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SCUTTLEBUTT #488 - January 24, 2000KWRWKey West (Fla.) January 21, 2000 - Big shifts and big breeze brought GMC Yukon Yachting Key West Race Week, sailed January 17-21, to a dramatic conclusion. A final day of north-northeast winds ranging 12 to 25 knots, with shifts as large as 30 degrees, wound up the level of intensity for boats whose chances for a class win rode Friday's finale. "It was a day when you had to jump on the shifts," said event director Peter Craig, principal race officer on Division I, of the final day of racing. Wind shifts and swings in velocity may have been the wild cards in the last deciding race, but the boats that triumphed at series end sailed well in a wide range of conditions. Sailors saw light five-knot winds, breeze in the mid-teens, and firm north-northeasterlies. This range in conditions from light air to stronger conditions of 18 to 20 knots has been the case for the past three years at this January regatta. One boat had a better all-around performance than any boat in the 261-boat fleet and captured overall honors. Robert Hughes (Holland, Mich.) and his crew on One Design (1D35) Heartbreaker captured boat-of-the-week honors, and this Great Lakes crew was presented this evening with the Yachting Magazine Trophy. Thirty seconds made the difference today for the crew on Heartbreaker. Losing that time could have meant adding enough points to lose the 1D35 class - - and adding enough time to lose a shot at the Yachting Magazine Trophy. The Annapolis, Md., crew on Beneteau First 10M L'Outrage captured the Key West Trophy. Owned by Chesapeake Bay sailor Bruce Gardner, L'Outrage and its crew are known at home for their skill in heavy air. Before he came to Key West, Gardner educated himself on the local weather patterns and prepped his boat for lighter breeze. Their light-air performance peaked on Wednesday, with a win in Race 4, and they never dropped below a fourth-place finish to win the 13-boat PHRF-7 class and this overall trophy. The Yukon Cup, the international team competition, which was added to this event four years ago, was captured by Team Italy. The three-boat team of Italian Farr 40 Mascalzone Latino owned by Vincenzo Onorato, Italian Mumm 30 Kismet owned by Stefano and Massimo Leporati, and U.S. Melges 24 Zenda Express owned by Harry Melges took the title by 21 points. This is the second year Team Italy has captured this trophy, which is loosely patterned after the format used in the Champagne Mumm Admiral's Cup in England. In the Yukon Cup, two of the three boats on the team must be from the home nation. -- Cynthia Goss SELECTED RESULTS DIVISION I CLASS A - IMS (9 Boats) 1. Highland Fling/Irvine Laidwaw (Isle of Man, U.K.) 2-1-1-1-2-2-6-1 -- 16; 2. Rima/Isam Kabbani (Newport, RI) 1-5-3-7-1-4-4-3 - 28; 3. Virago/Bache Renshaw (Portsmouth, RI) 8-2-4-5-3-3-1-5 -- 31; CLASS C - Farr 40 (27 Boats) 1. Atalanti XI/George Andreadis (Coconut Grove, FL) 3-9-1-1-2-5-2-2 -- 25; 2. Mascalzone Latino/Vincenzo Onorato (Savoia, Italy) 4-1-8-12-8-3-3-5 - 44; 3. Raging Bull/Richard Marki (Bristol, RI) 5-5-7-5-1-8-9-4 -- 44; CLASS D - 1D35 (21 Boats) 1. Heartbreaker/Robert Hughes (Holland, MI) 10-7-3-4-5-1-1-4 - 35; 2. Tabasco/John Wylie (San Diego, CA) 1-5-4-2-11-11-2-2 - 38; 3. Smiling Bulldog/Garth Dennis (Ithaca, NY) 4-4-9-8-3-6-4-1 -- 39; CLASS C - J/29 (13 Boats) 1. Tomahawk/B. Lockwood (Ludlow,VT) 1-4-4-1-3-2-1-1--17; 2. Titillation/P. Anderson (Deltaville, VA) 4-1-3-5-1-1-2-2--19; 3. Fast Lane/J. McArdle (Milwaukee, WI) 6-3-7-4-6-4-8-3--41; CLASS D - J/80 (12 Boats) 1. Syzyey/J. Lutz (Houston, TX) 1-1-1-7-1-1-1-1--142. Monster Lady/M. Kald (Pt. Washington, NY) 2-2-3-1-3-2-2-4--19; 3. Kicks/D. Balfour (Austin, TX) 3-3-2-4-4-4-3-2--25; DIVISION 3 CLASS A - Mumm 30 (26 Boats) 1. Ville de Saint Raphael/Jean Pierre Dick (FRA) 14-1-1-3-6-3-4-6-- 38; 2. Trouble/Phil Garland (Barrington, RI) 3-5-12-9-1-2-5-3 -- 40; 3. Turbo Duck/Bodo von der Wense (Annapolis, MD) 2-8-3-1-3-11-15-12 -- 55; CLASS B - Melges 24 (46 Boats) 1.Full Throttle/Brian Porter (Lake Geneva, WI) 8-1-1-2-8-2-1-2 --25; 2. Zenda Express/Harry Melges (Lake Geneva, WI) 4-6-6-3-4--4-2-3 -- 32; 3. RockN'Roll/Argyle Campbell (Newport Beach, CA) 2-7-11-5-2-1-8-8 - 44; CLASS C - J/105 (18 Boats) 1. Plum Crazy/Andrew Skibo (Ocean City, NJ) 1-2-2-3-3-5-2-1 -- 19; 2. Phantom/Geoffrey Pierini (Perth Amboy, NJ) 2-3-3-4-5-4-8-4 -- 33; 3 Wonder Wagon/Rick Wright (Marblehead, MA) 4-6-9-2-1-1-3-9 -- 35. Complete results and feature reports: http://www.Premiere-Racing.com MONTANA WINES ETCHELLS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Cameron Miles, James Mayo and Andrew Palfrey have overcome their disappointment in just missing out on Olympic selection and won the 25th Etchells World Championship. The regatta concluded with Race 6 today being taken out by Cruel Jan sailed by Steve O'Rourke with Scot Condie and John Minter. Pittwater boat, QRS skippered by Richard Hammond with Steve Trevillion and Chris Langley was second and Bananas in Pyjamas (Ian Johnson, Gary Smith, Tim Ede) third. -- Emily Welch FINAL RESULTS: 1) AUS Cameron Miles (11); 2) AUS Ian Walker (32); 3) AUS Peter McNeill (39); 4) AUS Michael Coxon (47); 5) USA Gary Weisman (52); 6) AUS Andrew Hunn (52); 7) AUS Mark Richards (57); 8) AUS Julian Plante (62); 9) AUS Richard Coxon (62.5); 10) AUS Iain Murray (70); Top finishers from other countries:; 19) GBR Nils Razmilovic (90); 28) BER Tim Patton (116); 33) NZL Cameron Thorpe (133); 54) HKG John Elsden (230); The inaugural International Match Racing Championship commences on Monday with the top The inaugural International Match Racing Championship commences on Monday with the top competitors in each of 9 zones plus one wild card entry competing on Pittwater. The following skippers have been invited to compete:
For further information: http://www.rpayc.com.au/etchells PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD You're making a big mistake if you think Douglas Gill just produces the world's best foul weather gear. No way. Gill has made the same commitment to insuring that sailors also have proper footwear, no matter what kind of sailing they do. Not just one or two products -- a full line designed specifically for every kind of sailing. From tall thermal sea boots to Aqua Tech Booties, they've touched all the bases - with style and the famous Gill quality. Check out their new Deck Techs. These sailing sneakers are re-designed to be lighter and better looking than ever. http://www.douglasgill.com LOUIS VUITTON CUP FINALS The Umpiring system will stay the same for the Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, despite a test system that would have improved communication between the Umpires and the skippers and tacticians. Team New Zealand has stated it would like to see Umpires on board the race boats for the America's Cup but the two remaining challengers are united in opposition to that suggestion. Instead, both Prada and AmericaOne tested a system over the past few days that would have seen Umpire radios placed on board the boats. The radios would be listen-only and would allow the tacticians and skippers to hear overlap calls and to hear what rule the Umpires were applying in a given situation. But after testing the system, the challengers and Umpires agreed there were too many potential problems to introduce the change at this late stage. The decision means the challengers will continue with the same system that sees penalties decided by Umpires following the racing boats on chase boats. There is no final decision at this stage as to what system will be used in the America's Cup match in February. The eventual Challenger will have to work that out with the Defender, Team New Zealand, in advance of the Match. -- Peter Rusch, Louis Vuitton Cup website. Full story: http://www.louisvuittoncup.com TV SCHEDULE FOR LVC FINALS It all starts again today - AmericaOne against Prada. The first boat with five wins advances to race the Kiwis for the America's Cup. The TV coverage of the Finals is still tape delayed. All times shown are Eastern Standard Time:
Complete TV Schedule: http://www.jobsonsailing.com/tvsched.html CHAT ROOM Elliott / Patterson Sailmakers host live chat sessions every Tuesday night between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. PST, and special two hour seminars on a variety of sailing topics. Guests in the coming weeks include sport boat designer and builder Leif Beiley, John Conser of Conser Catamarans and Don Whelan of Harken Yacht Equipment. Visit the web site for more information and a complete calendar of seminars and topics: http://www.epsails.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Brad VanLiew (in response to Eric Hall's response) -- I have not agreed more with any opinion displayed in Scuttlebutt since I became a daily reader. Such clarity seems to be hard to find! -- From Scott MacLeod, Tour Director, Swedish Match Grand Prix -- I think the 'Butt readers have this whole umpire onboard issue wrong. Onboard Umpires or as they are better known as "Observers" (as used on the Swedish Match Grand Prix) are only there to call overlap positions. They do not speak to the skippers, they do not make decisions as to who is right or wrong that is left to the two umpires following the races from behind. The observers stand at the back of the boat and give hand signals in regards to overlaps at the start and during the race. Currently, overlaps are called from a wing boat that follows alongside, radios information to the umpires and are at many times can be out of position. On board observers have been used very effectively at the Steinlager/Line 7 and Swedish Match Cups on the Grand Prix. In the A1 vs. Prada race, everyone (sailors, tv, etc..) would have known whether there was an overlap or not during that entire sequence if there was an onboard umpire. This would be a great addition to the event and for TV. However, who is liable if the ump gets run over? -- From (Tom Gadbois In response to the excerpt from Thomas Donlan's article in Barrons) -- I offer the following thought.. I often hear the America's Cup referred to as "the pinnacle of sailing". Yet, he admits that "the America's Cup is a test of management skill". I have always been of the opinion that there are greater feats in sailing than AC. Sure, you can't deny the money, which drives the performance, and most importantly the development of new materials and design. But watching a match race won by two and a half minutes can hardly be called the greatest test of skill. It seems to me that watching an individual, or a team of people, who train and sail by day and raise funds at night for years is appealing. Racing boats that are strictly the same can invite the overall best in our sport, which is why we look so hard at one-design sailing as a measurement for good sailors. I vote for the Olympics as the pinnacle of our sport. -- From Jim Teeters (Re: Thomas Donlan's article from Barron's) -- Mr. Donlan's observation "The America's Cup , on the other hand, is really a test of management skill." should be underlined, printed in bold face, and displayed where everyone in an AC campaign can see it. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT - 'Buttheads who want to read all of Tom Donlan's excellent story on America's Cup sponsorship can find it on the Barron's website. Just sign on for the free two-week subscription -- it's in the December 27 issue: http://www.barrons.com/ -- From Leslie Keller (In response to the speeding up of races) -- In Seattle we often start subsequent races while other fleets are finishing. The question that came up recently at a judges seminar was what to do about the blue flag that is supposed to be raised indicating the committee boat is on station taking finishes when you are also starting people using the blue flag. This could be confusing to competitors. The respnse from the instructor at the seminar was to continue doing what we have been doing which is to ignore the requirement for the finish line blue flag. I was wondering if maybe changing the finish line blue flag to some other color might be an idea. Maybe purple or lime green. -- From David Shore -- To "Speed up Play" in Vancouver, Canada, we went to trapezoid courses and the system 1 starting sequence. Trapezoid courses provide a separate starting and finishing area that are a hundred yards apart. As the day progresses, classes can be starting and finishing at the same time, without panic on either RC boat; the starting and finishing teams focus on their respective duties exclusively. Watch synchronization is by modern GPSs - some older units have slightly different universal times. This is much safer than the suggestion in Butt 487 "to run starts and finishes simultaneously, which is normally done from two sides of the committee boat". Having boats finishing downwind so close to boats in their starting sequence, and then starting upwind is asking for trouble. System 1 starts allow the race committee to start any class that is ready, and not in the same sequence as the first start of the day. Classes start racing 6 or 7 minutes after the last boat in their class has finished. This year we will eliminate the maximum number of races per day. The end of racing will be signaled by "N" over "A" over the class flag. Racers will keep racing late into the day until their class flag is under the N over A staff. A diagram of trapezoid courses can be found in the Addendum A of Appendix N in the Racing Rules of Sailing. The system 1 starting sequence can be found in Part 3 of the RRS. -- From Dirk Johnson Newport RI (savagely edited to our 250-word limit) -- It seems in the rush to give the AC sailors (hired guns) media attention whether there efforts be for nationalistic pride or individual ego we are missing the real story of the America's Cup. The event has been, and should be primarily about the BOATS. The Cup is named for the schooner America , the first winner of the 100 Guinea Cup in 1851. It is only by good fortune(s) that the United States ( yes, America) managed to hold the Cup for the next 132 years. Over those years sailors from around the world learned to love (and hate) some magnificent vessels, Shamrocks I - IV, Reliance, Endeavour, Gretel, Intrepid, Courageous etc.... Australia stole the show with the wing keel and something happened. Slowly the boats became hazy, mere reflections of the past, US 44, 46 America II, US 83, 85, 86, 87 Stars and Stripes, US 49, 61( I forget the name), KZ 3,5,7 Today I challenge anyone to tell me the names of 3 AC boats in New Zealand off the tip of your tongue. (I'll even give you Stars and Stripes for one) The only sailor who really has ever become a household name is Dennis Conner. How'd he do it? Simple he lost the America's Cup for the first time in 132 years. Its not going to ever happen again. Let's give the Cup back to the Boats. They never give a boring interview and they have no hidden agendas. WEATHER DOWN UNDER The Weather Channel Web site, announced that it will provide special coverage of this year's America's Cup. Beginning with the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals, they have given race fans current conditions throughout the day, three-day forecasts and detailed regional weather maps for New Zealand. Coverage of "The Super Bowl of Sailing" will continue on weather.com through the America's Cup match, February 19 through March 4, where the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup will have the honor of racing defender Team New Zealand, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron for the America's Cup. Special coverage will feature daily news updates, a schedule of each day's match-ups, including winning teams and background information on the history and rules of the event. And when the America's Cup begins, the section will feature stories that take an in-depth look at the race, including interviews with America's Cup team meteorologists. -- Paul Larsen Website: www.weather.com/events/special/americascup, QUOTE / UNQUOTE * "Our camp is quietly confident. We've done our homework. We know Prada is tough, there's going to be hard races. We're going to lose some races, there could be some heartbreaking raceslosing a race by one second after leading all the way around the course. The way you deal with that could make the difference. -- Paul Cayard, AmericaOne Skipper, Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com "It's what we have been training for agreed. I think it is like when you go to an exam. You did all the studying way before, there's nothing you can study the day before - you have to rely on what you've already done. So now we sleep to get ready for the next day." -- Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis, Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com "There are a lot of similarities in concepts but a little different direction in appendages. They are very similar in speed so I think it's up to Francesco and my friend (Cayard) to figure out what happens out of that. I think we are comfortable with our boat, and they are too, so I think we are ready to get yacht racing." -- Doug Peterson, lead boat designer for the Italians, Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com * "I favour AmericaOne. I'm sorry to do this because of the personal friendships I have with de Angelis and Grael, but I think AmericaOne's ability to street-fight will make the difference. The first two races will be key. If AmericaOne gets a stranglehold on Prada, it will not let go. Cayard and crew are going in for the kill. Blood's going to spill. -- Chris Law, Quokka America's Cup website, http://www.americascup.org/ * I see this series as being a bit like a big-game hunt. AmericaOne is the hunter, Prada the hunted. The playing field is the jungle, Prada's home. It's led all the way. AmericaOne is now on a roll and has the opportunity to bag the biggest prize in the jungle. But it won't be easy. The hunted has sharp teeth, and didn't get to be so big and strong by being easy prey. In this sport, the hunter can be captured by the game." -- Peter Isler, Quokka America's Cup website, http://www.americascup.org/ * "While Team New Zealand took the opportunity to show off both their boats' entire configurations, gaining media attention and garnering addition public support, it was a generally felt by designers, boat builders and event insiders that what was shown in the way of keels, bulbs winglets and rudders had little chance of being the final race configuration that will be used during the America's Cup." -- Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ * "All four hulls have quite similar beam and rounded cross-sections. Prada's Luna Rossa has a little more topsides flare than the others, which are quite vertically sided. Fore-and-aft profiles are generally smooth and fair except for the Team New Zealand bows. The Team NZ sisterships appear quite similar in all respects, including an innovative bow shape that, if right, makes everyone else wrong. The forward overhang is about 50 percent steeper than the normal IACC bow profile. This meets the underwater profile at a knuckle a little aft of the forward end of the waterline. The sections at the knuckle are veed locally. The apparent intent is to stretch the displaced sailing length of the underbody within the rule's rated length limits. The aft overhang on each of Team NZ's yachts is also a bit flatter across the centreline than those of AmericaOne and Luna Rossa." -- David Pedrick, Quokka Sports America's Cup website, http://www.americascup.org/ ARE YOU READY FOR INSPECTION? The riggers at Sailing Supply are constantly asked to perform inspections of rigging. Inspections are really paramount in keeping your rigging in good order -- to prevent the loss of a mast. But you can do a lot of this yourself, and there are some great hints on the Sailing Supply website: http://www.sailingsupply.com/articles/ You'll have no problems if you follow their simple instructions. But if you uncover some trouble, just give Sailing Supply a call. They're all sailors there, and they'll be able to fix you up in a hurry: (800) 532-3831 STILL GROWING Sometime over the weekend 'Butthead #4000 was added to our mailing list. Pretty amazing considering Scuttlebutt had less than 1500 subscribers on September 1. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat drinking beer all day. |
