SCUTTLEBUTT #436 - November 9, 1999
YOUNG AMERICA NEARLY SINKS
While sailing to windward on the third beat of their race against the
Nippon Challenge, the side deck of Young America (USA 53) failed in
compression. The port and starboard topsides then crumpled incapacitating
the yacht. Young America was taking on substantial water so as a
precautionary safety measure skipper Ed Baird had the crew abandon the
yacht. They were picked up by Young America's support boats. There were no
injuries.
When it was clear that everyone was safe, crew members Jerry Kirby and
David Tank were able to go aboard to lower the sails and secure a towline.
Under the direction of Operations Manager Bob Campbell, pumps were put
aboard and buoyancy bags inflated to stabilize the damage. Support craft of
the Prada Challenge, other syndicates, the police and the on-the-water jury
rendered valuable assistance.
The yacht has been towed to its base in Auckland and hoisted from the water
for a full evaluation of the damage. A preliminary inspection has been
carried out on the water. It appears that the damage, while very grave, is
localized to the deck and the hull shell and that none of the important
interior structures has been damaged. Repairs will be undertaken as soon as
a full analysis of the damage has been completed. We do not yet have an
estimate of the time required to effect repairs.
The team will seek permission from the International Jury to substitute its
yacht Young America (USA 58) for the remaining races of Round Robin 2. The
New York Yacht Club and Young America wish to extend their most sincere
thanks for the valuable assistance rendered by several competing teams on
the water and for the many offers of assistance and support which have come
in from other teams.
"Our racing yacht was saved from far more serious damage or possible total
loss by an incredible display of seamanship by our sailing and support
teams. While we are still assessing the damage, we have a team of talented
individuals who will work together to overcome this setback," said John
Marshall, President of the NYYC/Young America Challenge.
The safety of the crew became the first concern," skipper Ed Baird said.
"Once it was clear the crew was safe, the next step was to salvage all we
could of the boat, sails and mast. While certainly it is tragic to see this
kind of damage to a fine racing yacht, I am proud of how well this team
pulled together in a time of crisis. We thank all of our fellow competitors
and the local police who stepped forward to assist us. We will assess the
damage and evaluate our game plan from here forward. Young America will be
working around the clock to get back in the game. -- Jane Eagleson,
http://www.youngamerica.org
A-CLASS NAs
The United States A-Class Catamaran Association North American Championship
was hosted by Houston YC Nov 3-6. Goran Marstrom won the event. However,
since Goran he is a swede, Jay Glaser, who placed 2nd in the event, was
crowned the 1999 North American Champion. Rounding out the top five
positions were Philip Kinder, Ben Hall and Jeremy Laundergan. -- Jeremy
Laundergan
USACA website: http://www.geocities.com.naaca/usaca.html
PRETTY AMAZING
Within a single month Ullman Sails won the 505 NAs in Texas, the J/120
class in Marina del Rey and the Around Alone Race on planet Earth. It
doesn't seem to make any difference how big or small the boat is, or what
kind a course is being sailed -- the folks at Ullman Sails have 'broken the
code.' These same helpful professionals will be happy to help improve the
performance of your boat. Check their website for a loft near you:
http://www.ullmansails.com/
LOUIS VUITTON CUP
* The big wins of the day went to Abracadabra and Bravo Espana. Luna Rossa
remains unbeaten, and Young Australia is still struggling with just one win.
ASURA WON, YOUNG AMERICA RETIRES DAMAGED
Peter Gilmour on Asura (JPN-44) forced Young America (USA -53) to windward
and to the left of the start line. Baird broke free, bore off, gybed and
started at the pin end of the start line with full speed on port tack.
Gilmour tried to dip towards the start line but was stalled and lost
valuable seconds. Young America rounded the top mark first, 10 seconds in
the lead. On the run Nippon lost a few seconds when it had to re-hoist
another spinnaker. The delta increased in favour of the Americans to 21
seconds. A big left-hand shift dominated the next beat and run. Delta was
26 seconds at the last bottom mark. Gilmour was catching up. On the third
beat near the windward mark Young America was leading Asura by three boat
lengths when the hull of Young America experienced catastrophic structural
failure and folded at deck level just behind the mast. The boats were one
and a half minutes from the last weather mark at the time of the incident.
Young America's crew started to get as much gear and as many sails off as
possible. Most of the crew were in the chase boat already. After that the
crew determined the boat wasn't going to sink immediately, some of them got
back on board to set up pumps and flotation bags, and they started towing
the severely damaged boat back to the dock. Nippon went on to finish the
race alone.
BRAVO ESPANA BEAT LE DEFI, DELTA - 00:19
Bravo Espana (ESP-47) sailed by Pedro Campos won this race by a small
margin, staying in control after the first half of the first weather leg
and staving off a very determined and resilient Le Defi (FRA-46). Campos
chased his opponent away from the line before the start, following the
French boat and holding in place on Le Defi's starboard hip, before the two
boats split for an even start, with the French boat starting at the pin and
the Spanish at the committee boat. After one set of tacks, French skipper
Bertrand Pace sailed Campos out beyond the port tack layline. But the
Spanish skipper was able to convert his small lead into a 15 second
advantage at the weather mark and maintained his lead for the rest of the
race.
AMERICAONE BEATS BE HAPPY, DELTA - 03:29
The Swiss be hAPpy (SUI-59) was looking to string together two wins in a
row during its race against AmericaOne (USA-49). Paul Cayard however, had
other ideas. The two boats started evenly, but AmericaOne pulled away by
pointing higher, and this race was won on pointing ability. The Swiss
couldn't match the Americans upwind, giving away 10-15 degrees to the wind.
The Swiss be hAPpy did look good on the downwind legs, gaining between 15
and 25 seconds when going to leeward. But AmericaOne gained over one minute
on each upwind leg and was never threatened in the match.
LUNA ROSSA BEATS YOUNG AUSTRALIA, DELTA - 03:34
This match featured the leaders in the standings Luna Rossa (ITA-45)
against Young Australia (AUS-31), the team at the bottom of the standings.
Australian skipper James Spithill had another good start, forcing Francesco
de Angelis to tack around at the committee boat end, and return late to the
start line. Young Australia started with a 19 second lead but couldn't
match the speed of the Italians. Luna Rossa gained on each split tack,
eventually crossing ahead of Young Australia halfway up the leg. The
Italians gained time on every leg of the course, and were never threatened.
ABRACADABRA BEATS STARS & STRIPES, DELTA - 00:03
In the closest racing seen yet on the Hauraki Gulf, Abracadabra (USA-50)
beat Stars & Stripes (USA-55), after coming from behind halfway through the
race. After that, Abracadabra skipper John Kolius held off a determined
challenge by Stars & Stripes to finish just three seconds ahead. The first
lap and a half had the two boats never more than a few lengths apart with
Abracadabra always trailing. The predicted left-hand shift came through and
even though Abracadabra was on the unfavoured side, Kolius remained in
touch. On the second run Kolius gybed away early and then gybed back with
some separation and began to show better speed. Kolius sailed steadily past
his opponent to lead by 19 seconds at the lee mark. This was also the
biggest delta of the match as Read fought unsuccessfully to retake the
lead. -- Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com
* AmericaOne's second International America's Cup Class yacht, USA 61
arrived in Auckland on Monday. At 6:50 PM the Air New Zealand chartered 747
Evergreen Cargo plane was greeted by airport security and a small group of
onlookers. This is the first time in America's Cup history that an IACC
yacht has flown on a 747 air freighter.
Weeks prior to the planned departure, templates were created by the
AmericaOne boat building team to replicate the boat's dimensions and girth.
The templates enabled the Los Angeles-based cargo team and the AmericaOne
shore team to develop the loading and unloading techniques of the yacht.
Special consideration had to be taken for the precious cargo as it made its
Auckland debut. "The boat could just clear the cargo door," said Peter
Ginley, Air New Zealand's Capacity & Yield Manager. A special pallet was
built by AmericaOne to transport USA 61 in flight. It took five hours to
load the yacht onto the 747. USA 61 is the largest cargo transported in the
history of Air New Zealand. USA 61 was specially padded, packed and
shrink-wrapped for its 12-hour flight from Los Angeles International
Airport, USA to Auckland International Airport, by the U.S.-based
AmericaOne shore crew.
The crew was led by Mike Eldridge (San Diego, CA) and Ted Brown (Newport,
RI). Initial arrangements were made with Air New Zealand Cargo by
AmericaOne COO Bob Billingham. Brad Fitzgerald, AmericaOne Shore Team
Manager, arranged all of the logistics for transporting the oversized cargo
off of the aircraft and from Auckland International Airport to the
AmericaOne compound. "This was a unique project for Air New Zealand Cargo,"
said Peter Elmsly, Air New Zealand General Manager. As the preferred
carrier for AmericaOne, it has given us an opportunity to test our ability
to handle such large and delicate cargo." Using two JCPL Highloaders a team
of Air New Zealand cargo specialists opened the nose of the plane and
unloaded the yacht into a contained area and from there it was loaded onto
a flatbed tractor trailer for transport to AmericaOne's compound in the
Viaduct Basin in Auckland. -- Gina Von Esmarch
To view photos: http://www.americaone.org
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (tomleweck@taitech.co.nz)
Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250
words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject,
so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree.
-- From Mark Michaelsen -- The America's Cup is what it is and LEAVE IT
ALONE! As I see it, it is (and always has been) a battle on four fronts-
#1 Fund raising, #2 Naval architecture, #3 Match racing ability, and #4
teamwork, not necessarily in that order but that's my value positioning
from my armchair quarterback's position. Without the funding it is nearly
impossible to design and build the fastest match racing boats in the world
(IACC Class). You can be the best match racer in the world and have great
crew work but first you must have competitive boatspeed and
maneuverability. (Ask the Swiss.)
I can't believe the sniveling I am hearing. The Italians got organized, got
funded, learned from the 1995 CUP competition and built skinny boats,
absorbed the twisting mast technology and trained very hard with the crew
and are kicking everyone's rear ends! We are quick to point fingers and
try and make excuses as to why our boys (and girls) on the American Boats
are not competitive, but the answer is simple. We didn't get organized and
well enough funded early enough to play with the Italians. Forget spending
limits you will never enforce them. That would be like the US CONGRESS
trying to regulate the Internet, it can't happen. Next time let's study the
rules, build better boats, get innovative with technology and bring the BIG
TIN CUP home where it belongs. Strike now with marketing for $$$ while
irons are hot.
-- From Seth A. Radow (Regarding the spending Cap for the A-Cup) -- As this
concept has been done before (baseball, football and basketball come to
mind), it would significantly enhance the level of the discussion to
consult with the parties that developed and created the salary caps in
those sports.
Regarding Walter Siegenthaler, comments about the relatively benign nature
of spectating an A-Cup match race. -- There are many who believe that the
A-Cup format should be changed. Why, however, stop at three boats? Why not
open up the A-Cup to a Fleet Race? The event will certainly have increased
television appeal. Think about it... eleven 80 footers on the same start
line... the mark rounding would be spectacular. From a TV perspective it
would look like boats would be coming into the marks from everywhere. Too
Dangerous??? Maybe! But it makes for great spectator appeal. I am sure the
boats would have to change... safer, stronger... maybe... more
restrictions...certainly. More entertaining to the public at large....
Absolutely!
There are questions that must be asked however. Is this what the A-Cup is
all about? Is the A-Cup going to change to attract more spectators. Maybe
what I am describing is another event altogether??? Maybe the A-Cup as we
know it is "over the hill". Maybe change is good? The fleet race format
could be a process of elimination. The slow boats drop out first. As the
series progresses, the number of boats racing decline. The final could be a
match race with two boats. This event would certainly get the media's
attention!
BAJA HA HA
The Sixth Annual 750-mile Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally from San Diego to Cabo
San Lucas - with stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria - attracted 160
entries, including everything from a Coronado 27 to a Swan 65. Many boats
had husband and wife crews. The weather was pleasant throughout, with 15 to
30 knot winds on leg one, zero to 10 knots on leg two, and 4 to 12 knots on
leg three. Given the calms of leg two, only two of the 125 starters sailed
the entire course: Sailors' Run, a Baba 40 ketch sailed by Jeff and Debbie
Hartjoy of Longbranch, Washington; and Eletheria, a C&C Landfall 38 sailed
by Milo Coldren of Victoria, B.C. However, even those who motored enjoyed
the relentless sunshine and blue skies, warm water temperatures and
excellent fishing. -- Richard Spindler, Publisher / Executive Editor,
Latitude 38
IT'S NICE TO HAVE FRIENDS LIKE THIS
Perhaps you knew that West Marine supports disabled sailing programs, and
is a presenting sponsor of the U.S. Sailing Junior Olympic Festivals around
the country. And that they sponsor the Pacific Cup Race from San Francisco
to Hawaii. But do you know that last year they sponsored over 100 events
which raised money for charities, like the 30 Leukemia Cup Regattas and
five Hospice Cup Regattas. And they also funded 70 grants totaling more
than $50,000 toward the protection and rehabilitation of the marine
habitat. Since its inception West Marine has been a socially responsible
good neighbor. http://www.westmarine.com/
MORE YOUNG AMERICA
* The Young America team face some intense strategy questions tonight as
they decide how to approach the rest of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Young
America is likely to be allowed to substitute their second boat (USA-58) if
it applies to the International Jury and the Jury considers USA-53 to be
too damaged to compete. While instinct might dictate that the syndicate
ready the new boat, and start racing as soon as possible, that may not be
the most sensible decision. Young America's design team will have to look
very closely at whether the new boat has the same structural weakness as
USA-53.
In 1995, when oneAustralia broke up and sank, that team immediately
recommissioned their first boat, and started racing again two days later.
Andy Dovell, part of the design team on that campaign said the team was
confident in the old boat. 'We had no hesitation in bringing out AUS-31
after the sinking,' he said. 'The two boats were very different in
structure, and we were confident there would be no similar problem.'
Dovell is now designing for the Abracadabra team 2000, and he thinks Young
America will have to look over their second boat very carefully before
taking to the water. 'Being outside their campaign it's hard to know for
sure, but we think their boats are pretty similar,' he said. 'Typically
this type of failure is very difficult to isolate - it's usually not just
one thing. If I were them I would target finding the problem and not worry
about sailing again in Round Two,' he said.
Dovell is also concerned that the rules governing the Louis Vuitton Cup are
encouraging designers to build weak boats. 'I don't think they should be
allowed to substitute this round,' he said. 'All the other teams can't even
alter the wings on the keel. Why should they be allowed to sail a different
boat? If teams are allowed to change boats mid-round, it sends the wrong
message to designers,' said Dovell. 'Sub-consciously, you would build one
boat really close to the line, knowing you could use the stronger boat if
there was a problem.'
'Bruce Farr (designer for Young America) is the best in the world at this
business,' Dovell said. 'For this to happen to his boat shows how
complicated these machines really are. They're extreme thoroughbreds.'
If Young America choose not to race again in Round Robin Two, they could
still qualify for the Semi-Finals. Nippon skipper Peter Gilmour has
estimated a team needs at least 40 points to continue on to the
Semi-Finals. Young America already has 16 points, and wins in Round Robin
Three are worth nine points. If Young America waits until round three
before racing again, they would need four wins to get 52 points. Remember
this is a team that has looked very strong, winning eight of 10 starts in
round one. Round Robin Three starts on 02 December, giving the team a full
three weeks to assess their second boat, and plenty of time to qualify for
the semi-finals. -- Peter Rusch, Louis Vuitton Cup website,
http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/
* Young America has a choice of one of three options. To request a maximum
delay of 48 hours to the start of the next scheduled race. To sail the
remainder of the Round Robin series with the substitute yacht (USA-58). Or,
they can withdraw from this Round Robin.
Assuming Young America is not entitled to redress, they may continue the
remaining races of the Round Robin Two with their other boat (USA-58). This
is provided that the International Jury considers the yacht with which they
were sailing today (USA-53) so damaged, as to be unable to compete.
Whatever option Young America chooses, they will have to forfeit their next
race. Her opponent, the Swiss will win that race provided that they sail
and complete the race. - Carmen Pombo, Legal adviser to the Louis Vuitton
Cup Editorial Team, , http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/
LVC PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Bruno Trouble, Press Conference Moderator: "I'd like to stress that the
conditions on the race course today were well within the conditions of the
rules. It was about 17 knots of wind with some gusts."
Ed Baird of Young America, on how his boat broke and nearly sank: "We were
up near the windward mark and literally on layline to turn for our last
tack. We were fairly close to rounding and we were starting into a tack.
There were just a couple of very, very big waves, very close together, and
as we started turning we started going off one wave, and hit the next, and
that's when we stopped being able to race!"
Baird, on rescue support efforts: "I'd like to thank the folks from Prada
and the other syndicates as well as the police for standing by and
assisting us with additional pumps to the ones that we had. At one point I
think we had about four pumps going on the boat. Really that made the
difference because there would have been a point if we'd let the boat get
too low where we would have lost it. You know it's a credit to the
seamanship of everyone out there."
Ken McAlpine, Chief Measurer, on rule limits: "In the case of this
particular boat and obviously in the case of oneAustralia, their
mathematical models, their fundamental analysis, was found wanting. It
still remains that it's their decision, it's not a place for the rule. I
don't think its really appropriate to have a scantling rule in there
because it just leads to massive amounts of compliance initiatives on our
part and is very, very difficult to police."
Baird, on crew remaining aboard the boat: "I think the right thing to do
was get the group off the boat and we did, in fact. At one point there was
no one on the boat and it appeared to stabilise and stop breaking. We
slowly got people back on board and it's at the dock now and we're really
happy to have done that with everybody safe and now we're going to start
assessing what's next."
Baird, on the possibility of sailing Young America (USA-58) tomorrow: "I
don't at this point know how we could possibly sail tomorrow. Clearly some
things are similar between the boats, some things are not. Until we learn
more about why this failed . . . it may have been something different than
a calculation. We have to go and research it."
Baird, on motivating his crew after the accident: "They have to be settled
down. They're so fired up about how to get the boat racing again. They did
a great job getting the boat ashore. As any of the teams would, they see
this as not a setback to the racing for the immediate future, but as a way
to pull the team together and be stronger in the end."
Louis Vuitton Cup website: http://www.louisvuittoncup.com
TEAM RACING
Anyone interested in team racing will enjoy this website:
http://www.teamracing.org/
THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM
If the people who play the piano are called pianists, shouldn't those who
sail racing boats be called racists?
|
