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SCUTTLEBUTT 1793 - March 11, 2005
Scuttlebutt 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.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Over the years, the pages of Scuttlebutt have carried thousands of words
about weight limits and the health problems associated with dramatic weight
loss practices just prior to weighing-in at a regatta, and the subsequent
'feeding frenzies' to load up the rail with 'righting moment.' There have
been lots of 'solutions' suggested, but few have been as interesting as the
one taken by the Transpac 52 class. Following are some excerpts from their
rules:
"It is widely recognized that crew weight has an effect on boat speed. Over
the last few years, a tactic of drastic weight loss and rapid gain has been
used in some classes. The TP52 Class shall not encourage this practice. It
is the owner's responsibility to encourage a healthy crew weight plan. The
crew weight maximum shall be 1273.0 kilos wearing a minimum of sailing
shorts and T-Shirt. At least 48 hours before the scheduled start of a
Transpac 52 event, each yacht shall file a written crew declaration with
all crew member names and weights, including alternates. Between 36 & 18
hours before the scheduled start of a TP52 race, the TP52 class official
shall select from several crew weighing options and post it on the official
notice board."
The TP 52 rule outlines some very interesting weighing-in alternatives
available to the class. There are several interesting options, but the
bottom line is that the crew member's weight may be checked virtually
anytime before or immediately after the races. And if a crew member is
found to be over the declared weight, the entire crew shall be weighed.
- When a crew weight is found to over 1273.0 kg and at or below 1278.0
kg, it shall lose three places for each race of that day.
- When a crew weight is found to be over 1278.0 kg and at or below
1283.0. kg, it shall lose six places for each race of that day.
- When a crew weight is found to be over 1283.0 kg, it shall be scored
DNS for each race of that day
- During an event, if a yachts crew weight is found to be over 1273.0 kg,
the crew shall be reweighed each remaindering day of the event."
"There is simply no way to 'work around' these weight rules," said TP 52
executive director Tom Pollack with a huge grin on his face.
Here are the details of the plan:
http://transpac52.org/Documents/Transpac_52_Box_Rule_2005.pdf
NEW CONSTRUCTION
BMW Oracle Racing revealed plans for a next-generation America's Cup team
base in Valencia's Darsena harbour, site of the 32nd America's Cup. The
first steel beams of the three-story operations base for the America's Cup
Challenger of Record are expected to be installed next week, marking the
first major phase of construction. The structure will house a hospitality
center and a welcoming public interactive center. These features complement
the basic functionality of a boat shed, sail loft, travel-lift piers and a
gymnasium to allow efficient day-to-day sailing operations. "We designed a
base that would encompass a wide range of our team requirements under one
roof," said Chris Dickson, CEO. "The first priority was to provide the most
efficient sailing operations possible. At the same time, we wanted to
design a space that would offer our guests a memorable world-class
hospitality experience set amidst an authentic sailing environment.
The Racing base area will be approximately 4,000 square meters with a
building footprint of 2,700 square meters. The site is 67 meters wide and
70 meters deep with 35 meters of water frontage. The VIP area on the top
floor will offer as many as 250 guests per day a new experience in sailing
event hospitality. Guests will enjoy panoramic views of the Darsena from
the rooftop deck. "Our program will be closer to what guests experience in
Formula One than to what has been seen before in the America's Cup," said
Laurent Esquier, Director of Operations for BMW Oracle Racing. -
www.bmworacleracing.com
UNDER TOW
The Argentinean navy has assumed control of the rescue of the yacht
Cheyenne which dis-masted yesterday (Wednesday March 9th) in heavy seas
some 200 miles north of the Falkland Islands. The navy is in regular
contact with Race Headquarters in Doha. Navy warship ARA Suboficial
Castillo has made contact with Cheyenne and will take her on tow to the
Argentinian port of Comodoro Rivadavcia. The crewmembers on-watch reported
seeing the lower shroud give way, after which the mast fell to leeward.
Closer inspection of the terminal has revealed that the aluminium is
completely sheared. It has been a stroke of luck that the mast did not give
way a week ago when they were in the Southern Ocean, facing Hurricane Percy
and thousands of miles away from rescue.
Late Wednesday afternoon, while the crew on Cheyenne were dealing with the
wreckage that was once their mast, Doha 2006 rounded the turning mark of
Los Lobos Island. They are now heading south, skirting the edge of the
South Atlantic High. At the 12:00 GMT poll on Thursday morning the Qatari
catamaran was sailing at 19 knots on a course of 142 degrees. Another major
milestone has been checked off as they set their sights on the next mark of
the course; the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa. Los Lobos
island was added as a mark of the course to bring the boats up out of the
Southern Ocean. The other reason for the mark was to allow the crews to
make a film dump as they neared land. Since leaving Qatar the crews have
been shooting reams of video footage, some of which has been compressed and
sent back via satellite. The rest has been stored on board waiting for the
Los Lobos drop off.
Standings at 0035 GMT Friday: Doha 2006, 8421 miles to finish, 2. Deadalus
3329 miles to leader; Retired: Geronimo & Cheyenne. - www.oryxquest.com/
B&G: THE WORLD'S WINNING INSTRUMENT SYSTEM
B&G provides high-end performance instruments to race winners and record
breakers alike. Just ask Ellen MacArthur, fastest single handed round the
world sailor who on completing her record said "My B&G autopilots were
awesome and my B&G instruments never faltered over the 27,348 miles. It was
great to have the B&G team behind me 24/7 and if I had to do it again, I
would not hesitate in choosing B&G." This proven racing technology isn't
just available to the most high profile sailors; whether you're cruising or
racing you can also benefit from the same high performance technology.
http://www.BandG.com
ORANGE II
Orange II is still suffering on her climb back up the Atlantic. The only
way to get around the high, which is unusually low for the season, is to
head off a long, long way from the direct route. Peyron and his dream team
are sailing more than 400 miles west of the routes taken last year by their
opponents Cheyenne. The incredible feat of circling the world in 50 days
seems less and less likely as the hours slip by. To achieve this, they have
to cross the line before midday on Tuesday 15 March, and now the probable
arrival time appears to be sometime on March 16 or 17. At 0055 GMT on
Friday Orange II had covered 24,312 nm at an average speed of 22.2 knots,
having sailed 274 nm in the previous 24 hours. Orange II is now 2630 ahead
of the absolute record held by Steve Fossett's Cheyenne with 2336 nm to go.
- www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/
ACURA MIAMI RACE WEEK
Miami Beach, Fla - Bright sunshine and challenging conditions greeted top
sailors from around the world during the first day of Acura Miami Race Week
which has drawn 1,200 sailors and 142 boats. Fresh conditions, deep swells
and a strong northerly breeze that faded to under ten knots made the races
both tactical and physical where the deep currents of the Gulf Stream ran
fast against a dying northwesterly breeze making the conditions tricky,
tough and challenging.
The first day has the European teams with a slight edge over American
teams. In the eight-boat international Farr 40 fleet, a talented team from
Greece including Olympic Gold Medallist Sofia Bekatorou sailed three strong
races but they trail "Mean Machine's" Peter de Ridder of Holland by three
points. The Dutch and Greek boats face rising challenges by Germans
Wolfgang Schaefer, owner of "Strunje Light" and "Opus One" owned by
Wolfgang Stoltz who is tied for third place. In the five-boat PHRF 1 fleet,
Farr 60 Numbers owned by Dan Meyers of Boston, MA leads by four points with
three-time America's Cup winner Brad Butterworth of New Zealand calling
tactics. Laurie Fullerton, complete results: www.premiere-racing.com/
THE STARS
Olympian Peter Bromby of Bermuda and crew Rick Peters of Venice Beach, CA
had a neck and neck race from the start to finish line with Howie Shiebler
of San Francisco, CA and crew Anson Stookey of Middletown, RI in Day 4 of
the Bacardi Cup Regatta for Star boats. Two-time Bacardi Cup champion
Bromby won it and is now in first place overall. Both Mark Mendelblatt and
Vince Brun, who were first and second place overall on Day 3, were
disqualified for false starts today. Mendelblatt drops to 2nd overall and
Brun, who was in 2nd, drops to 7th overall.
Standings after five races with one discard races (68 boats):
1. Peter Bromby / Rick Peters, 12 pts
2. Mark Mendelblatt / Mark Strube, 12
3. Howie Shiebler / Anson Stookey, 17
4. John Maccausland / Brian Fatih, 22
5. Rick Merriman/ Brad Nichol, 23
6. Afonso Domingos / Bernardo Santos, 24
7. Vince Brun / Doug Brophy, 27
8. Andy Macdonald / Austin Sperry, 28
9. Szabo George/ Christian Finnsgard, 29
10. Augie Diaz / Bob Schofield, 35
Complete results: www.starclass.org/search2.cgi?Action=results
NEWS BRIEFS
* For those who are wondering what kind of rig is necessary to transport
Pyewacket's 125-foot carbon mast from Marina del Rey, California to Rhode
Island, we've posted an image online. The mast will be loaded at midnight
and head East in the pre-dawn hours Friday morning:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/p-truck.jpg
* The Global Challenge round the world fleet has been experiencing reaching
conditions making for fast 24 hour runs in the right direction. Conditions
at present are still pretty bumpy for the fleet as James Allen, skipper of
Me to You, said: "The general conditions are a mixed bag between squally
and gales somewhere in-between. There is some relief ahead - a day's calm
before the next low arrives. Leaders: 1. BP Explorer, 4419 miles from
finish of leg, 2. Imagine It. Done, 14 miles to leader; Barclays
Adventurer, 17 mtl. - www.globalchallenge2004.com
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IN MEMORIAM
(As provided by photographer Daniel Forster) Bob Kiernan, sailor, web
editor and bon-vivant, died from the consequences of a tragic sailing
accident. He was doing what he loved most: racing with friends. He was 53.
Sailing was Bob's life. Whenever there was a boat to deliver, a crew
position to fill or a race to help organize, he was there. I met Bob
Kiernan in 1988 in San Diego where he was the driver of our photo boat
during the America's Cup. We didn't have to tell him where to position the
boat, he knew the angles. A few years later he became my webmaster and
edited thousands of pictures for my website yachtphoto.com.
He loved the sea and supported the conservation of the marine environment
through the Surfrider Foundation. Bob knew about every aspect of sailing
and shared his opinions with the yachting community through Scuttlebutt. He
lived on Treasure Island Florida and is survived by his son, Morgan, and
four brothers and three sisters. There is a poem by Paul Squire on Bob's
website Worldmarine-ltd.com. It ends with the words:
Oh, you captain of the meek; may your voyage be marked by easy wind, calm
seas, and the shining light of God's grace.
We try to return the love you gave, and hope we have learned well enough to
do so.
The words fit the man. - Daniel Forster
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 Amy Shaffer (Re: Jean Quest's concerns about 'inappropriate
Curmudgeon Observations'): There are two kinds of people in this world:
those with a sense of humor, and those without. To the latter I say, "Sorry
for your shortcomings, but please don't ruin the fun for the rest of us."
I, for one, thought the Curmudgeon's observation yesterday was kind of
funny. I thought about it this morning when the thin woman inside me asked
for a cup of tea and I shut her up with a double hot chocolate with whipped
cream.
* From Brendan Hanna: To Jean Quest: Lighten up, will ya? Note the
observation said "inside me," meaning the author was a woman. The best
jokes are those told about one's self. We Irish joke about our tendency
toward drink, though many do not partake at all. We husbands joke about our
inability to navigate around household chores, though many are in fact, the
primary care givers. We boaters joke about our putting our boats above our
families. What a sad world this will be of we cannot make light of our lives!
* From Alexander Meller (Re: Jean Quest's concerns about 'inappropriate
Curmudgeon Observations'): Enough of this political correctness. There's
more than enough misery in this world. Don't make it worse by criticizing
people for trying to make a joke!
* From Peter Wickwire: Perhaps Ms. Quest should consider two things:
1) I recall numerous instances where the Editor made observations that
could be considered "derogatory" concerning his personal experiences with
the affects of aging, but I do not recall one male authored letter accusing
him of ageism.
2) It is not a secret the fashion media bears the brunt of the blame
insofar as female body image is concerned. Furthermore, it appears Ms.
Quest overlooks the fact fashion media is a matriarchal industry dominated
by female editors and staff. Their job it is to cater to their female
audience. These women make the decisions as to what "look" to represent in
their pages insofar as advertisements, imagery and fashion layouts are
concerned. It is foolhardy to assume this is governed by anything other
than their target market and what they desire to see/consume. In my
discussions with industry types, these women accept and understand this is
a female construct. Most understand the average guy prefers curves. Sorry
Ms. Quest but you took the easy route and pointed your finger in the wrong
direction.
With respect to sailing, having always shared in proportionate weight loss
for regattas, I have never experienced female crew exercising and/or
fasting any more than male crew. If women sailors out there have, I suggest
it is time to look for other opportunities.
* From Diane Swintal: Tom, if you stop being as politically incorrect as
possible with the 'Curmudgon's Observation', I will stop reading
Scuttlebutt. I mean, if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at?
If we've learned nothing from reading 'Butt these past few days, it's that
we could all use a great big dose of 'lighten up...'
* From Andrew Troup: Jean Quest ('Butt 1792) asks "When are we gonna see
... derogatory comments about men?" I think she would be embarrassed by
even the most cursory examination of recent 'Butts. Such a quest extending
no further back than three days reveals a bitterly anti-male Curmudgeonly
Observation ('Butt 1788), written specifically (by an identified woman) to
denigrate the male gender, on two counts. Neither of the propositions is
symmetrical with respect to gender, and the piece would accordingly make no
sense if the genders were transposed.
By comparison, the wry observation from 'Butt 1791 to which Jean takes
exception* may well have been written by a woman. Gender is not the central
issue: body image and comfort food are, problems which do not respect
gender. The observation happens to refer to a person who happens to be
female, but it still works just fine the other way. Homer Simpson would get
a better laugh than Marge from "Inside me lives a skinny person crying to
get out. But I can usually shut them up with cookies".
Gratuitous and unchecked assertions seem often to correlate with a
reflexive tendency to find discrimination and prejudice where none exists,
and I urge the Curmudgeon to continue to exercise unbludgeoned good taste.
Curmudgeon's Comment: For the record, the 'observation' being discussed was
sent to me by a woman - whose name many readers would recognize. And
although letters on this issue are still pouring in, the thread is now
officially dead.
* From Skip Rockwell: Just when I can't think of any reason to be
interested in the Oryx Quest 2005, Cheyenne breaks their mast. When four
dated and poorly matched multihulls take off for a prize booty, it is hard
to find the story line. I was getting tired of it early on, but fortunately
Geronimo provided some needed drama. Now, it is Cheyenne. Hopefully
Deadalus will get back on course soon and try cartwheeling through the
hurricane, or some large sea animal eats Doha to avenge recent losses to
its people. Or maybe the RC will put up the Shortened Course flag and put
this event out of its misery.
* From Paul McCann: Saw a note on the Bacardi Cup site regarding the
passing of long time Star sailor Frank Zagarino. In tribute to Frank many
of the sailors placed a Z on their mainsail for the regatta. Frank used to
mooonlight sailing Comets with us on Long Island, NY and he was a true
gentleman and great sailor. The tribute the Star sailors gave him was well
deserved and touching. This reminds me what makes this sport so great - the
people and camaraderie, both on and off the course.
* From Dick Seward: A correction in the article on Congressional Cup in
Butt 1792 I was Congressional Cup Chairman in 1990 and Russell Coutts
indeed sailed and placed 3rd in the 1990 Congressional Cup.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
One of the perks of being over 60 is that there is nothing left to learn
the hard way
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