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SCUTTLEBUTT 1799 - March 21, 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. COMMENTARY (In Scuttlebutt 1798 we carried an excerpt from commentary by Andy Green published on The Daily Sail subscription website. In that piece, Green discussed Ellen MacArthur's impact on sailing as well as the media returns of Oryx Quest 2005. In the following response, Oryx Quest 2005 Race Organizer Tracy Edwards takes exception to some of Andy views.) Qatar is ecstatic with the massive coverage they have received for the event in their key target markets of Middle East, Asia, the Far East and the USA. The UK is not a target market for Qatar. It is important for me obviously because although I do not live there at present it is still ultimately my home and the home of many people who would have really enjoyed it if the British Sailing press had used the information that we made available to them and written more about the event. I think it is sad that they chose instead to concentrate on the fact that I had to borrow money to get the Oryx Quest up and running and the fact that I have stared personal ruination in the face on a number of occasions to bring to the sailing world what we believe is a great opportunity to open up the 'arena' and therefore the sponsorship market for big boat offshore sailing. Ellen has done a fantastic job and is the absolute heroine of my five year old daughter who thinks he mother "looks a lot older" works too hard, is permanently tired and doesn't "bounce around the netting like Ellen does"! She spends as much time looking at Ellen's website as the Quest website and as I think that Ellen is a great role model I have encouraged this absolutely! (Let's keep the boy bands at bay for as long as possible!) However, this is not a competition on who gets more press and I am sure that Ellen would agree with me on this. Fame and fortune is not what drives me or Ellen or in fact most ocean racers. What we do is try and make the impossible dream happen, to achieve something in the sport we live for. When we succeed it helps to make sailing available to a wider audience and we hope it encourages the next generation of sailors in all countries across the globe. This includes my daughter who tells me that she is going to sail around the world single handed when she is old enough. Ten yrs old she informs me! As we near the end of the Oryx Quest 2005 I hope that the winner (who will obviously be British) will be feted in their achievement in the UK and people will realize that the fact that two boats didn't make it all the way round the globe is a testament to all those "Who go down to the sea in boats." - Tracy Edwards MBE VOLVO OCEAN RACE The ABN AMRO boat has been recently been undergoing some planned technical adjustments. This as a result of her maiden long distance trip from Portimao to Rotterdam. During the trip all the systems were introduced to the rigours of the Gulf of Biscaye, the English Channel and the cold windy European winter conditions. The team used this 2,500 mile return trip to develop the onboard systems and prioritise changes.The technical adjustments include changes to the daggerboard system, the steering system that needed to be more precise at the high boat speeds experienced, and small changes to deck layout. After two weeks on shore, ABN AMRO will be sailing again this week in preparation for its first transatlantic voyage to the United States in April. As background, the ABN AMRO is the first Volvo 70 to be built and sailed. It has sailed an impressive 41 days in total since being launched on 18 January, covering 3,500 miles. These voyages have included sailing in winds of up to 40 knots and five metre high waves, with a maximum boat speed of 30 knots. The team is confident that boat speeds of 40 knots or more will be possible. - http://tinyurl.com/7ywr4 PLAN EARLY - SAVE NOW June, July, and August are so busy with regattas that we will pay you to plan now for your T-Shirt needs at The Pirate's Lair! Save 5% on your order by allowing us to create artwork and schedule printing in slow May and April. Ask about our keg and goodies sponsorships for your event. Log on for a free catalog and widget at http://www.pirateslair.com/sailing ORYX QUEST 2005 Tony Bullimore and his crew on Daedalus wobbled around Los Lobos island late Saturday afternoon after the wind died making for a painfully slow approach to the required turning mark. On hand to greet the boat was Juan Pablo Figoli and Captain Pablo Temesio Balestra of the rescue launch ROU 70 who were there to take video footage and CD's burned with the digital images shot since the start. "It was really nice to see people again after so long," Tony said in a satellite phone call. "The weather was perfect for a handover as we were drifting slowly, much as we had been doing all day." At the same 07:00 GMT poll Doha 2006 was sliding past the Prince Edward Islands a hundred miles to the north. The islands are officially part of the Cape Province in South Africa and are steep sided with the peaks on Marion Island covered with snow year round. It's another fascinating piece of the planet that nonstop round-the-world sailors pass as they girdle the globe. Doha 2006 is making steady progress as they reach towards the center of the high pressure that dominates their weather pattern. The sun is shining through the thick fog as the boat romps along at 18 knots. In the next 24 hours they will have to alter course to the north to avoid running into the light winds in the High, but for now it's easy sailing as the big Qatari catamaran eats up the miles on their way back to Doha. Standings at 01:11 GMT Monday: 1. Doha 2006, 4,658 miles to finish, 2. Daedalus 3,814.1 miles to leader; Retired: Geronimo & Cheyenne. - www.oryxquest.com/ NEWPORT BEACH TO CABO SAN LUCAS RACE (Curmudgeon's Comment: This popular distance race from Southern California to the tip of Baja California has attracted a quality fleet, and the conditions at the start were brisk but not overwhelming. However, from the following report on the event website, I would hate to see what would happen if a bit of storm did come through: Merlin was dismasted shortly after the start yesterday. Early in the afternoon Alchemy was holed and started taking on water. CG (Coast Guard) responded to mayday call and took over. Early this morning, Genuine Risk advised by VHF she had a problem with her keel and was withdrawing. At 0830 roll call all boats reported in except for ET and Who's Yo Daddy (0940 Who's Yo Daddy reported on 4A). Computer projections based on current speed would put leaders into Cabo Tuesday before noon. Weather reports from contestants indicate wind WNW 15 - 20 kts, ptly ovcst, seas 1-3 ft. - Race website: http://tinyurl.com/5xhkt Images of Merlin: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/cabo0320 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LONG BEACH OLYMPIC CLASSES REGATTA Kevin Hall, the U.S. Finn class representative at Athens last year, says he isn't sure if he'll campaign for the 2008 Olympics in China, but he knows who one of his strongest rivals would be. Zach Railey, a rookie from Clearwater, Fla. in one of the venerable Olympic classes, led Hall by a point Sunday going into the eighth and last race of the North American Championships, incorporated with Alamitos Bay Yacht Club's annual Olympic Classes Regatta. It appeared he would win it all as he led the fleet into the last leeward gate, but he capsized in winds of 18 knots with gusts to 21 and failed to finish. Even after discarding that misfortune and winning half the races, he wound up a single point behind Hall. Railey, 20, is the older brother of Paige Railey, 17, the top U.S. female youth sailor. In the 2004 U.S. Olympic Finn trials he was fifth and already knew he wasn't long for the class. "It wasn't in my genes," said Railey, who is 6-4, 210 pounds and still growing. "My body outgrew the Laser, but it's perfect for the Finn. I just started sailing it a couple of months ago." But he is already ranked second only to Hall on the US Sailing Team for 2005. I'm really happy with how I'm doing so far," he said. Railey's spill left not only the North American title but the Llewellyn Bixby Trophy to Hall as winner of the most competitive class---an honor Hall also received in 1995 for winning the Laser class. The trophy is one of the original relay torches for the 1984 Games when the sailing was on these same waters. Other class winners were ABYC's Kevin Taugher among 37 Lasers, Keamia Rasa of the Royal Vancouver (B.C.) Yacht Club in Laser Radial---a new Olympic class for 2008, replacing the Europe dinghy---and Will Stout and crew Darrell Hiatt of San Diego in the six-boat Star class, winning five of nine races with no finish worse than second. Another surname famous in local Olympic lore excelled in Laser Radial. Lindsay Buchan, 23, granddaughter of Bill and daughter of Carl, both gold medalists in '84, was second to Rasa. She is ranked fourth on the US Sailing Team 2005. - Rich Roberts, Complete results and photos will be posted at www.abyc.org PRIMO HENRI LLOYD. No compromising, no negotiation, no middle ground. This is the real deal for the very foulest of weather. The Premier 16" Yachting Deck Boot is the ultimate super vulcanized rubber sea boot. Waterproof, fast-drying and slip-resistant, they're the best Henri Lloyd has to offer. The Premier 16" Yachting Deck Boot - regularly $52.95 - now $44.50 for a limited time. Visit http://www.henrilloydonline.com/scuttlebutt SAN DIEGO NOOD Nearly 130 boats sailed in the Lands' End National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta at the San Diego Yacht Club. San Diego natives Chick and Alexis Pyle became the second crew to join a very prestigious club as being named the top boat in the event. Sunday's near perfect conditions gave the Pyles all they needed to bring home the victory, finishing first and second in the final two races of the weekend. The Pyles saw their first lead in the 10-boat Beneteau 36.7 only after the final race. The state of California was well represented at this year's San Diego NOOD regatta with 11 of the 15 divisions going to crews from the state. San Diegans Dennis and Sharon Case won the largest class, the J/105 with 21 boats. Complete results: www.sailingworld.com NEWS BRIEFS * Marseille International Match Race (ISAF Grade 1): Final Standings:; 1. Ed Baird ; 2. Mathieu Richard; 3. Chris Dickson; 4. Philippe Presti; 5. Paolo Cian; 6. Sébastien Col; 7. Ian Williams; 8. Staffan Lindberg; 9. Iain Percy; 10. Dimitri Deruelle. - Event website: www.ycpr.com * Celebrate the fifth annual Summer Sailstice with sailors worldwide on June 18/19 - the longest sailing weekend days of the year. Begun in 2001, Summer Sailstice was developed as a holiday just for sailors to be celebrated wherever you sail in the Northern Hemisphere. To participate sailors need to simply sign up online and then go sailing on the weekend of June 18/19. By signing up you're also eligible to win prizes donated by The Moorings, Hunter Marine, West Marine and many of your other favorite marine businesses. - www.summersailstice.com * The Swedish Match Tour has reached a one-year agreement with footwear manufacturer Sebago (Rockford, Mich.), a division of Wolverine World Wide Inc., to become the Official Footwear Supplier to and a Sponsor of the global professional match-racing series. As part of the agreement Sebago will receive prominent exposure on Swedish Match Tour television programs and at on-site display areas. Sebago also will have use of the Swedish Match Tour logo when marketing, advertising and promoting Sebago footwear. * Challenged America, a San Diego-based recreational rehabilitation adaptive sailing program for kids and adults with disabilities, is the recipient of U.S. Sailing's 2004 Outstanding Outreach and Inclusion Award. Founded in the late 1970's by disabled veterans who desired to further their own rehabilitation and advance the sport of sailing by the inclusion of others having significant disabilities, Challenged America now outreaches into the community by introducing sailing to kids, adults and veterans with disabilities, their loved ones, and professionals in recreational rehabilitation and sports therapy. www.ChallengedAmerica.org * Unless you have won the trophy (and consumed the rum within), you may not know that in former years only the skipper's name was engraved on the Star class Bacardi Cup perpetual. That changed this year when Commodore Marty Sandler presented Tito with a beautiful new trophy on behalf of Coral Reef to be awarded to the winning crew. That meant that both young men on this year's winning team, Mark Mendleblatt and Mark Strube, each got their names engraved on huge silver cups for eternity. * More than 1,500 Optimist sailors from over forty countries will participate in international regattas over the next two weeks. Included in this number are the 180 sailors from 14 countries will participate in the IODA South American Championship in Buenos Aires. Garda Meeting The biggest single-Class regatta in the world - last year 791 sailors from 22 countries - is expected to be even bigger this year. Already nineteen countries have pre-entered over 600 sailors. UNBELIEVABLY FAST AND RESPONSIVE Safe, durable, and stable, the Colgate 26 is a winning combination of performance sailing and family fun! Designed by Steve Colgate and Jim Taylor, this virtually unsinkable boat features an oversized cockpit and rudder. Sail one at the Marblehead NOOD July 28-31. Contact mailto:Carmen@colgate26.com or visit http://www.colgate26.com 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 Jef d'Etiveaud: We read many reference to the Jules Verne trophy, how great it was or not and how controversial was the fact that the Trophy did not pass through Steve Fossett's deserving hands. I might be interesting to observe that Jules Vernes was a champion in protecting his name and his inventions and made a lot of money with his patents. This heritage might have stuck with the bunch of sailors who think that surfing on someone else's name call for compensation...50 days! Bravo to Bruno and the boys! * From Ross S Field: I have read with interest the comments regarding the Jules Verne, Bruno Peyron and Steve Fossett and cannot understand why there is some bleating (mainly from Americans, I think) going on. Bruno Peyron has thrashed both the Round the World record and the Jules Verne. Whether Bruno is French, English, Dutch, Russian, Australian, American, etc - doesn't make any difference - he holds records and a trophy by superior sailing on a superior boat. Steve Fossett didn't pay an entry fee to the Jules Verne and that was his choice. Whether the fee was $10 or $100,000 it makes no difference - he didn't pay! These giant multi hulls are the future. The Jules Verne is alive and well and long may the contest continue. Congratulations Bruno and crew - an unbelievable effort. Who is going to step up and challenge? - maybe an American! * From Russell Painton: I have been following with some interest the French's attempt to revive the (now dead) JV trophy. Hooray for Fossett. He refused to pay the ransom demanded by the French in order to be "recognized" as the fastest. Steve did not end up with the considerable assets he has by acting the fool, and this was no time to start. By wrapping a wet blanket around the JV trophy, the French have, once again, isolated themselves from the world community. The JV is now just another trophy that can be "bought" by the right person. * From Donald Brewster: My recollection was that Steve Fossett was willing to pay the same entry fee as the French charged themselves for Jules Verne but balked when told his entry fee was double theirs. Fair is fair, unfair is not. Curmudgeon's Comment: To refresh our memories, we asked Steve Fossett about the JV entry fee: "The entry fee for first time entrants was 30,000 Euros but 12,000 Euros for prior entrants (approx $40k and $16k USD). This differential fee has only been applied to one prior entrant: Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher attempt. My competitors in 2004 for the RTW record were Bruno Peyron and Olivier de Kersauson. Olivier is President of the Trophee Jules Verne organization and the only person authorized to negotiate. I offered to pay the same fee as my competitors (12,000) and Olivier declined the offer." * From Michael McCutchon: A sailing coach can really be proud when he puts his sailor on the US Sailing Team. So how must one feel when he puts not one, but two on the US Laser Team. How about if they're both high school kids? I can only imagine. Congratulations to Corpus Christi Yacht Club's Coach of many years, Todd Fedyszyn, and to Leah Hoepfner (Radial) and Matt Sterett (full rig). And, of course to their parents for their dedication over the years. * From Chris Ericksen (Re Tom Fischbeck's gratuitous shot in 'Butt 17980): I must say, I don't understand what axe Mister Fischbeck is grinding. Corsair Marine trimarans have been hugely popular among American sailors, as have large cruising cats in charter fleets around the world; many of the latter would be considered "yachts" by anyone. US Sailing has for decades held multihull championships. The venerable Hobie 16 is experiencing a rebirth. There seems to be no shortage of multihull sailing in America--and there is no shortage of those of us who prefer the more stately, paced, tactical racing to be had in one-design and handicap keelboats. We don't begrudge multihullers their "need for speed;" why does Mister Fischbeck seem to begrudge we keelboat racers our preferences? And to Mister Fischbeck, I say, as the very first paragraph of every edition of Scuttlebutt says, "save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere." * T.J. Perrotti (Re: Marc Hollerbach's comments on instrument technology): While I certainly offer a thumbs-up salute to the creativity of Lowell North and friends as they brainstormed a true wind indicator in 1978, I'm not so sure they were setting precedent here. To that, I tip my hat to Rich McCurdy of Ockam fame who built the "Sidney Greybox" for the Courageous AC syndicate in 1974. Quoting a little dusty history from Ockam archives: At a mere 60 lbs (with an additional 280 lbs of batteries needed to power the system), the Sidney was cooled using bilge water pumped through a system of internal finned pipes! With 16K of RAM, the suitcase-sized box could kick out 32 separate performance functions to a 4 character display. Pretty cool stuff back then ... bilge water and all! * From Graham Dalton (re the excerpt from the Daily Sail - 'The Ellen Phenomenon' 18 March by Andy Green): He quite rightly praises Ellen's recent triumph but then branches off into criticism of HSBC's sailing sponsorships and the Bank's involvement with me in the 2002/3 Around Alone. He is totally wrong. While my campaign funding remains confidential it was a small fraction of 5 million pounds sterling. HSBC's Oryx Cup sponsorship is, as I understand it, working very well for the Bank given the rationale for its initial involvement. * From John Griffith (Re: Centennial Transpacific Yacht race): The world sailing media is currently focused on the fastest boat period and the sponsor return on investment seems to work with this type of race. I would think the Transpac to be a worthy competition to be the first boat to finish instead of the barn door trophy for a monohull. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The winner in life is not he who dies with the most toys, but he who wears out or breaks the most toys while he's alive, particularly carbon fiber toys. |
