ranger will conform to the rules of the recently formed J Class Association, and will be able to race against the existing fleet, using the handicap system that has been developed. Ranger will be used to cruise in company with the owner's current yacht Georgia and to attend J Class and Classic Yacht regattas around the world. Full story: www.yachting-world.com
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