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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 608 - July 19, 2000MILLENNIUM 600 RACEA new record was set this morning when Doug Baker's, Magnitude, from Long Beach, CA, crossed the Millennium 600 Race finish line at 03:25:02. The record was reduced by some 24 hours. After a light to medium breeze at the start in Port Huron, Lake Ontario, and the vessels requiring two days to pass Mackinac Island, a front came through roaring the big boats down the length of Lake Michigan to Chicago in just 26 hours(286 nm). Second to finish 2 hours and 14 minutes behind Magnitude was Peter Thornton's, Holua (GL70), closely following in order were Nitemare, Tom Neill; Pied Piper, Dick Jennings; Stripes, Bill Martin. Bob Saielle's San Diego entry Mongoose followed Stripes across some 40 minutes later with Mike Brotz', Chance one hour after that and finally at press time Windancer VI, John Nedeau's N/M 68 from Muskegon, MI. The PHRF fleet is expected to begin to arrive late Tuesday. - Gene McCarthy NYYC RACE WEEK AT NEWPORT Superb racing conditions kicked in for the final day of the PHRF competition at the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. Southwest breezes ranging from 14-17 knots in one race and 15-20 for a second race cleared out an early morning fog, making way for 51 entries in six classes to complete their four-day competition. The PHRF competition has been held simultaneously with IMS racing, which concludes tomorrow. One-Design competition in seven classes will start this Friday and conclude Sunday. Deemed by the organizers as turning in the best PHRF performance for the week was Avalanche, a J/105 owned and skippered by Craig Albrecht of Glen Head, N.Y. Posting nothing deeper than a third-place finish over seven races, and with only one of those popping up in a string of firsts and seconds, the Avalanche team won Class H. Albrecht was presented with the New York Yacht Club Trophy and a Rolex timepiece at awards ceremonies on the lawn of the New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court clubhouse. The difference was boathandling, especially on the first day when we were doing 15 knots on the downwind legs and still stayed in control," said Albrecht. Other PHRF boats had not fared so well on opening day, when the winds reach 30 knots atop dramatically choppy waves. The Mumm 36 Caliente lost its mast, and several other boats suffered equipment failure. With two victories today, Donald Opatrny's (Greenwich, Conn.) Moondance won Class F. Today's performance gave the Swan 48 a total of five victories over seven races, which included a distance race yesterday. Tim Woodhouse's new Thompson 35 Rumours succumbed to Chris Bouzaids' Wairere, a Thompson 30, when it finished 3-4 today to Wairere's 1-1. After winning his class at Block Island Race Week, Woodhouse's handicap rating for Rumours changed by 9 seconds. For this regatta, he owed Wairere 41 seconds a mile. "It's like golf, you go out and play and they change your handicap," said Woodhouse. "It's hard for me to pull out on Wairere, going downwind especially." In Class D for 12-Meters, Edgar Cato of Newport, R.I., prevailed with Newport's beloved state ship Courageous. Gambler, a Frers 41, owned by John Downey of Canton, Mass. won Class G, and Hustler, a J/29 owned by John Esposito of New Rochelle, N.Y., topped Class J, the largest with 13 boats. In the IMS fleet, the two Italian boats showed local Newport sailors the way home in the long distance race of the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship 2000. The outcome of the 128-mile race, which was given a weighting 2.5 times that of an inshore race, has changed the complexion of the regatta dramatically. The body language aboard Vim, owned by Craig Speck of Grand Rapids, Mich., said it all as Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, Md., steered the Nelson/Marek 43 across the line off Newport just before 10am. "We got ground in the last 25 miles. The breeze came in behind us which compressed the fleet, but the wind never actually reached us," Hutchinson said. Doing tactics aboard David George's Nelson/Marek 50 Idler is another America's Cup sailor Ken Read of Newport, R.I., who was delighted with the performance of boat and crew. "Today we won an important battle. Tomorrow we will go and sail to win a world championship. That is the war we want to win." But just fractions of a point behind Idler is the Italian entry Atlantico Yah Man, whose race win today has elevated Tomasso Chieffi's team to third place overall - and right back into contention for defending their title from last year's Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship in Sardinia. It was Jim Richardson's turn to surprise the IMS specialists, bringing his one-design Farr 40 home first in class and fourth in the racing division. "That was the first long distance race I've done in 20 years, so I'm delighted. Bouwe Bekking [the Dutch Whitbread sailor] did an excellent job on tactics, and the crew made the right calls at the right time IMS Overall standings - Racer Division: 1.Vim 3, N/M43, Craig Speck, (14.75) 2. Idler, N/M50, George David, (17.5) 3. Atlantico Yah-Man, FRS39, Vittorio Rava, (17.87) Cruiser Division: 1. Mascalzone Latino, FRR43, Vincenzo Onorato, (5.37) 2. Agincourt, N/M43, Paul Lowell/R. Atkin, (15.5) 3. Sforzando, TAY45, Blair Brown, (21) NYYC website: http://www.nyyc.org FAVORITE PART I think my favorite part is the deep pockets. Sure, I like the great look of my Camet sailing shorts; and the fact that Supplex really dries quickly; and the way the Cordura seat patch stands up to course non-skid patterns. And Lord knows I love the 1/4-inch foam pads that can be inserted into the seat patch to eliminate fanny fatigue. But I still think I like the deep pockets best. They hold lots of stuff, but more importantly - nothing ever falls out. NEVER. Take a look for yourself - they come in four great colors (Red, Navy Blue, Khaki, Charcoal Grey). http://www.camet.com ETCHELLS NAs Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (38 boats) - New Zealand America's Cup skipper Russell Coutts won three of the six races on his way to claiming the 2000 Etchells North American Championship. Former Etchells world champion Jud Smith was the only skipper with all single-digit finishes. Results: 1. RUSSELL COUTTS (18.25) 2. JUD SMITH (19) 3. WILLIAM LYNN (25) 4. PAUL SUSTRONK (26) 5. STEW HEBB (30.75) Complete results: http://smyles.net/etchells/results.htm PACIFIC CUP Five more yachts withdrew from competition in the San Francisco-Kaneohe race as concerns for supplies and work schedules kick in. "While there seems to be an image of yacht racing as a rich man's sport, both boat owners and crew members have jobs and responsibilities. For many, this annual vacation is the Pacific Cup and they have to get back to work" noted the Kaneohe Yacht Club's Pacific Cup General Chair, Lou Ickler. He went on to note that there will be people getting off their boats and heading directly for the airport. After several days of good winds, La Diana had a below average wind day but still retained a lead of 170 miles over the fleet in the West Marine Pacific Cup. The Doublehanded Division 1, yacht still has a major cushion over the other boats. Punk Dolphin regained first place in the Doublehanded Division 2 over Oeno, Diminished Capacity kept the fully crewed Division A lead, Alicante still leads Division B, Elan is in front of the Division C yachts, Bodacious leads Division D and Osprey maintained a first place in this morning's roll call in Division E. The larger yachts are making the most headway as Lina covered 183 miles in the battle of the Santa Cruz 50s in Division F while Triumph held onto the Division G, Santa Cruz 52 lead. Best run of the day goes to the Wylie 70, Rage with 201 miles. The 1996 record breaker appears to be unlikely to bruise any transpacific records, this year. Here are all of the leaders: Division 1 - La Diana, Division A - Diminished Capacity, Division B - Alicante, Division 2 - Punk Dolphin, Division C - Elan, Division D - E.T., Division E - Osprey, Division F - Lina, Division G - Triumph, Division H - Rage. Website: http://www.pacificcup.org/ ANOTHER VIEW OF THE PACIFIC CUP (The website for Philippe Kahn's Pegasus is loaded with Pacific Cup information, photos and insight as seen from the deck of an Andrews 70 TurboSled. Here's an excerpt from Kahn's daily reports.) Away from the coasts, any form of direct urban pollution, the water is perfectly pure and of a very deep blue color. What better diving platform than Pegasus. I can't describe with words the sensation of being able to swim in the middle of the Pacific. To me it is similar to getting first tracks snowboarding or skiing in virgin knee-deep powder. If you haven't tried, you should. That's because every year that you don't try it, is one year less that you will get to do it! This was a decisive and eventful day on the North Pacific. - Philippe Kahn, Pegasus. Tuesday afternoon Kahn wrote: "We are now in 15 knot trade winds! Life is good again." Pegasus website: http://www.starsail.com/pacificcup2000.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) and to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Pete Troxler (In response to Peter Harken's comments in the 'Butt 607) While you might argue that the respect for privacy in embarassing proceedings should be required, I feel it's far outweighed by the requirement for full disclosure of what the activities of our Organization are. The Court systems operate in very much the same fashion after completion of proceedings and I feel the members of the community have a right to know what the governing body is up to. This is not only as a check against the Organization but also as a warning as to what standards it is operating under. It's fine to say that your mom and dad taught you right from wrong. But at least your brother(s) and/or sister(s) also got the lesson because they knew what the findings of facts were and how they were enforced. It's my opinion that we, the sailing community, are very much in the same position as the sibling(s) and we have a right to understand (and possibly question) whether our parents are being fair and how they are enforcing the laws of the household. -- From Ken Guyer - I understand Peter Harkins response to inquiries regarding the recent punishment of Blom. The punishment was harsh. Punishment is meant to teach a lesson not only for the one committing the violation, but also for others to learn from. Normally I would not care what the violation was, just that violations are being dealt with. Due to the harshness of this particular penalty, knowing the actions which caused USSA to be so harsh sends a message to the other young sailors (and some adults) where the upper reaches of the bar are set. AMERICA'S CUP (The following excerpt is from a story by Andrea Falcon on the Quokka Sports website.) Move over, Patrizio Bertelli and the Prada Challenge, there's a new high-rolling Italian in town who aspires to win the America's Cup. Vincenzo Onorato from Naples revealed many details of his planned challenge last weekend in Newport, R.I., where he's overall leader of the racer/cruiser division in the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship at the helm of his new Farr 43 Mascalzone Latino-Yasuda Kasai. Onorato, 42, has a successful racing career that began in 1978. Earlier this year he finished second in the Farr 40 division at GMC Yukon Yachting Key West Race Week and sixth at the Boats.com Farr 40 World Championship. Last year he finished runner-up at the Farr 40 World Championship and was also part of the European Team that finished second at the Admiral's Cup. He owns the shipping company Moby Lines, which operates a fleet of ferryboats in the Mediterranean Sea and tugboats working in harbors around the world. Onorato says that competing in the America's Cup is a dream that he would now like to turn into reality. "My idea is to organize an all-Italian America's Cup team, with the help of some international, well-experienced sailors only to start the activity, but who won't have a role onboard during the races," said Onorato. Onorato, however, hasn't officially announced a campaign. He says he's in the feasibility stage, exploring whether it would be worthwhile to challenge. "I am a quiet and reserved person. I don't have to invent stories to promote myself, my maritime company or to focus the attention on me," said Onorato. "This is the reason why I haven't organized an official announcement yet, because I prefer to work with facts instead of words." One thing he's sure of: He won't win in his first attempt. "Whoever thinks it's possible to win the America's Cup at the first attempt is ingenuous," said Onorato. "I will try to form a group that might not be too competitive at the beginning, but will grow up together and become very strong after time." - Andrea Falcon, for Quokka Sports. Full story: http://sailing.quokka.com/stories/07/SLQ__0717_s_onorato_WFC.html IMPROVING YOUR PERFORMANCE (Dan Dickison explains how to shave valuable seconds off a boat's elapsed time for any race. Here's an excerpt from his story on the SailNet website.) I think one sure-fire approach to individual race preparation includes running through a basic, pre-race checklist. I've learned to do this mentally, but doing it on paper is a good way to start. By creating a checklist and following it you can eliminate unforeseen variables that might trip you up during the race and cost you valuable seconds. Everyone's individual approach to a checklist will vary, depending upon the kind of boat and the kind of racing involved, but take a look at the following model and consider adapting it for your boat. 1. All racing sails and race gear on board; all cruising amenities and extraneous gear on the dock or in the garage. 2. Adjust rig tune for the race conditions. 3. Read and know the sailing instructions. 4. Make sure everyone on board understands their respective positions and jobs. 5. Get individual crew to set up their parts of the boat for racing-bow person packs the kite, sets up the pole, lubricates the headfoil; jib trimmers set up jib sheet leads and spin gear; mainsail trimmer checks the traveler, outhaul, vang, and backstay (and running backstays and checks if you have them). 6. Make sure all working parts are lubricated if needed. 7. Once sails are selected and hoisted, and the engine is off, check and align the prop. 8. Head upwind with everyone in race mode to check headings, adjust sail controls, and practice a few tacks. 9. If time permits, do a practice set, a few jibes, and a douse. 10. Take note of the tidal conditions and keep them in mind. 11. Make sure you know the course and everyone on board understands where you'll be going. If government marks are being used, get the navigator to identify them on a chart, and plot basic compass courses. 12. Decide on a starting strategy and make sure it's understood by everyone on board. 13. Establish a dedicated person to count down the time and have them call it every 20 seconds until you reach 20 seconds, and then every two seconds until the gun. 14. Take a look around the course for potential problems with commercial traffic, and have a look at who's in your class so you'll know who your competition is. Full story: http://www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=ddcksn229&tfr=fp
IT'S THE TECHNOLOGY, STUPID
RACING ON THE TUBE |
