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SCUTTLEBUTT 1791 - March 9, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest 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. A NEW PLAYER A Chinese investor has announced a pioneering 32 million euro ($42m) bid to challenge for sailing's most prestigious trophy, the America's Cup. "China Team" is joining forces with French outfit Le Defi for the 2007 event, Wang Chaoyong, chief executive of a Beijing-based investment company said. The joint venture will "create a vehicle to prepare ourselves to join the ranks of the America's Cup challengers," Wang added on Tuesday in Geneva. Xavier de Lesquen, who led Le Defi's unsuccesful challenge for the last two editions of sport's oldest trophy in 2000 and 2003, said he hoped to join the formal list of challengers with China Team by the deadline of April 29. The French sailor said the Swiss holder Alinghi's success in building a team from scratch with the help of foreign crew -- mainly from New Zealand and Germany -- had shown a new path for entering the costly, high tech regatta. "That's exactly what we want to do today through the creation of this new association of China with an existing team," he said. De Lesquen, who will be the co-director with Wang, said the team was budgeting about 32 million euros for the bid. The bid will be based in Qingdao, the site for the sailing events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. China Team has its sights set beyond the 2007 Cup by aiming to train a small pool of emerging Chinese sports sailors and harness local engineering and design competence. "The most important thing is to be in there," Wang said. "We would like to see a good result, but we want to build a good platform and play up Chinese talents." - cnn.com, full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SPORT/03/08/yachting.cup/ AUDITIONS Twenty international second boat crew selection candidates, from various countries all over the world, will be undergoing their crew selection process in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands, on 8-11 March. Out of those 20, five will be chosen to go to Portugal on 14 March for the final crew selection. The first shake out will take place on Thursday. Friday the international crew selection process will be completed. The selection team has been comprised of Maurice Paardenkooper, the trainer of the Dutch Olympic sailing selection for the Athens Games, Sailing Director Roy Heiner and Hans Horrevoets, a former Whitbread sailor. The five winners will travel to Portimão, Portugal on 14 March 2005 for the final second boat crew selection. There, the final crew for the second ABN AMRO boat will be chosen. Among those chosen will be two sailors each from Brazil, the Netherlands and the United States - and another two from the 'rest of the world.' The second boat will also have four experienced sailors on board, who have not yet been chosen. The world-wide competition, launched in November 2004 on the ABN AMRO website, was created by ABN AMRO to invite young sailing talent to compete for slots in one of the two boats ABN AMRO will enter in this year's race. This boat will feature an international crew of promising young sailors aged between 21 and 30 who might not otherwise be considered for the Volvo Ocean Race. The first boat will feature a crew of seasoned professionals. - www.abnamro.com/team EXTREME SAILING Australian Olympian Michael Blackburn sailed out of Stanley on Tasmania's North West coast at 3:00am Wednesday morning on his Laser in his attempt to sail across Bass Strait. It is 115 nautical (207km) mile journey across Bass Strait from Stanley to Tidal River near Wilson Promontory. In between is one of the toughest stretches of water in the world. Blackburn's attempt has been delayed a number of times because Bass Strait conditions were a little too vigorous for the tiny sailing craft. Australian solo sailor, Nick Moloney, who competed in the 2004-2005 Vendee Globe, became the first and only person to sail across Bass Strait non-stop on a windsurfer in December 1998, only a few weeks before the disastrous Sydney to Hobart race. He sailed south from Flinders in Victoria to Stanley on Tasmania's north west coast on a 3.6-metre windsurfer in a grueling 21 hours and 49 minutes. According to accounts at the time from Moloney, Blackburn can look forward to extreme tiredness, blistered hands, battered and bruised skin and diminished eyesight as sea spray hits. However, being on a Laser and Blackburn having a PhD in Human Movement Studies, should decrease the problems. - Rob Kothe, www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?SEID=0&Nid=16641 Blackburn's website: www.sailfitter.com/basshome.html MOM ALWAYS TOLD US THAT THE WORLD IS A BIG, BIG PLACE Especially when you're racing around it by yourself! At Doyle Sails we are very proud to have made the world a little smaller for Bruce Schwab on the Open 60 Ocean Planet, who made history by becoming the first American to finish the singlehanded, no-stops-and-no-assistance-allowed Vendee Globe Race. Through some of the toughest offshore conditions imaginable, Bruce used a TRT Carbon/Vectran jib, load-path Vectran staysail, load-path Twaron genoa, Dacron reacher, and three kites, including a Stormlite Code 5, to make the 28,112 miles fly by. If you are itching to make some fast miles, call us at 1-800-94-Doyle; http://www.doylesails.com HAPPY ANNIVERSARY It is one year since South Africa's first ever America's Cup class yacht - later renamed Shosholoza RSA 48 - was offloaded in the Cape Town docks. The yacht's arrival coincided with the first official public announcement that South Africa would be launching a debut challenge for the America's Cup at the 32nd edition of historic 153 year old event to be held in Valencia, Spain in 2007. "I have been told several times that it is a wonderful thing that we are here as an African team, trying to take the America's Cup to South Africa," said Captain Salvatore Sarno, the chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company SA and the managing director of the SA America's Cup Syndicate. "But that is not exactly what we are here for. Really we are here to bring a part of Africa to Europe and the America's Cup. That South Africa has even been able to mount a challenge for the Cup is like winning gold at the Olympics, but more importantly it serves as an indicator of the international status of a country in terms of leading edge technology, human initiative and skills." - www.sachallenge.com FIGHTING THE CLOCK The month long refit began on Mike Golding's Open 60 Ecover last Friday in the Medina Yard, Cowes Isle of Wight. The shore crew led by Project Manager, Graham 'Gringo' Tourell, with the help of the MGYR Challenge 67 team lifted the rig out of the boat last Tuesday afternoon and motored the monohull to Cowes where she was hoisted out of the water on Friday morning revealing for the first time her keel-less hull. (Although Golding finished third in the Vendee Globe last month, Ecover lost its keel just 51 miles from the finish line.) Mike Golding, present during the whole operation, commented, "There's really nothing left. It's a mystery and we all have a huge workload ahead of us to try to understand what might have happened and to find solutions for it not to happen again." The boat's architect Merfyn Owen, who also insisted on being present for the operation, declared, "It is beyond comprehension. Now that the boat is out of the water, we will analyze the point of breakage and try to understand what happened. Once we do understand the reasons for the failure, which will only happen once the keel elements are removed and analyzed, in the interest of safety we will make this information broadly available." The skipper and his shore crew are racing against the clock to prepare the boat in time for the next IMOCA event, the crewed Calais Round Britain Race, due to leave Calais on May 22. www.mikegolding.com GRIN AN BEAR IT The 'fun factor' has gone way down on the maxi-catamaran Orange II. Tuesday morning, the boat speed has begun to drop off dramatically to around 11-12 knots, as the result of a big ridge of high pressure being impossible to round and the wind conspicuous by its absence. The maxi-catamaran's crew has no other choice than to cross it and be slowed for four to five days. This rather unusual meteorological situation in the North Atlantic for this time of year may cause Orange II to lose three of its nine day lead over Cheyenne's record. Confidence still reigns aboard but each of them knows that they're going to have to just grin and bear it for now. "It's all very complicated as the anticyclone is installing itself behind and will pass over our heads from left to right, said skipper Bruno Peyron. "As a result we will be going very slowly for four days. We should make 1000 miles during the four days (instead of a normal two days), which isn't going to be much fun. This will be the slowest part of our round the world." At 0038 GMT on Wednesday Orange II had covered 23745 nm at an average speed of 22.7 knots. Having sailed 202 nm in the previous 24 hours. Orange II is now 3475 ahead of the absolute record held by Cheyenne with 2530 nm to go. - www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ SAVE 50-75% ON JACKETS< BIBS< SMOCKS AND MORE>>>>>>>>> Check out outstanding opportunities on great Henri Lloyd discontinued clothing now, while the selection is good and spring weather is near. You'll find Jackets, Bibs, Spray Tops and Smocks, all with superior construction, incomparable fit, and exceptional details, everything you expect from Henri Lloyd, now at dramatic savings. Buy one or more and take them everywhere you go, but don't take too long to decide -- these web specials won't be around for long! http://www.henrilloydonline.com/scuttlebutt ROLEX TRANSATLANTIC CHALLENGE The entry list is now final for the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge 2005, hosted by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) with the cooperation of the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS). On May 21, 20 entrants -ranging in size from 70 to 230 feet, and averaging 111 feet, will set out on a course from New York to The Lizard in England, recreating the Great Ocean Race of 1905. In that historic race, the schooner Atlantic, skippered by Charlie Barr, set a record that has not been broken by a monohull in a race for 100 years (12d 4h 1m 19s). Included on the impressive entry list are: - Mari-Cha IV, 141-foot canting keel two-masted schooner, skippered by Robert Miller, designed by Clay Oliver, Greg Elliot, Philippe Briand, Mike Sanderson and Jef d'Etiveau d, (holder the WSSRC-ratified passage record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a monohull yacht); - Tiara, 178-foot (54.3m) sloop, skippered by Jonathan Leitersdorf, designed by Ed Dubois; - Whirlaway, 140-foot sloop, owned by Randall Pittman, designed by Ed Dubois; - Sojana, 115-foot (35m) ketch, skippered by Peter Harrison, designed by Bruce Farr; - Sariyah, 131-foot ketch, chartered by Cortright Wetherill Jr. with Tim Laughridge as skipper, designed by Sparkman & Stephens; - Maximus, 100-foot carbon fiber super-maxi, skippered by Charles St. Clair Brown and Bill Buckley, designed by Clay Oliver and Greg Elliot, launched February 2005, features a retractable canting keel and a rotating wing mast; - Leopard, 98-foot sloop, skippered by Mike Slade, designed by Reichel Pugh; Event website: http://nyyc.org/index.cfm?menu=270&openitem=270 NEWS BRIEFS * On March 5-6, 102 Optimist sailors raced at the Lauderdale Yacht for the Florida State Championships. Saturday had only very light breeze which peaked at 5 knots. The gold fleet was escorted to the ocean - a different venue for most of the kids who are used to sailing in more protected areas. Six races were completed with the following results: 1) Max Lopez, RYC, NJ 29pts., 2) Joe Kutschenreuter, LBYC, WI 32pts., 3) Sean Moynahan, CRYC, FL 35pts., 4) Jason Kuebel, LA, 49pts., 5) Colin Smith, LYC, FL. - Complete results: www.lyc.org/State%20Opti%20Champ.htm * Maximus, the new 100-foot supermaxi from New Zealand officially entered Antigua Sailing Week 2005 (April 24 to 30) and will be shipping from New Zealand to Antigua on March 18. "Maximus is expected to arrive in the harbor on the 22nd of April so the schedule is very tight," said Charles St Clair Brown one of the founders of EBS Yachting, the company behind the yacht's development. "As long as we have good cooperation and assistance from the authorities and can get the rig stepped in time we should be racing by the 24th." - www.sailingweek.com * The Challenged America 2005 Transpac Team has been selected from an original 44 sailors with disabilities, from around the world, seeking a berth on B'Quest, the Challenged America Tripp-40 sailboat donated to the charitable program for sailors with disabilities. The crew members are Ryan Baker, paraplegic (San Diego, CA), Jim Halverson, amputee and cancer survivor (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Urban Miyares, blinded Vietnam veteran with diabetes and recent organ transplant recipient (San Diego, CA), Jeff Reinhold, quadriplegic (Seattle, WA), Joshua Ross (San Diego, CA), and Kevin Wixom, amputee (San Diego, CA). - www.ChallengedAmerica.org * The International Sailing Federation and The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club have rescheduled the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship to coordinate it with the Investors Guaranty presentation of the ISAF Grade 1 King Edward VII Gold Cup. The ISAF Women's Match Racing Worlds, originally scheduled for June, will now be sailed 15-18 October 2005 prior to the Gold Cup. The International Women's Match Racing Championship which usually takes place immediately prior to the Bermuda Gold Cup will now be combined into the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship. - www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6fFhyBAB * On Tuesday morning at 08:00 GMT, Oryx Quest 2005 maxi-catamaran Cheyenne rounded Cape Horn sailing at 25 knots less than one nautical mile away from land. Standings: 1. Doha 2006, 9283 miles to finish, 2. Cheyenne, 737 miles to leader, 3. Deadalus, 3089 mtl. - www.oryxquest.com/ * No races were completed on Tuesday at the Star Bacardi Cup regatta on Biscayne Bay, Florida. - www.starclass.org/search.cgi?Action=view&Event_id=514 OCSC SAILING SCHOOL WANTS HEAD INSTRUCTOR OCSC Sailing, Berkeley, California, the most well respected commercial sailing school in the country, is looking for a Head Instructor. This is a career position, with tremendous opportunity for growth. For a detailed description of the position and compensation, go to http://www.ocscsailing.com/about_ocsc/jobs.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (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 Kim Apel (Comment on Dave Bandstra's criticism of Fossett's RTW flight): Those who reflexively toss cold water on the accomplishments of others, like Dave Bandstra's criticism of Fossett's round-the-world flight, need to be well informed, lest they appear ... well, uninformed. His criticism that Fossett was a danger to other aircraft and birds (when napping) was laughable. Fossett flew at an altitude above commercial aviation, and needless to say, birds. Not to mention that Fossett and his money's-no-object ground control station were both presumably motivated to avoid his being knocked from the sky. I'm no aviation buff; I just listen to the news. * From Jim Mahaffy: If all the adventure's in history were like Mr. Bandsta we would still believe that the world was flat. As for endangering other aircraft, Mr. Bandstra must not fly or he would know that at the Flight Levels that Fossitt flew at filing a flight plan is mandatory, therefor ATC centers around the world knew exactly where he was and had his plane in radar and voice contact at all times. Also I believe that all the planes in Steve's air space knew where his was also. The chance for a midair collision was almost zero. There is no such thing as a zero chance of anything. The proof that other aircraft knew where Steve was that several pilots radioed him to congratulate him. Thank God there are more people in history like Marco Polo, Chris Columns, Davy C rocket and yes Steve Fossett's that want to see what's on the other side on the mountain and fewer Dave Bandstra's. sorry Dave. Several years ago I had the chance to meet Steve Fossett when he entered the Newport to Ensenada race. I can not picture a more polite unassuming and cordial person. He most likely doesn't remember me but I will always remember meeting him * From John Harwood-Bee: Did I miss something? or was I the only one who thought David Bandstra's comments were 'tongue in cheek'. Surely nobody could have taken them seriously (could they?) * From Steve Gregory: Was the coffee a little weak on Monday? For those that read Dave Bandstra's remarks on Steve Fossett's round-the world flight in Monday's Issue 1789, then felt obligated to submit their response letters, did not seem to get the joke. Or maybe I am just a "glass is half-full" kind of a guy. Was this not a play on the recent solo sailing thread, or are pilots really up in the sky swerving to dodge birds in their path?* From George Bailey ( RE: Dave Bandstra's joke): Has fear of the political correctness police finally killed everyone's ability to tell a joke when they read one? Dave Bandstra was joking! Read it again and note the way its put. * From Rich Roberts: The responses to the Fossett and Richard Clark spoofs are further, predictable proof that some of your readers take sailing (and Scuttlebutt) way too seriously. * From Dougall Johnson: My recently dear departed good friend Colin Case turned me on to Scuuttlebutt. I've been a fan ever since. My favorite part is and always will be the tongue in cheek comedy submissions. Butt (please leave the spelling the same), even better are the holier than thou-indignant rebuttals from our more literal readers who don't see a joke except (or even ) on April 1st. It makes my mornings. * From Guy Gurney: It's hard to believe that three of your readers failed to understand that Dave Bandstra's hilarious letter about Steve Fossett was intended as humour! Anyway, on another subject, about Tim Jeffery's report that a Hollywood film studio that has been considering doing a movie about the Volvo Race: Shortly before the sailor/writer/rules expert Eric Twiname died, in 1980, he told me he had a written a play for the theatre which was set aboard a Whitbread Race yacht. He thought it was a perfect setting for exploring relationships between people cooped up in a small space, under stress, for an extended period. I wonder what happened to his script. I bet it would be more interesting than some of the stuff Hollywood serves up. * From Bruce Tabor: What's going on with the small amount of attention to the Transpac. Shame on you guys. Curmudgeon's comment: Huh? There have been stories about the Transpac Race in two of our previous issues three issue, and there is another one again in this issue. And the race does not even start until July - four months from now. Was there a full moon last night? * From Ralph Taylor: The story on the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta's problem of determining an overall winner brings up an interesting philosophical question. The race committee were looking for "one that won in a very hotly contested class." Some other RCs might have looked for the most clearly dominant boat in its class, e.g., by dividing each boat's total points by the number of entries in its class. The two principles seem diametrically opposed. * From Branislav Kecman: (Re: Paul Brown's comment on Washington practicing NIH - not invented here - about Steve Fossett's flight in Scuttlebutt 1789): For official word from NASA go to: www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/improvingflight/global_flyer.html CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut her up with cookies." - Anonymous |
