|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2782 - Tuesday, February 17, 2009Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors, providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.Today's sponsors are North U, Southern Spars/Rig Pro, and KKMI Chandlery. STUNNING ACHIEVEMENTS BY SOLO FINISHERS (Feb. 16, 2009; Day 99) - The question of the weekend among the Vendee Globe race was who would finish in third place. For a boat for boat race, a time allowance was now factoring in as a result of varying time awards that Samantha Davies (Roxy) and Marc Guillemot (Safran) received as a result of the assistance provided during Yann Eliès’ rescue (broken leg) on Dec. 20th. Once Davies finished in third position early Saturday morning, opinions varied as to whether Guillemot would finish within 50 hours, which was the award difference between Davies (32 hours) and Guillemot (82 hours). Further frustrating the prognosticators was predicting the performance of Guillemot’s boat, which had been without a keel for nearly the final 1000 miles of the race, and with mast track damage that kept the sail at no more than a double reef. Ultimately, after over three months and 28,000 miles of racing, the difference was 1.3 hours in favor of the Frenchman. Regardless of finishing order, these were stunning achievements, one by Guillemot and his broken boat, and by Davies as both a woman and a Brit, with a boat among the oldest in the fleet. Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; 11 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, Finished Feb. 1, 15:11 GMT (84:03:09:08) 2. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, Finished Feb. 7, 08:41 GMT (89:09:39:35) 3. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, Finished Feb. 16, 01:21 GMT (95:03:19:36) 3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted - Redress Given 4. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, Finished Feb. 14, 00:41 GMT (95:04:39:01) 5. Brian Thompson (GBR), Bahrain Team, Finished Feb. 16, 08:31 GMT (98:20:29:55) 6. Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva, Finished Feb. 16, 13:12 GMT (99:01:10:57) Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en NEVER A DULL MOMENT (Feb. 16, 2009; Day 3) - Only in the Volvo Ocean Race, where the dramatics of pit row have become as much a part of the race as the sailing. The start of the 12,300 nm Leg 5 from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janiero, Brazil began on February 14th as scheduled, but with only three of the eight boats competing. Where was everybody else? Cash strapped Team Russia is on the sidelines, and Delta Lloyd and Telefonica Black are on a ship to Rio due to damage from Leg 4. Then there is Ericsson 3, damaged during Leg 4, taking a pit stop in Taiwan for repairs, resuming Leg 4 to Qingdao, but light winds delayed their finish, and once they restocked with new supplies, they started Leg 5 nearly seven hours late. The real surprise, however, occurred just minutes before the start gun fired when Telefónica Blue dropped her sails and returned to port. Apparently, the team went aground briefly at a speed of six or seven knots, and the decision was made to haul the boat and assess any damage. Fortunately for the team, tests showed the damage was not critical, but still required significant repair for the bulb and fin, with the team finally crossing the starting line nearly 19 hours behind the leaders. Crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janiero, Brazil is 12,300 nm, with the finish estimated on March 20th. Current positions (as of Feb. 17, 1:00am GMT): 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 11,484 nm Distance to Finish 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 12 nm Distance to Leader 3. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 69 nm DTL 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 108 nm DTL 5. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 186 nm DTL Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, Did Not Start Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, DNS Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, DNS Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com * Onboard Ericsson 3 with Gustav Morin, media crew member: “A rough night. Our navigator usually knows when something is about to go down. And at one moment tonight he had that gut feeling that something. He was right. Suddenly the wind speed increased rapidly to 40 knots. We were reaching in 36 knots boatspeed and the boat was practically flying. Aksel (Magdahl) made himself ready. He wrapped his arms around the closest vertical beam and held it tight. When you reach speeds like that you know it isn't going to last for long. King Neptune usually puts an enormous wave in front of the boat on occasions like that, just to see some action and make his everyday life, looking at a deserted sea, a bit more fun. And this time was no exception.” -- Read on: http://linkbee.com/FL58 * Onboard PUMA with Kenny Read, skipper: “I think our average wind speed so far this leg has been in the mid 20's and we peaked out at 44 knots while reaching through a small group of islands just south of Japan. That was fun. We had to stop for a bit with steering problems yesterday, but as always the boys on board got it all up and running again within an hour or so. The problems included snapping a wheel in half when ploughing into the bottom of a pretty gnarly wave, and a mechanical issue below decks with the steering quadrant. A loss of about 15 miles over a couple hours, but a small price to pay now that we have peace of mind that it is all fixed. Funny thing with these boats. You build every part and piece as light as it can be--and sometimes things break...go figure.” -- Full report: http://linkbee.com/FL59 US SAILING RACING RULES SEMINARS… …are headed to Chicago, Beverly, Kansas City, Hampton Roads, New Haven, Long Island, Grosse Ile, Rochester, Richland, Annapolis, Philadelphia, Texoma, Brick, Seabrook, Hilton Head, Charleston, Rye, Erie, Seattle and Vermillion; with more to follow. Presented by North U, the seminars cover all the rules – new and old – and include a Racing Rules Workbook created by Dave Perry. US Sailing members save $40. Check the schedule and sign up by visiting NorthU.com or by callng North U at 800-347-2457 or 203-245-0727. http://www.northu.com EMIRATES TEAM NZ WINS LOUIS VUITTON PACIFIC SERIES Auckland, NZL (Feb. 14, 2009) - On the final day, Emirates Team New Zealand laid claim to the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, convincingly beating the Swiss team Alinghi with three consecutive wins on a grey, rainy and windy day on the Waitemata Harbour. The home team’s come-from-behind 3-1 victory marked the end of a 15-day match racing regatta in modified America’s Cup boats that drew praise for its format and its originality from all of the nine international teams that took part. Ship’s sirens and boat horns drowned out the cheering as the Emirates boat docked alongside the Swiss team for the last time. Emirates skipper Dean Barker accepted the silver and crystal Louis Vuitton Pacific Series trophy for his team in a Moët et Chandon, champagne-soaked ceremony watched by hundreds of spectators at the regatta village in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7054#7054 'BOATING IS NOT GOING AWAY' (Feb. 13, 2009) - Though the current state of the marine industry is challenging, there are bright spots and reasons to believe things will begin to turn around later this year, Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said Thursday. Speaking at the annual state of the industry address at the Miami International Boat Show, Dammrich told the crowd he expects the turnaround to begin in the second half of this year. “The first half of 2009 will continue to be challenging, but by the third quarter we should begin to see an improving environment for the boating industry,” he said. “Though current economic conditions are depressing consumers' buying at the moment, dealers tell us there is significant pent-up demand among consumers attending boat shows.” Dammrich said he believes that in the next 12 months credit will begin flowing again for retail and wholesale, the housing market will begin to stabilize, and consumer confidence will improve. -- Soundings Trade Only, read on: http://linkbee.com/FL6A THE EXPERTS POINT OF VIEW ON THE BREAKAGES Nineteen out of the thirty boats which started the single handed Vendée Globe race have been forced to retire to date through breakages. Meanwhile, only four teams out of eight managed to finish leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race and make it to Qingdao, China, in racing mode. What are the reasons for the high percentage of failures? Is the situation acceptable, is it just simply “nature of the game”? The following experts provided their views: Loïck Peyron, Vendée Globe skipper (Gitana) Ken Read, Volvo Ocean Race skipper (PUMA) Marcus Hutchinson, Volvo Ocean Race Communication Director Pat Shaughnessy, President, Farr Yacht Design Dominique Wavre, Vendée Globe skipper (Temenos) and Open 60 Class President These experts responded to these questions: Why are there so many breakages in offshore regattas (VOR and Vendée)? Were the conditions exceptionally tough? Are the boats too fragile? Is it acceptable (from a sailor’s, sponsor’s, race organizer’s point of view)? What should be done to improve this in the future? Complete report: http://linkbee.com/FL6C SOUTHERN SPARS / RIG PRO HAS YOU COVERED With the Caribbean cruising/racing season coming to a close, crews will soon be heading back on delivery to ports in Europe and the US. Our teams in Newport, RI and the Med are standing by with full service shops including hydraulics, running rigging and hardware. If you’d like your rig checked prior to departure from the Islands, give Chuck a call at +1 401 683 6966 to arrange a visit. For those heading onto the Med, give Vinnie a call +33 442 98 1010 to book a visit anywhere in Europe and get your ‘09 season off to the right start. -- http://www.southernspars.com ON A SHEET OF ICE AND UNDER SAIL ON THE HUDSON More than 100 years ago, people regularly congregated at the Hudson River for winter entertainment and recreation. It was not uncommon to see thousands of people gather on the frozen river for carnivals of music, dancing, food, skating and, most thrilling, ice yacht races. The enthusiasm for the sport a century ago is not surprising, given that the boats could reach speeds well above that of the trains running along the river. The sepia-toned era of winter sports on the Hudson is largely dead, not because of advances in home entertainment or newer extreme sports, but mainly because of a pattern of warmer winters, the river simply doesn’t freeze over as often or as deeply as it once did. The long seasons of yesteryear, with dozens of ice yachts and large crowds of onlookers, has turned into the occasional weekend outing, with a small but dedicated group of enthusiasts keeping history alive. -- NY Times, read on: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/travel/escapes/13Iceyachting.html?8dpc * From David Berson, NY Times: “Iceboating is very social activity, and so one recent afternoon I went over to the bay to enjoy the company and the scene. It wasn’t too long before I met people I knew who invited me to take an iceboat for a spin or, in this instance, a slide. I know something about sailing, so I thought, ‘Sure, why not?’ “A few moments later, I find myself reclining, not quite comfortably, in a canvas sling, about three inches above alternately smooth and ridged ice, speeding along the bay at about 35 m.p.h. There is a constant crunching sound, as if thousands of walnut shells are cracking beneath the three sharpened runners skittering across the surface. There is another sound as well, this one emanating from my diaphragm. The sound of screaming. In joy, I hope. “Ahead of me, or at least as far as I can see though my teary eyes, is a flat sheet of milky white ice reflecting the sunlight back into my face. A gloved hand is wrapped in a death grip around the main sheet, the line controlling the shape of the sail. I want to pull it in tighter, just as I would on a sailboat, so that I can go faster.” -- Read on: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/new-jersey/icesailorweb.html?_r=1 SOUTHBOUND WEST COAST SLIDE * The plan for Del Rey Yacht Club's PV09 International Race Series from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, presented by CORUM Swiss Timepieces, was four races in one with stopovers in between---but by sea, not land. It may have been the only sailboat race in history in which the escort vessel was a Winnebago. * Winning is all that counts in most sailboat races, but in the PV09 International Race Series to Puerto Vallarta, there also are rewards for good guys, good cooks, good communicators and good fishermen, as well as some pretty good sailors. The latter included the class winners on overall corrected handicap time: Spinnaker A---Carmagnole, Dan Howard (Beneteau First 45), Marina del Rey; Spinnaker B---Barking Spider, David Kory (Cat 36), San Francisco; Non-Spinnaker A---Defiance, Peter Noonan (Swan 56), San Francisco; Non-Spinnaker B---G-Rated, Sid Lampert (Cat 42-2), Marina del Rey. Complete report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0216c SAILING SHORTS * St. Petersburg, FL (Feb. 15, 2009) - Nearly 1,000 sailors from over 25 states throughout the U.S. were on Tampa Bay for the 12th annual Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta. Among the 148 entrants competing in 15 classes was Dave Ullman, who won the Melges 24 class - the largest fleet with 45 boats. However, it was David Flechsig of Port Charlotte, FL who won the closely contested S2 7.9 class, and was named the overall winner of this weekend’s regatta. As the overall winner, Flechsig will be invited to participate in the 2009 NOOD Regatta Championships in the British Virgin Islands in November. -- Complete results: http://linkbee.com/FL6E * The Audi MedCup Circuit, known as the world’s leading regatta series has announced that the TP52 Class and GP42 Class will both compete on the Circuit. The MedCup goes into its fifth year and is widely regarded as the most competitive yacht racing circuit of its kind, attracting the top owners, skippers, sailors and boat designers alike. Five cities in four different countries will host the series of regattas for both the 52’s and 42’s over five months from May through to September this year. -- Read on: http://2008.medcup.org/news/index.php?id=478 * Montego Bay, Jamaica (February 13, 2009) - The 811-mile Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to Montego Bay, Jamaica concluded with Roger Sturgeon’s STP65 Rosebud/Team DYT taking line honors (02:11:28:35) and winning IRC A class. Daniel Woolery’s King 40 Soozal won the four-boat IRC B class, while Jack Desmond’s Swan 48 Affinity won the three-boat PHRF class. Ron O’Hanley’s Privateer took the overall title for the 29th running of this ocean racing classic, and collected the silver Pineapple Cup. The Pineapple Cup is awarded based on a PHRF conversion in order to combine both fleets. -- Full story: http://www.montegobayrace.com/2009mobayoverallpr.pdf * One of summer's most cherished regattas, the Storm Trysail Club's biennial Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex, is set for its 23rd running from June 21-26, 2009. The regatta, which traditionally features five days of racing in both handicap and one-design classes, will also serve as the inaugural North American championship for the J/122 class and the East Coast championship for the J/109 class. The Notice of Race and online registration are available at http://www.blockislandraceweek.com KKMI CHANDLERY SALE EVENT This February and March, the KKMI Chandlery is hosting their biggest sale event ever to clear space for the 2009 Season. Find rigging, mechanical, electrical and maintenance items 20, 30 and even 50% off list prices! And, at no additional cost, the professional service you can expect from KKMI. http://www.kkmi.com PHOTO GALLERIES * As the Vendee Globe racers arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne, France to finish their solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s, photographer Thierry Martinez has been on-site to capture the moments. A very special gallery has been assembled that currently includes Michel Desjoyeaux, Armel Le Cleac’h, Marc Guillemot, Samantha Davies, Brian Thompson, and Dee Caffari. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/vendeeglobe * Say what you want about the America’s Cup, but it remains a big time news event, and during the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, it garnered column space in newspapers and plenty of shooters to capture the action. Scuttlebutt received so many images that we had to put together a video. Thanks to Chris Cameron, Gilles Martin-Raget, Juerg Kaufmann, and Stefano Gattini for all the photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0216b * The Caribbean racing season is on, with the action last week at the Tobago Carnival Regatta. Here are images from Tim Wright: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0216 * Photographer Carlo Borlenghi delivers us to Monaco for the second weekend of the Primo Cup: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0216a LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Tim Platt, Marblehead, MA: (re, the use of windward gates at the Etchells Jaguar Series) The current dissension on windward gates may reflect an experiential gap, but in any event should be considered by the Organizing Authority (OA) in light of such factors as the expected size and profile of the fleet, and average water depth and sea state in the racing area, before writing the Notice of Race (NoR), so that the race committee and competitors can plan their race schedules, trips, race administration and practice needs well in advance. After participation in 7 regattas with windward gates, my opinion has evolved from skepticism to support of their use, at least in larger fleets, primarily because they increase competitiveness and strategic and tactical choices throughout the entire race, and reward superior boat handling. In summary, windward gates force us to improve our game, and keep it fun and challenging, for some of the specific reasons articulated by Bill Lynn, Dave Perry, Mike Wolf, and George Andreadis in earlier posts in this Forum. However, given the relative novelty of windward gates to many racers, it is not yet clear whether the net benefits of windward gates are sufficient for small- and mid-sized fleets, where newcomers (whether competitors or race committees) may place more value on the familiar than on learning new methods, tactics and boat handling skills that they will not use often. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7049#7049 * From Janet C. Baxter: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 2781) In case you are thinking that Mayor Daley or the Chicago 2016 Committee are trying to pull a fast one, slow down for a second. The only thing that matters right now is winning the bid. The feeding frenzy is already starting, but if Chicago is not named by the IOC on October 2, there is nothing to feed on. Rowing could be the centerpiece of spectacular Olympic and Paralympic Games. Yes, there will be some disruption to our normal lives. Sailing has a good venue, too, next to rowing. The details of the bid can be changed, within reason, and if someone comes up with a better or cheaper idea, it will be considered. Every successful bid I've seen has had some changes, once the city gets to building. Now is the time to share those ideas, but not to bash the city or the bid plan. One of the things the IOC wants to see is local and national support. Win the bid first. Then we can fight over the pieces. For details, which should be published on Feb 13, go to www.Chicago2016.org (warning- they are big files!) CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Special thanks to North U, Southern Spars/Rig Pro, and KKMI Chandlery. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
