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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 1070- May 14, 2002Scuttlebutt 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.
STARS & STRIPES "We have a very complex testing program using telemetry on both boats to accurately check good and bad changes," Read said in an e-mail interview from California on Friday. "One boat is used as the test boat. We make the other faster, then repeat the process for the first boat. It's leap-frog speed testing designed to improve both boats over the long haul. The crew will be looking for "what makes each boat tick," Read said. "What are their strengths and weaknesses? Which boat is better in certain conditions? What sails are best in each wind range? What mast is best? And so forth." The team's test manager, TJ Perrotti of Newport, will take information from the yachts' telemetry instruments and feed the data to his computer. "Through the test data, he makes a determination, then it is up to the sailors to weed out the good and the bad and make the final conclusion," Read said. - Hauraki News, full story: www.hauraki-news.com Photos: nyyc.org
VOLVO OCEAN RACE If all goes according to plan, the new mast -- which has been in storage at the Camper and Nicholson yard -- will be fitted on Friday. McDonald told the Web site she was confident the work could be done in time and the yacht prepared for the next leg of the race. "The crew is on fire -- absolutely determined to get to the start in excellent shape. We expect it will take four days to sail to La Rochelle, giving us an (estimated time of arrival) of May 22. The full race crew will be on board for the delivery," she said. - CNN.com/Inside sailing website, full story: www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/sailing/05/13/amertoo.spt/index.html
OPEN HOUSE One station, for example, simulates driving the boat at the start and another requires participants to scale the bow while the boat is in motion. "It's kind of like a mechanical bull," said Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts of the bow station. The opening of the interactive plaza means the public will be able to walk onto the base and watch Alinghi launch and bring in their boats. "It will give people an idea of how much preparation we do just to go sailing," said Coutts, who was recently inducted into sailing's hall of fame. "It will give them a taste of what it is really like." The Alinghi crew will be at the opening, which starts at 10am. It will then open daily from 10am to 6pm. The Alinghi crew are well into their winter programme in the countdown to the Louis Vuitton Cup, which starts in October. "The weather hasn't been too good lately, it has been blowing a gale out there," Coutts said. "But it is better to be here practising on the water we are going to race on. We are reasonably happy and are pretty much on track." Coutts said the team would compete overseas next month before returning for the launch of their second boat at the end of July. - Julie Ash, NZ Herald, full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/
RED SOCKS It is seen as a sensitive decision, with the team having to gauge whether reviving the campaign would be appropriate. Team spokesman Murray Taylor said the decision on whether to revive the socks campaign would be taken in the next six to eight weeks. He said: "The red socks campaign was spontaneous and was a part of Sir Peter Blake. But red socks are definitely still part of the team - you still see a lot of them out on the water." * Team New Zealand has said in the past that it is 85 percent to 90 percent funded, and will continue to look for support right up until racing starts. Construction of the first of the Team New Zealand's new yachts is under way at Cookson Boats, on the North Shore. - The Press as posted on the StuffNZ Website, full story: www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,1199256a1501,FF.html
THEY JUST KEEP GOING AND GOING
CREW CHANGES French navigator, Jean-Yves Bernot, will step down and Erle Williams will return to the team. Frostad says that it was always intended that Erle Williams would rejoin the team, and he will perform as one of the watch captains along with New Zealander, Jeff Scott. He will, however, also be the decision-maker strategically and tactically onboard. Frostad will do the basic navigation and Bernot, the 53-year-old French navigator for the first seven legs of the event, will continue to work with the team throughout the La Rochelle and Gothenburg stopovers as a shore-based weather expert. - www.VolvoOceanRace.org * There have been plenty of musical chairs during the Volvo Ocean Race, but one of the most baffling moves was Jeff Scott's departure from News Corp in Rio, to return aboard djuice for the start of leg 7 in Annapolis. Why would a sailor of Scott's caliber choose to quit a boat that is in with a serious chance of a podium position in favor of one that has consistently picked up the wooden spoon, Amer Sports Too excepted? Despite a long history of sailing with Ross Field, including being part of the winning Yamaha team in the 93/94 Whitbread, Scott and Field are known for not seeing eye to eye, so the gossip running around Scott's departure that it was a proverbial two-fingered goodbye from the Kiwi watch captain to his old skipper. But speaking to madforsailing having just got ashore from djuice at the La Rochelle finish, Scott said it wasn't quite like that. "I thought I was going to come back on News Corp for this leg, but they had such a good result on the leg up to Baltimore that they didn't want to change the team. I can understand that, but this is how I make my living. I preferably wouldn't have changed teams, but I've got to feed the family, and that's how professional sailing is these days, I suppose." - Andy Rice, Madforsailing website, full story: www.madforsailing.com
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Christopher A. Palabrica: I read the story of the Moore 24 nationals with great interest. Knowing or hearing of someone who has perished during a day race is a very eye-opening experience. On our boat, we stress that the safety of the boat and crew are MOST important. After all, we are racing sailboats for fun. It is amazing to me how many excuses there can be not to help. But, what all of us need to think about is; If I was the one in the water, what would I want someone to do for me? I'm glad that there was someone nearby to prevent a potential tragedy in this case. * From Jim Champ: (Re Family World Champions): Mark Bethwaite Soling, J24 1982, Laser Masters 2000; Nicola Bethwaite, Cherub 1976; Julian Bethwaite, Cherub 1976; 18-foot Skiff 1986/7/8, plus two more between 90 & 94. * From Gareth Evans: As a committed racer, it infuriates me no end when I hear other racers screaming at cruising yachts to get out of the way. We should be grateful that most sailors are observant and courteous enough to keep clear of us when we are racing - often they do not realise that a race is taking place and shouting at them does not help matters. * From Tom Ehman: Good to see a Midwestern boy like Gary Comer make good. You may recall that long ago the Chicago Yacht Club Starboat sailor started Lands End as a fitting and rigging shop next to Dick Stearn's Murphy & Nye loft on N. Elston Ave. in Chicago. Gary was an ad exec and produced gorgeous catalogues. Growing up I remember how excited we were to receive each Spring the new Lands End catalogue with all the latest and greatest rigging rigging systems written up. We used the catalogues as guides to rig our own boats -- but of course bought the fittings from the local boat shop not Lands End. So they weren't making much money selling fittings to cheapskate sailors like myself, but apparently they were making good money on duffel bags, embroidered shirts and other "soft goods." We were crushed when Lands End announced they were getting out of the sailing business. And I only have to look around my own home to see how right they were -- while I never bought a single fitting from the beloved Lands End catalogue, our family has a pile of Lands End duffel bags, suitcases and canvas briefcases of various, sizes, shapes and colours. - www.nytimes.com
LATE ENTRY Launched in 1996, the boat 'Aquitaine Innovations' was the winner of five major ocean races between 1997 and 1999: the Fastnet, Transat Jacques Vabre, Gold Race, Route Du Rhum, and the Round Europe race. - www.aroundalone.com
AROUND THE WORLD
Tony Bessinger: What led you to throw your hat in the ring for the newly announced Antarctica Cup?
TB: Do you think this format will be appealing to the public?
BURSTING FOR EXTRA STRENGTH
FOR THE RECORD
IT'S A LEANER
WORRELL 1000 He found some 2x4 boards and dug down into the sand about three feet on each side of the boat, then buried the board with lines around them. After filling back in the holes the tied the boat down to them. - Catamaran Sailor, full story: www.catsailor.com/worrell02/worrell02.html
INDUSTRY NEWS
HIGH SCHOOL NATIONALS The regatta was sailed in two-person CFJ sailboats. Coronado High School skipper Mikee Anderson (12th grade) and his crew members Lauren Usrey (10th grade) and Tinja Anderson (10th grade) won the A division, while Point Loma High School skipper Adam Roberts (9th grade) and his crew members Graham Biehl (10th grade) and Danielle Richards (11th grade) won the B division - www.highschoolsailingusa.org
1. Coronado HS, 148
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS |
