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SCUTTLEBUTT 1512 - February 5, 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. THE PRIZE It is ironic that one of the costliest sports often offers relatively little or no prize money in its most prestigious competitions. The typical yacht on the world's premier sailing circuits costs about US$1 million on average. Yet, owners continue to pour money into these seemingly bottomless pits in the pursuit of what some would regard as really ugly trophies with quaint names like the Tatersall's Cup, the Fighting Finish Trophy and the Auld Mug. The first of these is the reward for the winner of the Sydney to Hobart race, that starts on Boxing Day every year and is run from Sydney Harbour to Hobart in Tasmania, 627 nautical miles away. This year's winner, accomplished Victoria state yachtsman Grant Wharington, sold his family home to finance the building of his winning yacht. While not exactly short of money, even the millionaire Australian property developer had to dig deep to pay for a boat that cost A$5 million (S$6.4 million) to build. The only hope of any monetary return was a paltry A$10,000 for the first boat out of Sydney Heads, the first leg of the race. The Fighting Finish Trophy is the prize for the winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, one of yachting's premier blue water races where competitors race around the world over nine months. The winning boat in the last edition of the race over 2002/03 was sponsored by German construction magnate Michael Illbruck. The yachting and sporting world's oldest and best-known trophy, the America's Cup, is affectionately named the Auld Mug. First known as the 100 guineas Cup, it was nearly melted down by one of its early winners hoping to extract some tangible value. But one suspects that even with the rising price of gold in recent years, this would not be able to make up for the US$60 million average campaign cost of the contenders in the last cup series in 2003. What makes them do it? Passion for the sport and the desire to win. Of course, it's not as simple as that. There is financial gain and other economic benefits to be made from sponsorship deals and advertising exposure and so on that ensues from a yacht's winning campaign, but at the end of the day one must admit that there are easier ways to achieve the same ends. And the fact that many of the owners are also skippers or crew on the boats they race suggests that they are really in it because it's what they love to do. - Vincent Wee, The Business Times, full story: http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/story/0,4567,104233,00.html JULES VERNE TROPHY After a return trip to England in stiff, upwind conditions, the giant catamaran Orange made it back to the Défi Français base in Lorient last weekend. The boat is bigger, more rigid and heavier than the previous boat but cracked sheet sailing in heavy seas will never be the favoured point of sail for catamarans. The crew made the most of the conditions to put the beast to the test and were happy with its performance. They also tested a rough weather sail configuration with a storm jib and 2-reefed mainsail. On this occasion the crew was able to check that it was better to hank the storm jib onto the main stay as well as keeping the trinquette on its stay just in case, as the manouvre on the foredeck in these conditions is akin to an assault course. The boat had its mast removed and was put on the hard in Lorient yesterday so as to repair the damage caused to one of its floats by a neighboring boat in the Multiplast yard when Orange was still in Vannes right at the start of January. We'll use this time to perform our last checks and preparations with a view to the round the world attempt. Orange should take to the liquid element once more on Friday from where it will go to La Trinité-sur-Mer in southern Brittany again for its official naming ceremony on 11 February. The idea is to be ready to set off on a Jules Verne as soon as the forecast lends itself to the occasion after this party date. - YachtingUniverse.com, full story: http://tinyurl.com/3fdrq SECRETS TO KEY WEST SUCCESS For the past two years at Terra Nova Trading Key West, Team Bergmann/Bennett sailed "Zuni Bear" to victory in the J/105 class, with Ullman Sails taking 3 of the top 4 places. More Ullman Sails Results: Top two in the Corsair 28R class (1st- Team Harkrider's "Bad Boys"; 2nd- Team Freudenbrg/Hudgins "Condor"); Top two in the Corsair 24 class (1st- Remmers/Onsgard "Breaking Wind"; 2nd- Steve Marsh's "I-Fly"); Bob Berg's "Love that Chicken" dominated the J/109 class; 2003 Melges 24 World Champion Samuel "Shark" Kahn finished 2nd; Michael Carroll's Henderson 30 "New Wave" was 2nd in PHRF 4. - http://www.ullmansails.com RANKINGS FOR OLYMPIC CLASSES The first of six ISAF World Sailing Rankings releases for 2004, prior to the Olympic Games in Athens have been released following the culmination of the Rolex Miami OCR last week - a regatta that several of the US athletes, who previously qualified for the US Olympic team, did not attend. Here's a sample of what you'll find if you go to the ISAF website to read their gripping report: The Star class, distinctive both in design and by the characters within its folds is a class that attracts some of the most experienced and diverse sailors in the world. Finn silver medallist in Sydney 2000 Freddie Loof, still leads the epic line-up, but he must be a little concerned looking over his shoulder and seeing the likes of Colin Beashel, Mark Reynolds, Mark Neeleman, Paul Cayard, Iain Murray etc, slowly or in some cases very quickly, climbing the rankings towards him. Mark Neeleman (NED) was a trimmer for Alinghi in the last America's Cup and, given time off to pursue an Olympic dream, seems to be making the most of his time away from Switzerland. In the last rankings of 2004 he was in 24 position. Now he is tenth, his highest position since pre 2002. Paul Cayard has also upped his game somewhat as the Olympic trials for the USA draw near. He has risen from 22 to 14 in the rankings, whilst 2003 World Champion Xavier Rohart (FRA) has fallen a further three places from tenth to 13. Rohart now sits less than 100 points in front of the ever hungry Cayard. - http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=6353 MASSIVE CHALLENGE Ellen MacArthur knows she faces a massive challenge to overturn the solo round-the-world records achieved by Francis Joyon this week. MacArthur has been busy preparing her newly launched 75ft catamaran B & Q for ocean testing but kept tabs on Joyon's solo non-stop circumnavigation of 72 days, 22 hours and 54 minutes which set remarkable monohull and multihull marks. MacArthur's new vessel has the potential to challenge the record but that will not be enough. She will have to find two months of near optimum weather systems, experience high reliability and enjoy a dash of good fortune. Though it was Michel Desjoyeaux's 93-day record that fell, MacArthur was only a day shy of that in finishing runner-up in the 2000-01 Vendee Globe race. And her B & Q has been built specifically to take a tilt at a trinity of solo records: the 24-hour maximum run; the west-east Transatlantic; and, all being well, round the world non-stop. MacArthur said: "Until other people go out there to try to break that record it is pretty difficult to say just how hard he [Joyon] pushed. My gut reaction is pretty damn hard." B & Q has sailed from Sydney, where she was built, and is now in Auckland, preparing for some Southern Ocean tests, before returning to the UK. - Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/3bzaa THE BOAT (The Daily Sail Website has done a comprehensive story on Francis Joyon's amazing campaign that produced a new solo round the world record. Following are some brief excerpts about the boat.) A design by Marc van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot Prevost, Joyon's trimaran was built by CDK Composites for Olivier de Kersauson to campaign in the 1986 Route du Rhum. Fresh out of the box she was 75ft long. During the 1990s the boat was solely used by de Kersauson to make attempts on the fully crewed non-stop around the world record. In 1993 the boat, named Charal and much modified, had its first go alongside ENZA New Zealand and Bruno Peyron's Commodore Explorer. For the following season the boat was modified further - extended to her present length of 27m (89ft) with new floats and a slightly taller mast. For the 1994 attempt the boat was renamed Lyonnaise des Eaux Dumez and this time made it round - but in a slower time than ENZA. After other attempts on the record, including several aborted ones, it was finally in 1997 that de Kersauson succeeded in winning the Jules Verne Trophy. With de Kersauson now strutting his stuff in a new maxi-trimaran - Geronimo - Joyon was able to charter his old boat. One of the most remarkable aspects of Joyon's voyage was that IDEC was little changed from when she was Sport Elec. The only ostensible difference is her paint job, which Joyon is rumoured to have applied himself with a roller, and she now has roller furling headsails. Her mainsail for example is the same one de Kersauson used on his Jules Verne Trophy win in 1997. - The Daily Sail, http://www.thedailysail.com/ QUANTUM SAILS IS HIRING Quantum Sail Design Group in Annapolis MD is seeking a highly motivated individual with sailmaking experience and excellent people skills to work in our Service loft. Full-time position and great benefits available. If interested please email Jason Currie; jcurrie@quantumsails.com or call 410-268-1161 THE OTHER BOAT (With the dust beginning to settle on Joyon's amazing feat, heads are turning towards Médiatis Région Aquitaine, Parlier's new extreme machine which is set to make a serious impact on the ocean racing scene. Following are a few excerpts from Sue Pelling's compelling story on the Yacht World website.) This 60ft hydroplane with twin rigs was designed by Romaric Neyhousser, Guillaume Verdier, Loic Goepfert and Gregoire Durousseau of the Aquitaine Design Team whose brief included designing a boat which could reach target speed of 35 knots for 24 hours, 40 knots for one hour and short bursts of 45 knots plus. Yachting World's Matt Sheahan who was at the launch last Monday spoke to Parlier about what he hopes to achieve. Parlier said: "As far as her outright speed is concerned, I suppose her max is probably 50 knots, maybe 55 would be possible, but this boat is not about breaking outright speed records. If we'd wanted to do this we would need to go for more aerodynamic shapes and possibly even wing sails." * Reducing drag was also key to this design. The stepped underwater profile of the hull, which follows the same principle commonplace on performance powerboats and sea planes, helps to prevent the water from sticking to the hull when a certain speed is achieved. Sheahan says: "By forcing the water to separate from the hull, the drag is reduced substantially. In the case of Parlier's boat, once at speed, none of the hull abaft the step will be in contact with the water and the boat will ride on just 3m2 of each hull. Compared to a conventional multihull this means a fourfold reduction in drag." * The twin rig is also an interesting one. Unlike on trimarans where the centre hull acts as a structural backbone for the mast, Parlier has gone for a mast on each hull. This is avoid structural problems that often occur single-masted catamarans where the compression produced at the mast foot has to be supported by, invariably, a hefty crossbeam. Parlier's idea is to have deck-stepped, rotating wing masts but stayed only on their inner faces. A solid aerofoil profile spacer bar mounted at the hounds will link the two masts and provide support. - Sue Pelling, Yachting World, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yucav NEWS BRIEFS * AC Management, the event organizer of the 32nd America's Cup, has launched the Official Spanish Version of the America's Cup website. America's Cup dot com, the official website of the America's Cup has been a bilingual website supporting English, the official language of the event, and French, since June 2003. Following the decision to make Valencia in Spain the Host City for the 32nd America's Cup in November 2003, the building of a Spanish version of the was put under construction. The Spanish version is now online. - www.americascup.com * US Sailing awarded three of its Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medals in the month of January for separate rescue incidents. In all three incidents, the rescuers selflessly helped fellow mariners who had fallen overboard. The medals were awarded to Kevin and Karen Kelly, Eric Willis and to Jim Roe and Ryan Miller. To read the details of these three exemplary acts of seamanship: www.ussailing.org/safety/Rescues/ * Annapolis, MD - Grog & Gruel Provisioning of Wilmington, DE has become the name sponsor of the bi-annual the Bermuda Ocean Race. The 2004 BOR will be known as the Grog & Gruel Bermuda Ocean Race through 2006. A PROPER YACHT? Two Cubans who tried to sail to Florida in a truck converted to a pontoon boat last year are making another attempt, this time piloting a seagoing 1950s-era Buick with four other adults and five children, relatives said. Marciel Basanta Lopez and Luis Grass Rodriguez, who were sent back to Cuba in July after they failed to reach Florida in a converted 1951 Chevrolet pickup, were at the helm of the newest vehicle-boat conversion, and had set out to sea on Monday, relatives said. "My uncle is very brave; he is not irresponsible," Eduardo Perez Grass, a nephew of Luis Grass, said in Havana. "There is no danger to the children. The car is very safe." The Coast Guard refused on Wednesday to confirm the status of the tailfinned car or the origin of photos of it in the water that were broadcast on television Tuesday. U.S. policy prevents the disclosure of information on such cases until they are resolved, such as by sending the participants back to their home countries, Petty Officer Sandra Bartlett said. Under U.S. immigration policy, Cubans who reach U.S. shores are allowed to stay while those caught at sea are usually returned. - Fox Carolina website, full story: http://www.whns.com/Global/story.asp?S=1630331&nav=2KPpKcK3 OCKAM EXPANDING Campbell Field now heads Ockam in Europe. He's a respected sailor, navigator and instrumentation expert, and as Ockam's authorized distributor offers full sales and service: from both the Ockam Europe office in Lymington and through a quickly growing dealer network in Europe's primary sailing centers. Whether cruising or racing, based in Europe or visiting, contact Campbell by email, cmf@ockameurope.com or visit http://www.ockameurope.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Sir Robin Knox-Johnston:To put Francis Joyon's outstanding solo circumnavigation into context, it is two days faster than we achieved with Enza NZ in 1994 with a crew of 8. It is four days faster that Oliver de Kersuason managed with the same boat with a crew of 5 that same year. Records are there to be broken, but Joyon has kicked this one almost out of sight - a phenomenal achievement. * From Peter Commette: Those who were offended by Vanguard's ad ("buy an all white boat and hide yourself on the line") should sail nice neon colored boats, so the rest of us can find them on the starting line and tuck ourselves in below them. It's a fact of successful racing life, go when the rest go (or slightly before) and hope you've tucked yourself away well. Oh yes, I almost forgot, and sail a boat that doesn't stand out, like an all white boat. I thought the ad was funny, as it was intended. * From Sergey Leonidov: White boats that blend with other white boats are less visible on the line than the colored boats, it's a fact of life, no need to get offended about it. * From Paul Lowell: Take a look at the cover of the latest issue of Sailing World. I love a crew that hikes hard, but look at those lifelines. Is the apparent deflection an optical illusion? Does the Melges 24 have lifeline tension rules? Did this regatta not use ORC reg's? * From Rich du Moulin: When the Storm Trysail Club developed its Safety Guidelines, we did not deal with MOB at a turning mark, a situation described in Scuttlebutt yesterday. However, while sailing a frostbite dinghy at the Interclub Nationals years ago on the frigid Connecticut River, I had the good fortune to be rounding the leeward mark near the top of the fleet. An out of control planing competitor jammed between me and the mark, his boom hit me in the head, his mainsheet caught around my body, and I was pulled out of the boat into the water. As I surfaced (I was wearing a PFD) and looked upwind. The fleet of 75 Interclubs were all planing straight at me. For safety I swam to the mark and draped myself over it, hoping the fleet would round the mark without hitting it, and me. Fortunately, their boathandling was better than the fellow who hit me. When the smoke cleared, the crash boat came over and removed me from the mark. Lessons learned: wear a PFD, don't fall overboard, swim to the mark. The last one is of marginal use in ocean racing ... swim to Bermuda? * From Andrew Vare: Three cheers for John Sweeney's new America's Cup effort. Of all the sailors involved in vying for the Cup, I am sure John has all of the right stuff. If we want to bring the Cup back to America, a winning campaign must first have heart and soul. This core element cannot be engineered to any degree, nor bought with the spoils of a software boom, nor assembled hastily and packaged with a cookie cutter and force fed to the public with so many media dollars. It starts with character and determination, which John is not short on. Look for him on the podium. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS It's a pretty good sign that you've (finally) grown up when dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one. |
