|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1596 - June 3, 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. THE CUP Britain's GBR America's Cup challenge is nearing financial viability and negotiations with leading overseas sailors to form the afterguard of the race crew are well advanced, team management say. Gordon Moultrie, who joined GBR as team principal in March, said that, barring a major setback, the team would have a title sponsor "within weeks". GBR is negotiating with four companies, described as "global brands", and expects one or more of them come on board. Challenge chairman Peter Harrison has pledged up to £20 million of his own money, with the budget for the 2007 Cup, to be raced off Valencia, projected at £50 million. Though a background figure in this second challenge by GBR, Moultrie said that Harrison was "absolutely committed to us, emotionally and financially". In a fortnight when two of Britain's gold medallists, Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, have committed to foreign syndicates, Moultrie said that GBR was talking to previous skipper Ian Walker as well as pursuing foreign sailors. Design boss Derek Clark said: "We have always said that we will augment our experience where we feel there is a need, both in the crew and design team." Although he would not name them, Clark said that the sailors in question had Cup experience and were of the highest caliber. - Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2kdw8 HERE COMES THE JUDGE Valencia, Spain 2nd June, 2004 AC Management announced the Jury for the 32nd America's Cup. As per the Protocol for the 32nd America's Cup, the five members of the Jury have been appointed by the Société Nautique de Genève, and the Golden Gate Yacht Club (representing the Challengers Commission). The members of the Jury are: - Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler (SUI) - Graham McKenzie (NZL) - Henry Menin (ISV) - David Tillet (AUS) - Bryan Willis (GBR), Chairman The Jury for the 32nd America's Cup will have broad responsibilities for dispute resolution in the areas of racing disputes normally handled by an International Jury appointed under Appendix M of the Racing Rules of Sailing, and some commercial disputes that may arise between persons or entities under the Jury's jurisdiction. On the 29th May, 2004, the Jury issued its Rules of Procedures and it began operations effective that date. Biographies of the jury member have been posted on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/acupjury/ COLLEGIATE NAs The Gorge - Collegiate Sailors racing the Gill NA Dinghy Championships for the Henry A. Morss Trophy were greeted this morning with sunny skies and no wind, but the breeze filled in just in time for some practice before starting the races. Winds were consistent 8-12 from the west all day, with lighter current than the last week. After six races in both the A& B Divisions the leaders are: 1. Dartmouth College, 25-20, 45 2. U. of Hawaii ,21-33, 54 3. Georgetown, 40-48, 88 4. St. Mary's College, 51-37, 88 5. Hobart William Smith, 49-44, 93 http://www.collegesailing.org/nwicsa/na/default.htm DO YOU "ONE DESIGN?" WE DO! Tornado, Sabots, Yngling, 470's, J/105, Schock 35, Etchells, Acat's, Farr 40, 505, Cal 20, Coronado 15, Fireball, J/24, CFJ, 420, Europe Dinghy, Harbor 20, International 14, J/22, Holder 20, Flying Scot, Lido 14, Lehman 12, Lightning, Melges 24, Optimist, Snipe, Thistle, Cal 25, Soling, Sonar, Santana 20, Santana 30/30, Capri 14.2, El Toro, Ultimate 20, Flying Junior, J/80, Hobie 21, San Juan 24, Nacra, Prindle , J/120, Antrim 27, Olson 30, Mumm 30, J/109. Ullman Sails has been one designing 30+ years, give your local loft a call or visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com THE TRANSAT When Blondie Hasler originally conceived the OSTAR (as The Transat was previously known) the idea was for the event to be a challenge, hence it is not fully crewed nor does it run in the same direction as the prevailing wind conditions. The competitors in the 2004 race are to receive first hand experience of what Hasler had in mind, as in the next 24-48 hours they will experience their first major North Atlantic gale of the race complete with 50 knot headwinds and giant waves coming from exactly the direction they want to sail. All the competitors are aware of the impending weather and will be doing all they can to ensure that they can not only survive it, but remain competitive. On the 60ft multihulls skippers have the benefit of being able to talk to shore-based routers who can advise them of the best course of action, but on the IMOCA monohulls this practice is prohibited and the task of routing is entirely down to the skipper who are able to use 'publicly available' weather sources such as website with meteorologicial information. The southerly gamble taken by leading Open 60 monohull, Virbac skippered by Jean-Pierre Dick, paid off and the Frenchman reports that he caught the new, southwest wind before the rest of the fleet. Dick has managed 2.5 hours sleep overnight, taking his total to 5 hours since the start, but was unable to risk resting during the variable, tricky winds during his passage through the high pressure ridge, preferring to constantly manoeuvre Virbac through the light airs. The race across the Atlantic is not merely a game of tactics and staying awake for as long as possible. The greatest distraction from racing is when breakage or damage occurs. The breakdown of the keel pump motor has forced Golding to improvise, using a combination of gravity and muscle power to wind the bulb from side to side. As he predicted yesterday, light winds have proven to be the toughest conditions for coping with this handicap. "I'm having to double-tack the boat to get the keel to where I want it," said Golding. During the light and fluky headwinds that prevailed during the ridge's arrival, Golding had to go through a laborious process of tacking to get the keel where he wanted it and then tacking back on to his original heading with the keel now in its correct position. Tuesday has seen a spate of boats damaged through collisions with floating objects. This morning Groupama skipper Franck Cammas reported that he had collided with a whale that brought the boat to a halt. His boat's daggerboard is still intact but there is some superficial damage to the board's case. Both Karine Fauconnier and Yves Parlier in the 60ft multihulls class have admitted collisions with large submerged pieces of wood that have hit their rudders. Fortunately, on Fauconnier's trimaran Sergio Tacchini the centre of her three rudders is fitted with a safety system that allows the rudder to 'pop up' in the event of a collision. This worked but Fauconnier said she had lost 1.5 hours securing the rudder back in its 'down' position. Yves Parlier, on board Médiatis Région Aquitanian struck a log and had to slow down his pace. The starboard hull was damaged 40 cm of trailing edge. Four hours were necessary to resolve the damage. Most recently Swiss skipper Steve Ravussin has reported that his main rudder (the trimarans have three, one on each hull) has broken. Ravussin says that he is continuing. Class leaders at 0300 June 3: ORMA 60 Multis: 1. Geant, Michel Desjoyeaux, 1819 miles to finish; 2 Sodebo, Thomas Coville, 21 mi. distance to leader. 3. Banque Populaire, Lalou Roucayrol, 43 dtl 4. Sopra Group, Philippe Monne 55 dtl; IMOCA Open 60 Monohulls: 1. Virbac, Jean-Pierre Dick, 2130 mtf; 2. Ecover, Mike Golding, 28; 3. PRB, Vincent Riou, 32 dtl Open 50 Multihulls: 1. Trilogic, Eric Bruneel, 2160 mtf; 2. Crepes Whaou!, F. Y. Escofier, 41 dtl Open 50 Monohulls: 1. Artforms, Kip Stone, 2287 mtf; 2. Wells Fargo - American Pioneer, Joe Harris, 27 dtl. Event website: http://www.thetransat.com/ PROFESSIONAL $AILING Last weekend, Australian Peter Gilmour, skipper of the multi-national Pizza-La Sailing Team, clinched the championship of the Swedish Match Tour 2003-'04 by finishing second at the ACI HTmobile Cup. This year on the Tour they've won approximately $85,000 and could surpass $100,000 in event prize money after upcoming regattas in Germany and Sweden. Additionally, they are assured of winning $60,000 of the $200,000 bonus purse offered by Tour sponsor Swedish Match for the top eight on the final leaderboard. The Pizza-La Sailing Team, which Gilmour refers to as the "United Nations," features crewmembers Rod Dawson (Auckland, New Zealand), Mike Mottl (Sydney, Australia), Kazuhiko Sofuku (Niigata, Japan) and Yasuhiro Yaji (Tokyo, Japan). Their mastery of the tour is evident in the statistics. They've posted an 85-32 record for a .726 winning percentage. They've totaled 117 of a possible 150 points, earning 19.5 points per regatta. (By comparison, Jesper Radich scored 18.5 points per regatta last year in winning the championship with 111 points.) Although Gilmour has clinched the championship, the standings below him are far from settled. Match Race Germany (June 8-13) and Swedish Match Cup (July 7-11) offer skippers two more chances to move around in the standings. The tightest battle is for second place. Sweden's Magnus Holmberg holds second with 64 points, and New Zealander Gavin Brady, helmsman for the BMW Oracle Racing America's Cup syndicate, is third, 9 points behind. Holmberg won't compete in Germany, but Brady will and just has to finish in the top five to overtake Holmberg before the concluding event. - Sean McNeill, www.SwedishMatchTour.com. SAIL A BONGO The singlehanded Bongo is comfortable, fast and fun. Look for the Bongo coming your way on its nationwide tour. Sign up your club or group for a fun-filled Bongo demo day, and join the growing fleet. Bongo sailors have fun every day. http://www.sailabongo.com NEWS BRIEFS * San Diego yachtsman Randall Pittman's new Dubois-designed 90-foot sloop, Genuine Risk, has just been launched and is undergoing final sea trials in Sydney, Australia, before being packed up and shipped to San Diego. Designed by a team headed up by Dubois Naval Architects and including America's Cup veterans Clay Oliver and Andy Claughton, Genuine Risk - built by McConaghy Marine in Australia - joins Pyewacket and Morning Glory as the third big CBTF (Canting Ballast - Twin Foil) boat to be launched this year. * The first day for the Trofeo TAB, Blurimini 2004 match race Grade 2 ISAF saw wind of 5-8 knots for 25 matches, followed by the public on the Marina di Rimini walking area on sea front. Favourites Karol Jablonski and James Spithill have had a difficult start, loosing the first two match. At the end of the day, only one skipper is undefeated - Brit Ian Williams (4-0), followed by Frenchman Mathieu Richard (3-1) and the Italian, Matteo Simoncelli (3-1). Karol Jablonski from Poland is 3-2 in fourth. - www.blurimini.com/2004/regate/bandi.asp * USA finished third of eighteen countries at the 38th World Military Sailing Championships held at the Spanish Naval Academy in Marin, Spain in 15 1/2 foot Snipes. The US Team was Navy Lt. R.D. Burley, a flight instructor in Pensacola Florida, and Marine Cpt. Fran Clemens, an instructor in the Leadership Department at the Naval Academy. The championship is held annually by the Conseil International Du Sport Militaire. CISM is made up of 128 countries and sponsors championships in 24 sports. Russia won the championships with 15 pts. France (24 pts) was second with Spain (44) finishing fourth. * More than eight months before the starts next February, 21 boats and crews are already gearing up for Del Rey Yacht Club's 2005 race to Puerto Vallarta. The first entries are split almost evenly between 11 in the Racing Division and 10 in the Salsa group, the division for skippers who prefer to break up the race into three legs but still enjoy the thrill of a competitive long-distance blue water event. The Notice of Race, entry information request form and event details are available online at: www.dryc.org * Last week, Le Défi's bright-yellow FRA 69 (repaints into red livery) was packed off on a truck with two masts, five containers and a chase-boat christened "Le Monstre" (The Monster) for a 2000 km journey towards Valencia, Spain. The convoy is expected to reach the Real Club Náutico de Valencia tomorrow as four containers and the appendages were delivered today in Spain. - Cup in Europe full story: www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007LeDefiLN3.htm QUOTE / UNQUOTE "A strange atmosphere, like sailing through soft cotton. The feeling of speed is intense... with nothing visual to register on [there has been under 300m visibility] except our wake, we seemed to be flying along in 14-15 knots of wind and a gentle, long swell." - Thomas Coville, Transat skipper of the 60ft trimaran Sodebo. GOT SOLE? Chris Larson lives in his boat shoes most of year and needs something cool, comfortable and fast-drying. He says, "Henri Lloyd's new Deck Grip Profile is the perfect solution. They're incredibly light, comfortable and have great traction." With a design based on running footwear technology, they deliver vertical and lateral stability and high performance. "They've really done their homework with the compounds on the sole, and it shows," adds Chris, "offering softer compounds where needed for better grip on the deck." He's impressed; you will be too. http://www.henrilloydonline.com/deckgripprofile.asp 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 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 Richard Clark: "What's the weather going to be like?" "I came over in February and cut off the stern," Birch says. These stories are the far ends of the spectrum of sailing that I love and hate. Surely and maybe I am missing something, to race for and represent your country at the Olympics is an ideal that is beyond Americas Cup style weather teams and such. Sure weather is important but how does Togo compete with the US on this level, surely the pre-Olympic regatta is enough. What ever happened to whetting one's finger and holding it in the air, it is all becoming so bloody technical and elitist - and then I calm down when I read of Mike Birch with no sponsorship, simply doing what he loves, sailing. We really have made life complex and unweildy for ourselves. And don't get me started on coaches in inflatables at regatta's, sheesh! P-class yachts previously owned by dad, launched off the beach and raced by kids, that's the way sailing should be learnt. Maybe a Corinthian class for the Olympics! Whatever boat you want, what ever size, shape, sex, colour, crew you want, towed around Europe behind a VW Kombi van competing at local regattas, aaah! * From Chuck Sherfey (Re Noel M. Field Jr's. note about the US Sailing Appeals Committee's decision): I think the registration desk volunteer, the protested sailors and the US Sailing Appeals Committee got it right. The notice of race stated: "Division I sailors must not have reached their 15th birthday during the 2003 calendar year." The words "must not have" imply that this decision is to be made at the time of entry or at the time the races are sailed. Mr. Field, his fellow jury members and the association appeals committee apparently read this to mean, "Division I sailors' 15th birthdays must occur January 1, 2004 or later." The actual notice of race wording has problems other than the one which caused the protest and appeals. For example, were 16 year olds eligible in Division I? I doubt they were intended to be eligible, but the wording used makes them eligible. My suggested wording to accomplish what I believe to be the organizing authority's intent: "Only sailors born January 1, 1989 or later are eligible for Division I." English is a tough language. Organizing authorities need someone (or several people) with expertise in racing rules, regatta objectives and the language in which the various regatta documents are written. * From Jerry Kaye: (Regarding Noel M. Field Jr., Senior US Sailing Judge's description of the 'logic' used by the Appeals Committee): A recent west-coast addition to the Appeals Committee may have exacerbated the problem and caused what little common sense was left to go overboard. Best advice, double-check entries, do your turn(s) and stay the hell out of the room! * From Carl Schellbach (Re the Registration Error incident): As the divisions started and raced together, might it have been appropriate for the jury to have rescored the competitors in the proper division? Or would that have opened a can of worms with the competitors that "didn't think they were racing against this boat" or other arguments. There seems to be lots of issues at stake here, but I agree that the ultimate responsibility should lie with the competitor, especially in a self-policing sport such as ours. * From Charles J. Doane: I read with great interest the account of Transat competitor Mike Golding having to shift the canting keel on Ecover by hand due to a pump failure, as this raises an issue I have been wondering about for some time. If competitors are not allowed to use motors and such to help them hoist and trim sails while racing, why is it they are allowed to use them to help shift ballast? What is the distinction between the two? Golding's predicament of having to lay the boat over on its side to tack it seems to me a perfect illustration of why it might be wise to limit all load handling on race boats, particularly ocean racing boats, to manual powered systems. * From Count Enrico Ferrari: The Transat race has an interesting outcome already, that would be to see if Mike Golding on Ecover, the Open 60', will opt for a canting keel for his next outing. I am sure he has heard of the KISS principle but perhaps now he is becoming an avid supporter. The search for more speed and performance demands a price and he is paying for it now with a broken hydraulic pump. As a self professed efficiency worshiper, (work avoidance 101) I salute him and his kind on the edge of performance as they figure out how to do it faster and showing me the way to not do it. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Stress is when you wake up screaming and then you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet. |
