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SCUTTLEBUTT 2198 – October 10, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt brought to you by UBS (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). FINAL DAY STRATEGY You are the top American at the Star Worlds, and you are forming your plan on how to close out the event. What do you do? Here is what the US team of Andy Horton and Brad Nichol were thinking, eventually going on to finish fourth in the Worlds: “Going into the final day we needed to finish ahead of the French and put a boat between us and Brazil to finish second in the regatta. Hamish Pepper from New Zealand had ten points on us, so we needed him to make a mistake to have a realistic shot at passing him. Our plan was to sail for a top five result, focusing on the two boats closest to us and shoot for second. The pin end of the line was 15 degrees favored for the first start and still 10 degrees favored for the second start under black flag (automatic disqualification for being over the line). We decided to push down to the favored end since we needed a good result. As we approached the line there was a boat parked close to the line in our way. With 30 seconds to go we were forced to make a big move to avoid the roadblock, which hurt our acceleration. We started at the pin end with Brazil below us and the Italians and French above. We had a good start but Brazil hit the line with more speed and we were forced to tack only minutes after the start.” – Read on for their complete story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1009 THE HARDEST PART IS LETTING GO (On ‘The Skips Blog,’ Todd Gallant chronicles the races of the J24 ‘Gray Jay ’ and his experiences along the way. Here he reveals the challenges of responsibility) I have been thinking a lot lately about what it is that makes the boat a team and what it needs to do that. The first season my primary role on the boat was teacher. A 100% new crew had to be taught the absolute basics. We shadowed the fleet in the spring series of year one and practiced launching the spinnaker and tacking. We started out by colour coded ropes. "pull the blue and white one", and graduated to proper names until everyone was comfortable. Dockside drills and dry runs for gybing were pretty much a given on race night. Shifting and alternating roles to see who was best suited for which position, and then re-educating. In season two things were much better. Focus was now on boat handling, rules and strategies. A large part of my time was still spent explaining my decisions to crew in the hopes they would understand the bigger picture of the overall race. This is a difficult task to do while racing. The hardest part...but essential part...this year has been letting go of control. - Complete story: http://theskipsblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/hardest-part-is-letting-go.html CHANGING TIMES It’s been 17 long years since Marcel Van Triest was onboard Equity&Law II sailing in his first race around the world. For two years he worked on that project, scarcely earning 6,500 euros in modern money for his troubles, but sailing the race had been a boyhood dream and a privilege. So none of that mattered. Today, five races on, the 42-year old Dutchman is getting significantly more cash as navigator of Brasil 1, yet the job just ain’t what it used to be. For sure he still navigates, and yes that desk he occupies below deck remains the loneliest place in the world. But today, with the years having taken away his hair and allocated him some perspective, it is a different game compared with all those years ago. Once upon a time, Marcel would have found himself on deck, staring at a barometer and searching the skies for the winds that would give him the bragging rights against his counterparts on the other boats. Today he spends more time below deck. The Gridded Binary (GRIB) weather maps he used to draw from his observations have been replaced by weather files sent via space to one of his onboard laptops. – Volvo Ocean Race website; read on for the complete report: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/news/article/2006/october/marcel/index.aspx EVALUATE YOUR SAILS BEFORE HAULING Check your sails’ pulse by shooting shape shots before you put your boat away this Fall. UK-Halsey’s AccuMeasure digital sail shape analysis program (FREE download from our website) makes objective sail analysis easy. These pictures allow you to work with your sailmaker to improve your inventory. Learn if tweaking can bring a sail back to life or whether it’s terminal. Go to the “Downloads” section at the UK-Halsey website to get AccuMeasure. Our Quick Start Manual will tell you how to take the needed pictures. But make sure you shoot before laying up for the winter. UK-Halsey: 800-253-2000, http://www.ukhalsey.com BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX (BYM News interviewed Joe Vittoria, who owns the 246-foot Mirabella V. Here is an excerpt) BYM News: Is she sailed by a helmsman, or a computer? JV: It’s all done by the helmsman, other than the fact that the wheel feeds information to the computer, which turns the rudder. So, there’s no feel on the wheel, the wheel is absolutely free if you know what I mean. In fact, you have three rudder indicators; the wheel indicator and the two rudders so you notice, when you turn the wheel, that the wheel indicator moves very quickly then, instantaneously, the others follow; that’s the computer driven part of it. The handling of the sails is done by hydraulics, but it’s done with toggles, so the computer is involved in that, because we are required by MCA to release the sheets at 20° heel. There are a lot of MCA requirements, like maximum wind speeds for each sail, for a given area of sail. This is not because MCA is concerned for the boat, they are satisfied that DNV has approved everything - Germanischer LLoyd for the rig - but they are concerned about a 48 foot deck getting too steep and people hurting themselves. You will see today yourself, if there is the 25 knot wind we’ve been told there might be, it will probably heel somewhere in that 15° area and that’s enough for most people. Complete interview: http://www.bymnews.com/mirabellav/html/joe_vittoria.html WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR The 58th annual Bermuda Gold Cup returns to the World Tour schedule after a one-year absence. The event has a new format, where 16 skippers are split into two groups of eight. The top four from each group advances to the quarterfinals, with the semifinals and final on tap afterwards. The featured boat is the pre-World War II IOD, a 33-foot sloop from Norwegian designer Bjarne Aas. The 16 teams including the event reigning champion, two of the top eight in the World Championship standings, five of the top 16 in the ISAF Open Match Race Rankings, two skippers representing America’s Cup syndicates. Luna Rossa Challenge helmsman James Spithill will attempt to win his second consecutive championship. Entry List ~ Brian Angel (USA) King Harbor Match Racing Team — Competing in 4th Gold Cup ~ Scott Dickson (USA) — Competing in sixth Gold Cup ~ Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) Mascalzone Latino — Capitalia – Placed 2nd in World Championship Standings ~ Björn Hansen (SWE) Team Apport.net — Ranked 8th in ISAF Open Match Race Rankings ~ Sandy Hayes (USA) — Ranked 19th in ISAF Women’s Match Race Rankings ~ Chris Law (GBR) The Outlaws — Winner of 11 Grade 1 match-race regattas ~ Paula Lewin (BER) — 5th place in 2002 is best finish by woman sailor in Gold Cup history ~ Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team — Placed 8th in World Championship standings ~ Alvaro Marinho (POR) — Placed 11th at World Tour season-opening Portugal Match Cup ~ Torvar Mirsky (AUS) — Winner 2006 Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron International Youth Match Racing Championship ~ Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Monnin — Competing in 3rd Gold Cup ~ Mathieu Richard (FRA) Saba Sailing Team — Placed 6th at 2005 Gold Cup ~ Jon Singsen (USA) — Competing in 2nd Gold Cup ~ James Spithill (AUS) Luna Rossa Challenge — Reigning Gold Cup champion ~ Blythe Walker (BER) — Winner 2006 Bermuda National Match Racing Championship ~ Ian Williams (GBR) Williams Sail Racing — Placed 8th at 2005 Gold Cup Tour website: http://www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar WHERE SEA MEETS SPACE (Newport Beach, CA) The weird-looking, three-hulled boat by the Newport Harbor Patrol dock looks like it could be from the future, or from outer space. To Thomas Kardos, the boat's owner, those descriptions are both appropriate. Seven Sisters is a trimaran designed to cut through waves, make and store its own drinking water, and power itself by motor, sail, solar energy or kite. Built in the late 1990s by Jim Dworack in Hawaii, Seven Sisters was named for the constellation of that name, also called the Pleiades. What Kardos found out later was that Dworack "felt that he was putting in certain design features that were told to him by friendly aliens" - namely, the Plajerans, a race of humanoid extraterrestrials reputed to live near the Pleiades. The boat's design certainly seems far out. Its three hulls help keep it level during extreme weather, and six solar panels on top of the cabin can run batteries to power the boat and its amenities. - By Alicia Robinson, Daily Pilot, full story: http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2006/09/29/features/dpt-onthewater29.txt BEST CRUISING BOAT The best cruising sailboat of all time? JK3 Nautical Enterprises, Inc. believes they have found it! The answer is the 1999 J-160 “Ruffian” whose price has recently been reduced. “Ruffian” is currently located in Michigan; call today to take a look. For more information on this boat and others, give Jeff Brown a call at 619.709.0697 or take a look at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/ztaes PHOTO GALLERIES * Photographer Sue Bodycomb was there when the US Match Racing Championship came to her home state of Texas, and she has provided these images from the event: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/1009 * The October issue of Supersail World (published by Yachting World) celebrates the top 36 sailing yachts in the world in five separate categories. In “The Big Three” category are Mirabella V, Athena, and the newest of the bunch, Maltese Falcon. The Scuttlebutt photo gallery has images of all three, with recent images of Matltese Falcon just posted from St Tropez, France. Enjoy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/mf * During one race of the Australian Match Racing Championship, photographer Andrea Francolini caught the action of one of the crews missing the straps, and backflipping into the drink. Great sequence: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/1006 AMERICA’S CUP NEWS * Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has accepted an invitation to be patron of Team Shosholoza, South Africa’s first ever challenger for sailing’s prestigious 156 year old America’s Cup. Archbishop Tutu who celebrated his 75th birthday on Saturday 7 October will meet the crew of Team Shosholoza for the first time on 27 November in Cape Town when they return home from their base in Spain for a two month summer break. – http://www.teamshosholoza.com * American Morgan Larson, 35, is the most recent recruit to Victory Challenge. Larson will be employed as strategist/tactician for the Swedish America’s Cup, a position he held with AmericaOne sailing with Paul Cayard and John Kostecki in 2000, and also with OneWorld Challenge in 2003, with Peter Gilmour and James Spithill in the afterguard. “We have made our previous strategist, Mattias Rahm, second helmsman. We are sailing with two boats, so we naturally have to strengthen the afterguard.” says Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman. - http://www.victorychallenge.com * The sail number 95 has been issued to one of the America’s Cup teams by the Technical Director of the ACC class, Ken McAlpine. The identity of the team hasn’t been revealed at this time. Of the numbers issued since the beginning of summer, NZL 92 and FRA 93 have been confirmed by Emirates Team New Zealand and Areva Challenge respectively. None of the teams have confirmed whether they have been issued ACC 94 or ACC 95. SAILING SHORTS * Jonathan Nye of Indian Harbor YC tamed a full scale of wind conditions, ranging from a blustery blow diminishing to the lumpy low teens on Saturday to light and variable flat water on Sunday, to capture the Long Island Sound Etchells Championships this past weekend. Teaming with Spencer Ogden and Tim Maier, Nye scored three bullets to notch a 1-point win over host club Larchmont YC’s Andy Kaplan. Rounding out the top five in the 6-race regatta were Ray Harrington (Burlington, VT), Chris Marx (also Larchmont YC), and Justin Muller (Marblehead, MA). For complete results, see: http://larchmontyc.org/racing/ColumbusDayRacing.shtml * A record 240 college sailors participated in the Storm Trysail Club’s 2006 Intercollegiate Offshore regatta at Larchmont Yacht Club. STC runs the regatta to introduce college dinghy sailors to the team work of big boat racing and to give college sailors who prefer big boat racing to dinghies a venue to participate. Thirty-three boats raced in four one-design divisions making the racing extremely close. Class winners were: St. Mary’s in the six-boat J/44 division, Web Institute in the eight-boat J/109 division, Georgetown in the Level 72 division and California Maritime sailing in the 12-boat J/105 division. – Full story and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1008 * The Brant Beach Yacht Club hosted the newly invented combined Club 420 and Laser Radial regatta in an effort to provide a venue for sailors wishing to extend their fall sailing. Some 60 boats traveled from as far away as San Diego, Texas and Florida competed in talented fleets. The first of the two day event was postponed with a strong front bringing winds exceeding 40 MPH. The second day saw a cloudless sky with winds in the 10-15 range. Brendan Faria of Ida Lewis won the Radial Event and Sam Williams with crew Margaret Rew from Bay Head won the Club 420. Complete Results: http://bbyc.net/MidAtlantic/index.htm * The Quantum Sail Design Group has acquired the Eurosail Manufacturing and Vela 2000 sail production facility on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The company was founded in 1993 by partners Patrick Whetter and Spike Thompson as a sales, service and membrane manufacturing facility, servicing the superyacht market. Quantum plans on using the facility to expand their Fusion M process for assembling one-piece sail membranes, and to enhance their capabilities to provide sails for the superyacht market. 2007 MOORINGS BROCHURE NOW AVAILABLE The Moorings offer over 30 exotic sailing grounds from Belize to Tonga, with rate specials now including 10% off bareboat charters from January 5 to February 17, 2007. Order a new 2007 brochure and learn about their newest monohulls and catamarans, including the innovative Moorings 4600, at http://www.moorings.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or space (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, there are no word or frequency limits on comments sent to the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Martin Barry, Sydney, Australia: (regarding John Oliver’s note in Issue 2197 about the weather buoy) My understanding is that this information was only available prior to the preparatory signal, not a continuous feed during the race, much like the manual supply of information currently communicated from coach boats. * From Craig Fletcher: (regarding Alan Field’s note in Issue 2197 about the weather buoy) Alan Field cracks me up. The Farr 40 class does not allow what? This class has the best amateurs money can buy. Every owner is backed by the best pros money can buy. The owners cannot make a move without there jockey telling them they are high or low, and you are worried about a few instruments and coach boats. Please. Alan, you want a true challenge, sail with all amateurs and no instruments. * From Bill Lynn: I don’t know whether Rob Emmet’s buoys provide an advantage or whether it’s fair or unfair, but if I’m sailing against him, we ’ll just keep an eye on where he’s headed. * From Olaf Harken: We were sad to hear of the passing of Gary Comer, creator of Lands' End. He was an Icon in the industry in the sixties, seventies and early eighties and published the first catalog of sailboat hardware that examined and graded everything he sold. He would write something special about each piece as though it had a life. The catalog was considered the bible of the industry. Peter and I brought a cigar box down to Gary with a few of our ball bearing block prototypes. He liked them and said "you make them and I will sell them and I want you to put your own name on them to keep the quality up." We were put to the test and with a struggle made them on time. He sold some of the first ones to Buddy Fredricks for his Dragon and Lowell North for his Star. They both won gold medals in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico and we were off to a running start. For a small operation on Elston Avenue in Chicago, he thought big and installed a huge Singer Computer starting a direct mail business using his monster machine for compiling mailing lists. This of course led to his big move into soft goods and clothing where he created the huge and successful Lands'End Direct Merchant theme using his writing skills to discuss each product and his computer knowledge to distribute them. Thanks Gary for the start you gave us and for the caring you showed to the hundreds of people who worked at Lands'End. You were an inspiration to us. * From Doran Cushing: I never met Gary Comer...but he came from the same South Chicago working class neighborhood where I was born some 18 years later. He's never been a high profile sailor that I know of, but his creative and entrepreneurial spirit is not unlike the many sailors we all meet every day at lofts and boatyards. Very few get wealthy...he did (Lands End). And he used that wealth for good things. His family of companies included Maptech, the company I work for. It's not a cash cow, but there are a lot of good people trying to do good things in the marine industry. Sail on, Mr. Comer. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Anything free is worth what you pay for it (except for Scuttlebutt). Special thanks to UK-Halsey, JK3 Nautical Enterprises, and The Moorings. America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt is brought to you by UBS. |
