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SCUTTLEBUTT #394 - September 10, 1999MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUPFollowing are two reports on the long distance race at the Maxi worlds in Sardinia. The first from Paul Cayard aboard George Coumantaros' Boomerang, and the second from Mark Rudiger, navigator on Larry Ellison's Maxi, Sayonara. * Porto Cervo, Italy -On Wednesday, the fleet raced the "long race", a total of 50 miles. The course took us from Porto Cervo, up to the Straights of Bonnifacio which is between Sardinia and Corsica, then back down through the islands which are along the north eastern coast of Sardinia, which is a very scenic route. The winds was blowing 14 knots from the north east which made for reaching the entire way except for a short two mile beat to windward off of the start. John Coumantaros, at the helm of Boomerang, got a very good start and got us to the first mark in 2nd place just behind Alexia. We proceeded to reach over Alexia on our way to the Straights of Bonnifacio while Sayonara closed in on us. We rounded the turning mark in the straights, Torre di Lavezzi, in first place with Sayonara nipping at our heels. As we entered the channels through all the islands we had to constantly avoid rocks and other hazards at the same time as defending ourselves from Sayonara. Finally, the wind picked-up and as the lead boat we were able to stretch out ahead of Sayonara to win by three minutes. The points are now: 1. Boomerang- 1,2,4,1,1= 9, 2. Sayonara- 2,1,1,3,2=9, 3. Alexia- 3, 3,3,3,3=15, 4. Sagamore- 4,4,2,4,4=18 Friday we will have two windward-leeward races and on Saturday we will have one. Obviously it is shaping up to be a match between Boomerang and Sayonara for the title but the other two boats will no doubt play a role in the outcome. -- Paul Cayard * Close exciting racing here in Sardinia. Yesterday was our long distance race on Sayonara and completes race five of eight. The day before we had gained a one point lead on Boomerang after an inshore race which we won and Boomerang was fourth, and a W/L race which Boomer won and we were third. Alexia and Sagamore continue slipping out of contention and it's boiling down to a match race between Boomer and us. Starting in an 11 Knot NE breeze, we were windward boat with starboard advantage, but Boomerang to leeward with George's son driving and Cayard calling the shots made it tough for us to live there. We tacked away on what seemed like good shift, but it wasn't to last and the left paid and Boomerang was able to control us to the weather mark allowing Alexia and Sagamore around ahead as well. This was a fifty mile race so not to worry too much yet. On the 40-minute reach to a mark south of Corsica, we sailed higher trying to work through the "W" division, which started 10 minutes ahead and consisted of the bigger Wally and custom boats. In doing this we were able get the building breeze from the right first and with Larry, Chris (Dickson), and crew working the boat hard were able to pass Sagamore and Alexia and get to within a few boat lengths of Boomer. From there it was thirty miles of reaching and little beating around the islands dodging rocks and shallows. At one point we were almost bow to bow with Boomerang and had a small chance to pass, but Cayard and crew held us off well and we had to settle for following them across the finish line. We're now tied with them again on points with three races to go. Thursday we have a much-needed day off and start the battle again tomorrow with probable two races. We feel we have a slight edge with better crew work so just need to start ahead and stretch! Stay tuned here and check out "www.teamrudiger.com" for daily audio updates and " www.yccs.it" for other results. - Mark Rudiger, Navigator, Sayonara IT'S MAGIC Not only has Stu Johnstone automated Scuttlebutt's mailing list management as well as its distribution, he's once again restored the feature that let's you write directly to the curmudgeon by simply clicking your 'reply' button or icon. Even more impressive perhaps, is that new readers can subscribe to Scuttlebutt by simply sending a blank email to join-scuttlebutt@earth.lyris.net. Not to worry -- it's FREE and will stay that way! STAR WORLDS With the single discard coming into effect today, provisional results show Eric Doyle and Tom Olson (USA) leading the regatta by five points from 1992 Olympic Bronze Medallist Ross Macdonald (Canada. The regatta concludes Friday. - Nigel Cherie, RYA Standings: 1. Doyle / Olsen, USA, 20 points; 2. Macdonald / Bjorn, CAN, 25; 3. Hoesch / Fendt, GER, 29; 4. Reynolds / Liljedahl, USA, 34; 5. Walker / Covell, GBR, 22; 6. Hagen / Witt, GER, 52; 7. Dali / Colaninno, ITA, 41; 8. Grael / Ferreira, BRA, 25; 9. MacCausland / Iverson, USA, 51; 10. Andersen / JUST, DEN, 52; 15. Schiebler / Peters, USA 61; 17. Brun / Meireles, USA, 68. Event site: http://www.ouverture.it/ycpa/mondiale.htm ALL IN ONE PLACE Low cost, high-quality insurance for you boat is no longer an elusive dream -- West Marine has made it an affordable reality! Now the comprehensive protection you need is available at a cost that makes sense. Compare the coverage and you'll find that West Marine has made it easier then ever to relax and enjoy your boat. And you can do it all on the West Marine website. So if you need insurance, a Harken block, boat graphics, advice on anti-fouling bottom paints, sailing stories, or a back issue of Scuttlebutt, there is only one URL you have to remember: http://www.westmarine.com/ MAJORICA ONE TON CUP, COREL 45 ISAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Provisional results after 5 races: 1. Atalanti X, Greece, G. Andreadis/J. Schuemann (Germany), 5-1-5-4-1, (16 points) 2. Faster K-Yote 2, Germany, O. Kandler/B. Pace (France), 1-5-6-5-4, (22) 3. Investor, Sweden, T. Blixt, 3-3-3-6-7, (22) 4. Cavale Bleu, France, M. Duquenne/F. Brenac, 6-9-1-1-6, (23) 5. Babbalaas, Great Britain, D. McLean/E.Warden-Owen, 7-6-9-2-2, (25) 6. Aifos, Spain, Armada Espagnola, SAR Felipe de Borbon, 4-8-4-7-3, (26) 7. La Casera, Spain, E. Jaudenes/G. Weisman (USA), DSQ-2-7-3-5, (28) 8. Bounder, Great Britain, Chris Little/J. Robinson, 9-4-2-10-10, (35) 9. Indulgence, Great Britain, T.Buckingham, 2-10-10-9-8, (39) 10. Mallorca Yachting, Spain, J. Jaudenes, 8-7-8-8-9, (40) - Laura Jelmini LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. -- Tom Ehman (In response to Mr. Steinberg's letter in #393) -- No doubt the America's Cup IS complex and demanding, and great sport. But the unparalleled technical logistics? What about a NFL team that uses, what, at least 25 different players per game and dresses half again that many? To say nothing of all the coaches, staff, technicians, and practice players. Better yet, look in on Formula One (motorsport). Roughly every other weekend from March through October, each of 12 teams has upwards to 100 engineers, mechanics, computer and communications experts, and support personnel working 16 hour days, and that does not include the engineers and workers back in the factories who actually make the cars and other bits. And between races the entire operation moves from one circuit (track) to another across four continents -- North America, South America, Eruope and Asia. Year in and year out most of the teams operate in the black, more than a few very much so. More interesting question is how to modernize this otherwise great America's Cup event so that the teams can operate in the black; so that designers, sailmakers, boat builders and professional racing sailors are not faced with a continual cycle of boom and bust (which keeps forcing them back into the amateur/recreational side of our sport); and so that the best skippers in the world are not having to go around hat-in-hand begging for charitable contributions every three years or so. -- From Tom Adams -- The Scuttlebutt out of Newport R.I. is that Endeavor will be sold, and is going to N.Z. Also Shamrock V is in England being totally restored. v --Diego Yacht Club this current year and at least the previous year; in his spare time, he maintained a successful marine insurance brokerage in Point Loma at the corner of Scott and Canon. He assiduously maintained and campaigned a pre-Tupperware (i.e., wood) Cal 46, and was single-handedly responsible for creating and promoting the Bishop Rock offshore race. A memorial service is planned at SDYC for this coming Sunday, at 1:00 PM. WORLD DISABLED SAILING CHAMPIONSHIP Due to Easterly winds of 25 knots, gusting 30 and rising, racing has been abandoned for the day. This means that the placings of yesterday stand as the final results of the 1999 World Disabled Sailing Championship. Final Results, Sonar: 1, Cassell / Millband / Harding, GBR, 14 points; 1(tie), Kroker / Munter / Reichi, GER, 14; 3, Hessels / Ruesink / Russn, NED, 15 ; 4, Efrati / Cohen / Spector, ISR, 30; 5, Fresk / Bagge / Jan Edbom, SWE, 33; 6, Callahan / Huges / Burhans, USA, 40; 7, Robertson / Suckling / Long, GBR, 42; 8, Ross-Duggan / Esparza / Aucreman, USA, 43; 9, Robins / Martin / Dunross, AUS, 44; 10, Garcia / Emerteri / Mastra, CAN, 51. International 2.4 Metre Class: 1, Heiko Kroger, GER, 6 points; 2, Jens Als Andersen, DEN, 25; 3, Philippe Balle, FRA, 31; 4, Mike Browne, GBR, 33; 5, Marco Turbiglio, ITA, 34; 6, Jostein Stordahl, NOR, 46; 7, Dan McCoy, CAN, 47; 8, Claes Hultling, SWE, 50; 9, David Schroeder, USA, 53; 10, Ian Harrison, GBR, 56. Event website: http://ifds.org GOLD CUP Lake Garda, Italy -- For those not familiar with the Scandinavian Gold Cup format, the rules are simple and unique. Only one team per country. One point is awarded for first place in each race. After three races, only those teams who have scored one or more points are allowed to continue, and all others are invited to race in a consolation fleet race. The first team to score three points wins the Gold Cup, an impressive Faberge piece dating back to the first Gold Cup competition in 1919 (that's not a typo). The American team of Glen Foster, Bill Bennett and Ron Rosenberg came out of the blocks quickly to win the first race in their 1993 Doug Peterson designed, Melges built 5.5 Meter. The next two races were dominated from wire to wire by the very fast Swiss Team led by Jurg Menzi in a new state of the art Swiss (Schmidt) designed and built 5.5 Meter. The new Swiss boat, which has gone undefeated on the Swiss lakes during her maiden season, sporting an extremely narrow waterline, a surprisingly small keel, rather large genoa, with the sail plan set quite far aft. The fourth race was a head to head match race between the Swiss and American teams. Foster aggressively pinned Menzi for most of the first four minutes, only to have Menzi slip free on the final approach to the line. As the boats battled up the first beat, Foster luffed Menzi. Menzi appeared slow to respond, as light contact was made between the boats. Both boats protested. After 9 long miles of close match racing, Menzi led Foster across the finish line, however Menzi was disqualified by the International Jury after a protest hearing. With the score 2-2, the fifth and final race of the Gold Cup again showcased intense pre-start match race maneuvering with Foster controlling Menzi off the start line. Foster nailed the first shift and then did his best to stay on top of Menzi tack for tack in the shifty, puffy lake conditions. Foster ultimately managed to stretch his lead and sail to his third Gold Cup victory. The fact that the 69 year old Glen Foster has been battling cancer since October has made this Gold Cup victory particularly sweet. The 5.5 Meter World Championship begins on Saturday. -- Ron Rosenberg NONE BETTER It's absolutely the best wet weather protection on the planet, as well it should be. Gill's Bowman's Smock was developed and tested by some the world's top bowmen during the last Whitbread Race, and features breathable GORE-TEX with latex dryseal neck and cuffs to keep the water out. If want to stay dry without sacrificing comfort, of check out this terrific smock: http://www.douglasgill.com AMERICA'S CUP * AUCKLAND, NZ - Abracadabra 2000 Sponsor P&O Nedlloyd will be off-loading the team's yachts, support vessels and equipment arriving from Honolulu Saturday morning. Both Abracadabra 2000 IACC yachts will be in cradles with their Wyland-painted hulls visible. - DJ Cathcart, Aloha Racing * Team New Zealand's cloak of secrecy about the shape and configuration of the first of their two new boats (NZL-57) was mostly lifted in Auckland to-day. With the help of 50 children sailing Optimist dinghies in the vicinity, Lady Pippa Blake, wife of syndicate head Sir Peter Blake, christened New Zealand's first ever defender candidate, in front of 500 invited guests. The boat, delivered from the builder's yard to the syndicate base a couple of weeks ago, had been locked away inside the team's shore base shed emerging only a couple of days ago to have her mast stepped. That 'rollout' was really only partial, as an all-over skirt, hanging from the sheer line from bow to the stern, completely obscured the hull from prying eyes. The team had even gone to the extent of placing frame-work between the grey tarpaulin and the hull to further trick the trained observer's point of view. But this evening in Auckland the highly burnished stealth fighter-like matt black hull was almost fully revealed. As Tim Finn, New Zealand's best known popular singer, strummed his guitar on the narrow foredeck, a closer look of this unusual looking boat was possible. It is definitely different in shape from the 10 or so new challengers that have already been launched. The boat has a spoon bow configuration but with a very steep rise and hence a short bow overhang. At the other end, the stern has a really long and narrow overhang, the narrowness accentuated by the relatively wide mid-sections. The boat appears big, with a high freeboard, and a lot of volume. Initially, a standard minimum dimension IACC mast has been stepped, unlike the long chord mast currently stepped in NZL-32, the new boat's first trial horse for early speed comparisons which start tomorrow. The date chosen for the launching, the 9th day of the 9th month of the 99th year is not, in Sir Peter Blake's opinion, without significance. The second Team New Zealand defender NZL-60, is expected to emerge from the boat shed before Christmas. -- Louis Vuitton Cup website: http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ * The crew of Team New Zealand were resplendent in black suit, grey tie ... and red socks. Yes, the red socks are back with a vengeance for the 2000 campaign after Sir Peter Blake made them a national icon in '95. This time around, the New Zealand crew will wear them on and off the boat. In San Diego, they were worn only by the superstitious Sir Peter - a Christmas present from his wife, Pippa. The socks took on a life of their own after they were missing from the boat in the only race Team New Zealand lost in 1995. Four years ago they wore more casual attire to official functions. But the team have gone for a more professional look in the new millennium. Mastman Matt Mason described his new outfit as beautiful. "We will be the flashest team out there," he said. "We'll be squaring it off with the Prada boys, but our suits should get the nod." The black suit is made of New Zealand merino wool woven into fabric by leading Italian mill Loro Piana. The Italian manufacturers are marketing the wool around the world as Zealanda. The suit was designed by Cambridge, contracted by Team New Zealand's official clothing supplier, Line 7. The Team New Zealand men have made a fashion statement with their grey shirts and tie - the in-colour this spring. And there are no TNZ logos on the jackets Work is still being done on the team's sailing garb. The traditional dark blue polo shirts have proved too hot at the height of an Auckland summer, so Line 7 is researching new fabrics and lighter colours. But the red socks will stay. -- Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS It's a small world, so you have to use your elbows a lot. |
