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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 602 - July 6, 2000PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS VIC-MAUI RACEJames McDowell's GRAND ILLUSION from Lahaina Yacht Club is charging home to Maui. Navigated by Patrick O'Brien, the Santa Cruz 70, sailing an impeccable race, has only 341 miles to go. With another blistering run of 340 miles completed today (averaging 14.2 knots) all she has to do is keep sailing the way she is to take Line Honours, and first place in Class A. Dan Sinclair of RENEGADE was right when he said before the race if RENEGADE makes one mistake GRAND ILLUSION could beat them. Unless things change drastically, GRAND ILLUSION is going to do just that. Today, most boats report winds in the 9-22 knot range, though MIDNIGHT SPECIAL has been sailing in 28 knots NNE. RENEGADE had a run of 320 miles, and has 491 miles to go. She is lying second in Class A, and ninth overall on corrected time. SHOW ME (still tracking a bit further north) is third. FARR-ARI, PURSUIT and JOIA continue to fight it out in Class B, where PENDRAGON III seems to be having difficulty staying in touch with the others. The hotshots in Class C (NIGHT RUNNER, TURICUM, GREY HOUND and WINDS OF TIME) are now respectively third, fourth sixth and fifth in the fleet. They are bunched together and moving at about 7-8 knots. ORIOLE is still clinging firmly to first in Class D, and first overall on corrected time. PRAIRIE VOYAGER had a good day and lies second in this class, while TETHRA hasn't fared quite so well, trailing DREAM CATCHER by about 30 miles. And there were more adventures...WINDS OF TIME broke two main halyards at 3am and 3.30am. FASTRACK's tuna total is now 10 (seven caught in the last 24 hours). They spent the morning cleaning squid and ink from the deck. PRAIRIE VOYAGER had a great dinner during their halfway party, and ORIOLE had a fatal run-in with a seabird in the rigging. They are grateful it wasn't the albatross. Web Site: http://www.www.vicmaui.org MATCH RACING Denmark's Sten Mohr still holds the top spot on the scoreboard after the second day of the Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand, with the same three skippers still sharing second place. However with all the teams now having sailed the same number of races, a valid "pecking order" has been established. In the Olympic versus America's Cup skippers contest, it is still the men who spent a long summer on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf who are ruling the roost. Still sharing the second rung of the ladder, despite not sailing today are the terrible trio, Bertrand Pace of France, Team New Zealand's Dean Barker and Peter Gilmour's Pizza-La team. It was a good day for the host nation today, with both Magnus Holmberg's Stora Enso team and Hans Wallen winning the two races they sailed, to put them back into contention for the cut to the semi-finals. Hans Wallen, who won a silver medal at the last Olympics in the Star class, is Sweden's representative in the Soling class at the coming Olympic Regatta on Sydney Harbour. Magnus Holmberg is a veteran of the international match racing scene, and has represented Sweden at the Olympics three times. On the same score as the two Swedes, 2 - 2, are Danish Olympian Jesper Bank, who will be competing in his fourth Olympic Regatta in September, and Australian America's Cup skipper James Spithill. This makes the middle order very tight, with no room for mistakes in the scramble for semi-finals places. The winds were in the 8 to 10 knot range from the west, under an almost cloudless sky, but the competitors said it was still tricky and shifty, making the upwind legs in particular a bit of a minefield. The event consists of a round robin, in which all the skippers sail against each other once, before the top four progress to the semi-finals and finals at the weekend. In the Swedish Match Women's competition, Sweden's Marie Bjorling was overjoyed getting off her yacht after two victories in a row this morning. She started by beating current world champion Betsy Alison, USA, in a very intense match. In the next match, Dawn Riley, also from the US, was left far behind: - We've already met the most difficult of our opponents and only lost two points, and that feels really great, Marie says. She still has Marie Klok, Denmark, and Katie Spithill, Australia, to meet tomorrow. - "We don't want to take anything for granted, but if we don't reach the semi- finals after this, I'll be very disappointed," Marie says. "We've got great boatspeed, the team has perfected every move and the starts are going just great!" - John Roberson Scoreboard after day two: MEN: 1. Sten Mohr (Denmark) 4-0, 2= Bertrand Pace (France) 3-1, 2= Dean Barker (New Zealand) 3-1, 2= Peter Gilmour (Australia) 3-1, 5= Jesper Bank (Denmark) 2-2, 5= James Spithill (Australia) 2-2, 5= Magnus Holmberg (Sweden) 2-2, 5= Hans Wallen (Sweden) 2-2, 9= Luc Pillot (France) 1-3, 9= Martin Angsell (Sweden) 1-3, 9= Jes Gram-Hansen (Denmark) 1-3, 12= Andy Beadsworth (Britain) 0-4. WOMEN: 1. Dorte O Jensen, Denmark 5-0, 2. Betsy Allison, USA 4-1, 3.= Klaartje Zuiderbaan, the Netherlands 3-2, 3.= Marie Bjorling, Sweden 3-2, 5.= Malin Kallstrom, Sweden 2-3, 5.= Marie Klok, Denmark 2-3, 7. Dawn Riley, USA 1-4, 8. Katie Spithill, Australia 0-5. Website: http://www.swedishmatchcup.com RAISING THE BAR Gill have been the market leaders in boating boots for many years. Whilst performance marine clothing has developed in leaps and bounds over the years: boots had not until now! During the past two years Gill has worked closely with WL Gore to develop a completely new and revolutionary marine boot. Style 910 Features include: waterproof, breathable, and light weight. Cordura and Kevlar tough upper. Unique rear lacing system. Superman grip with wrap around 3D sole unit. Reflective strip near to the ankle support. No offshore sailor should leave home without a pair. For more information: http://www.gillna.com 49er PCCs Klamath, Oregon - Three of the top Olympic medal prospects were in attendance at the 49er Pacific Coast Championship sailed in conditions ranging from 4 to 18 knots. - Kerry Poe Final Results: 1. Dimitri Dervelle & Philippe Gasparini, FRA (28 points) 2. Ian Barker & Simon Hiscoucs, GBR (31) 3. Jonathan Mckee & Charlie Mckee, USA (31) 4. Morgan Larson & Kevin Hall, USA (32) 5. Jason Rhodes & Gary Boyd, CAN (34). VOLVO OCEAN RACE (Sean McNeill has written a comprehensive story for the Quokka website about the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race. Following is a brief excerpt from that piece.) On the boats, small amenities have been addressed in an effort to make them easier to handle. Halyard locks are now allowed for headsails, which should reduce chafe on halyards. The mid-girth restriction on spinnakers has been eliminated, making the Code Zero gennakers now genoas, which is what they were disguised as in the last race. They'll all be flown on carbon-fibre masts, a first for the Volvo 60 Class. "Some people were happy to stay where we were, but there was a majority opinion for carbon-fibre masts," said (Director of Race operations Michael) Woods. "We thought it was the appropriate time. There was quite an opinion before the last race to go to carbon, but we didn't think [it] appropriate. The technology was still fairly new. The race isn't a test bed, it's a long-distance marathon event." The masts must weigh 565 kilos, with the rigging and additional gear (radar, wind instruments) attached. The rule writers looked at a 525-kilo rig, but specified the heavier weight for safety. "While you could build to that [lower] weight, we wanted a more conservative mast," said Woods. "We're taking into account there would need to be stronger masts with restrictions lifted on spinnakers, halyard locks for headsails, radars on mast, etc." The addition of a watertight bulkhead in the bow is primary among the safety measures initiated for the next race. "The forward compartment was large," said Woods. "That's been halved in volume. If you hit something it'll most likely be up there, so there's no reason not to have it." Also, the angle of vanishing stability has been increased to 142 degrees from 125 degrees in Volvo Ocean 60 Rule 2000. "Most boats in the last race measured in at 142 degrees or over," said Woods. "So we decided to raise it to 142. We thought, 'Why allow people to design boats with less?' We expect most boats to come in at 144 or 145." - Sean McNeill, for Quokka Sports Full story: http://sailing.quokka.com/stories/06/SLQ__0630_s_volvo_WFC.html WALL STREET AND CORPORATE CHALLENGE CUP Dozens of business executives will trade their suits for sailing attire during Shake-A-Leg-Newport's eighth annual Wall Street and Corporate Challenge Cup (WSCCC), scheduled for this Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8. The regatta will be contested in vintage America's Cup 12-Meter yachts on Narragansett Bay. Having raised $30,000 each to benefit Shake-A-Leg-Newport, five corporate sailing syndicates will compete along with two "Friends of Shake-A-Leg" teams. The syndicates are defending champion MBIA (Amorack, N.Y); returning veterans FLEET FINANCIAL SERVICES (Boston, Mass./Providence, R.I.), FIRST UNION (Charlotte, N.C.) and DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE (New York, N.Y.); and newcomer E BOND TRADE (Walnut Creek, Calif.). Shake-A-Leg Newport is a non-profit organization devoted to post-trauma rehabilitation and progressive activities for people with spinal cord injuries. AWARDS Rob Mundle, journalist, yachting commentator and author of the international best seller Fatal Storm, has been recognised for his extraordinary contribution to raising awareness and promoting marine safety. Fatal Storm has been named the winner of the inaugural Australian Maritime Safety Award at the Australian Marine Awards in Melbourne. Fatal Storm is the story of the tragic 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Mundle wrote the book after exhaustive in-depth interviews with competitors, their families and rescuers. The end result is a tribute to the skill of the sailors, the courage of the rescuers and the memory of the six sailors who died. RACING ON TV * The Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour, an annual series of professional sailing events featuring America's Cup teams, today announced the expansion of its worldwide television distribution package. The agreement delivers Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour races into over 116 million households in more than 30 countries including the UK, Spain, Israel, Australia, USA, New Zealand and Thailand. In addition to host broadcast coverage in individual countries, Octagon/CSI will distribute eight half-hour programs. Distribution includes, but is not limited to: UK - BskyB; Eastern Europe - Fox Sports; Norway & Sweden - ViaSat; Netherlands - SBS6; Israel - JCS; Middle East - Fox Sports; Asia - ESPN Star; Australia - Fox Sports; New Zealand - TVNZ; South America - Fox Sports; USA, South America, Mexico & Canada - Outdoor Life Network. * APP Broadcast, in conjunction with Skandia Life and the Cowes Combined Clubs, will bring live broadcast television to Cowes Week with the launch of the Sailing-Channel for Skandia Life Cowes Week 2000. The Sailing-Channel will be producing a daily schedule of event programming that will be beamed by microwave across to an East Cowes transmitter for broadcast transmission back to the aerials of Cowes. The programming, hosted by BBC sailing presenter Richard Simmonds, will include The Weather Programme a morning weather and racing information programme featuring weather professionals and well-known racing navigators, tacticians and local Solent experts. Grand Prix Sailing will feature the best of British sailing action from the past 12 months. Results Live will be a live roundup of the day's racing with footage from the race track, interviews with winners and guests and updates from the protest room. The day's broadcasting will climax with the Champagne Moment where the best of the day's bloopers filmed by the competitors themselves will be rewarded with a daily prize and an entry into the Champagne Moment of the Week. MADRO (Jeff Madrigali, 44, along with his crew of Craig Healy and Hartwell Jordan, recently won the Soling Olympic Team Trials. Madrigali is returning to the Olympics for the second time, having won bronze in the Soling class at the 1996 Olympics. Gary Jobson spoke with Madro for the NBC Olympic website. Here are some excerpts from that interview.) Jobson: Does this get harder getting into the Games or does it get easier as time goes on? Madrigali: I think there is more pressure here than the Games, because if you don't perform in the Games, at least you got the experience to go. This, if you don't win here, then your whole effort doesn't reach its goal of going to the Olympics. If you are successful here, then you have to re-evaluate and make new goals, but this is what we've been trying to do for the last three years - make the Olympic Team. Jobson: Different crew this time around with Hart and Craig. How hard is it to take two guys off and put two guys on? Madrigali: Basically we had to make a whole new team. You have to sail a lot together. That's why we started three years ago. We've been to a lot of events, and in each event we've learned to sail with each other better and better in terms of communication and boathandling skills and just what we need to be thinking about. As we sailed together more, we got better and better. It has really come together here. We've always been pretty competitive, but here it is really feeling good. We're really working hard together when we get behind. We stay focused and don't get on each other's nerves. We just keep trying, and we made a lot of great comebacks in this event so far. Jobson: You've raced in Sydney a bunch. You've been racing here in San Francisco in this cove and across the Bay. How analogous is this racing to the course that you will find in Sydney Harbor? Madrigali: Not that much, really. The one thing is, there is land around and the wind is shifty. Sydney is really completely different. The course area is much bigger, and here it is very narrow and you get to the shore pretty quick. When we raced in Sydney, we never got to the shore. It is a different style of sailing, but the water is fairly smooth, the wind is puffy ... that part is similar. Full Story: http://www.nbcolympics.com/ CALENDAR July 7-9 - USSA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival, Rochester Yacht Club. More than 150 youngsters ages 10-19 will compete in Laser, Laser Radial, Club 420 (spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions), Byte and Optimist Dinghy. - http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jo/index.htm WOMEN IN THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE (Leah Newbold, a two-time Whitbread race veteran, finds it hard to believe an all-women's team will win the Volvo Ocean Race. Here are some of her quotes from the story by Mark Chisnell found on the event website.) I do believe that there are few women who are worthy of earning a position on a male crew in this event. One of the main reasons being that, unlike a Maxi or an IACC boat where the crew number is large and each member has a specific job onboard, the v.o.60 is a small boat with a small number of crew and each crew member has to be very versatile and handy in all areas of the boat. In Isabelle's case, she is an exceptional navigator with probably one of the soundest knowledge of weather amongst all our top navigators, she can easily be justified on a men's crew. But in the case of a female trimmer or helm, she may be exceptional at her job, but when it comes to sharing the physical jobs in sail changes and heavy air reaching, she is definitely disadvantaged over her male peers. However, it is in these specialised positions that there is a role for women on male crews, and the battle begins in trying to convince male skippers to give women a chance. The hard part of the argument is that there are lots of cases where men and women sail together in harmony - America True in the recent Americas Cup Regatta is a classic example, and almost all the Maxis last summer had at least one female on board. There were a few women on boats in last year's Admirals Cup boats, and so the list goes on. The Round the World race is so very different from all these other events and the logistics of having a co-ed sailing team is an intimidating prospect. It is a very long campaign which involves long periods of sailing offshore in the most difficult sailing conditions possible, and now with more short legs, the race will be incredibly intense and demanding. Is there a need for an already stressful event to add another unknown element? To look on the positive side for women, I believe that there are good prospects for all-female crews in the future. There are some extremely talented female sailors and the number is growing as more women get the opportunity to sail with men's crews in top events. However, with a race like the Volvo Ocean Race, I find it hard to see a women's crew ever coming out on top, overall, at the end of the circumnavigation. - Mark Chisnell, Volvo Ocean Race website. Full story: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/news/news_index.html THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth |
