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SCUTTLEBUTT 1835 - May 10, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. THE GREAT ESCAPE - Dave Perry Well, so that perfect start didn't work out quite as well as you'd planned. No problem. Statistics show that every sailor gets a minimum of one, and sometimes even two, bad starts in a series, so you're right in there with the best of them. Now you just have to figure out the best way to pick yourself up and get back in the race. With most bad starts, you know that you're going to have a rough one as early as 30 seconds to a minute before the gun. So don't feel you have to wait until the gun goes to make your escape from a bad start. Bail out as soon as you realize you're not going to make it up to the line or into clear air. The classic example of someone stubbornly refusing to bail out is the guy who is coming up from leeward with no real chance of breaking through boats already on the line. But instead of tacking out of there and looking for another hole, or at least getting off into clear air farther up the line, the guy continues, yelling "Up, up, up!' and swearing at his crew for not trimming the jib in soon enough. Finally, the gun goes, sealing his fate. The air is so bad, oxygen masks automatically start dropping from his boom. The water is wildly churned up, and the whole fleet has hardened up to close-hauled, preventing him from tacking and sealing all possible escape routes. The key to avoiding this is to anticipate the trouble before it happens. One time I was sailing Lasers in about 18 knots, and I was luffing on the line with about 30 seconds to go. All of a sudden there was this incredible noise and yelling, and I looked back to see this guy planing madly down the line, totally out of control. I was so intrigued by the sight that I watched him zip by my transom and head for a hole below me. He then hardened up a bit too fast and instantly death-rolled to weather. Unfortunately, he had gone just far enough so that his mast came crashing down like toll-booth gate right on top of my bow. Then, Bang! The gun went off. Great! The only thing that would have saved me at that moment was a Black & Decker power saw. Had I been thinking clearly and anticipating the possibility of trouble, I could have bailed out before it happened and been off with the rest of the fleet. If you're starting near the windward end, you may encounter several variations of bad starts. The first is getting to the line too early and being pushed over by the boats behind. Too often, a sailor who knows he's going to be early just sits there and waits for it all to happen. Maybe he thinks he can jam up the rest of the fleet to windward, forcing a general recall. (He can't believe that the committee will get his number. But sure enough, nine times out of ten, the committee will spot him.) If you know you're going to be over, bail out! Either bear off and try reaching into a hole farther down the line or, better yet, sail up around the committee boat and start again. If you do this at twenty seconds rather than waiting for the gun, you'll still be in the race. - Excerpt from Winning in One-Designs by Dave Perry, www.ussailing.org/member/library/wiodescape.htm RESCUE AT SEA Portsmouth, Va. (AP) - One of two sailors who abandoned their boat Sunday in rough seas hundreds of miles off the Virginia coast was found in the water today and pulled to safety on a merchant ship, the Coast Guard said. The other sailor was found dead. Lochlin Reidy, 58, from Woodbridge, Conn., was spotted about 4 a.m. after a Coast Guard plane saw a strobe light in the ocean about 400 miles east of Virginia Beach and flew over the area to investigate, said Officer Krys Hannum, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. He was taken aboard the merchant vessel Sakura Express, and his condition was not immediately available. Earlier today, Thomas Tighe, 65, from Patterson, N.Y., was found dead in the water. Three other sailors who were rescued from the 45-foot sailboat Sunday night said Tighe and Reidy got into a life raft after the boat began taking on water from 16- to 20-foot seas. The life raft broke away, and a merchant ship that searched the area Sunday night found the raft empty. The other three sailors were airlifted to Nantucket, Mass., Sunday night. www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050509/NEWS02/505090355 IMPROVING THE SPORT (The Bang the Corner website interviewed Glenn Bourke who has won the laser world championship three times; also has experience with the Americas Cup, most recently with Stars and Stripes; and is now the CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race. When asked, "How would you improve the sport of sailing" here's how Brouke responded.) "Reduce the number of youth dinghy classes in the world so there were higher numbers and better competition in fewer dominant classes. Sure cover all styles of racing from one design, to development classes, to cats, to high speed planning, to small prams, to displacement boats, but personally I'd prefer it, if the designers and manufacturers didn't just come out with new copies of old themes to steal the market away from their competitors. Every time they do it, it fragments the sport. Just look at the Moth, Laser, Finn and Star all are pretty old boats now, but when you have guys like Veal and Coutts and Cayard and Ainslie and Grael and Scheidt sailing them against up and comers and old stalwarts alike, it adds value for all." - Full interview: www.bangthecorner.com/da/17270 BEST BOAT STORAGE SINCE THE SAWHORSE Is there so much stuff in your garage there's no room for the car? Go vertical with the Harken Hoister! This pre-rigged lifting system lets you store dinghies, canoes, car tops, bikes, ladders and more, safely at ceiling level. Features include free-rolling Harken blocks for even singlehanded lifting, and a cam cleat that engages if you drop the line - you'll never crash-jibe a boat on your car again. For Hoister and dealer information: http://www.hoister.com 100 YEARS OF PROGRESS The Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will be showcasing the massive leap in sailing technology over the last 100 years. If Wilson Marshall's 185-foot (56.4m) Atlantic is taken as the benchmark boat from the 1905 race, then her equivalent a century later is Robert Miller's 140-foot (42.6m) Mari-Cha IV. Atlantic was built in 1903 at Townsend and Downsey in New York to a design by William Gardner of Gardner & Cox. In overall concept she had a "classic shape" with long overhangs at the bow and stern--then considered radical for an ocean-going yacht. Below the waterline, she had a long keel culminating in her rudder, but unlike similar yachts of her time, her centreplate and internal ballast had been removed and replaced by a lead keel. In comparison, Mari-Cha IV was built by JMV Industries in Cherbourg, France and launched in September, 2003. Her deck is much flatter, while her hull has more flair and is generally squarer with a near-vertical bow and a squared-off transom. As a result, Mari-Cha IV's overall length is some 45 feet (13.7m) shorter than Atlantic's, but only six feet (1.8m) less at the waterline--where it counts. Below the waterline, design has advanced considerably over the last century with the rudders and keels now separated and becoming ever deeper and more slender. This decreases wetted-surface area for better light-wind speed, and the high-aspect-ratio shape is a boon to upwind performance. Mari-Cha IV has the latest in keel design, with a keel foil and 10-ton bulb that can be canted up to 40 degrees each side--like a pendulum--driven by a powerful hydraulic ram. Surprisingly, there are similarities between the two boats above deck, as both are schooner-rigged. Atlantic had three masts of increasing height going aft. Among large, modern race boats, Mari-Cha IV is unusual in being a schooner (in her case with two masts of equal height). Compared to Atlantic, her sail plan is much simpler, with no gaffs or topmasts and with fewer, though generally larger-sized, sails. Developments such as roller-furling headsails and powerful winches driven simultaneously by a number of pedestals have resulted in the need for fewer crew to tend the sails. The greatest developments, however, are in the materials used in her rig. All of Mari-Cha IV's spars are made of strong lightweight carbon fibre rather than wood, as on Atlantic, and her modern moulded North 3DL sails are lighter and hold their shape immeasurably better than the cotton sails used on Atlantic. The most dramatic difference between the two boats is their weight. Atlantic was built of steel, while Mari-Cha IV was made from carbon fibre with a Nomex honeycomb core. While Atlantic was luxuriously fitted out below decks, Mari-Cha IV's interior is stripped bare. But the most impressive contribution to Atlantic's weight was her engine. Aside from being a powerful sailing yacht, Atlantic was fitted with a steam engine capable of delivering 300hp, but weighing over 50 tons--more than the entire weight of Mari-Cha IV. While Atlantic's best 24-hour run in the Kaiser's Cup was 341 miles (then a new record), Mari-Cha IV has covered more than 500 miles in one day and is thought to be capable of much more. - www.transatlanticchallenge.org USODA TEAM TRIALS 182 Optimist sailors age 10-15 gathered in Annapolis, Maryland for the annual USODA Team Trials where they compete for a spot on the national team and to possibly also qualify for a spot on an International team. The sailing started on Thursday and concluded on Sunday with all weather conditions to prove to be a fair test of sailing ability. Justin Doane from the West coast of Florida dominated the fleet providing him with a spot on the National team as well as an invitation to represent the US at the Optimist Worlds in Switzerland in July this summer. All of the top five sailors will go to the Optimist Worlds in Switzerland the next four sailors will go the Optimist Europeans and the following 25 sailors will go to the North Americans in Tobago in June. Final results (10 races with one discard): 1. Doane, 34; 2. Moynahan, 43; 3. Richartz (girl) 74; 4. Haeger, 76; 5. Russom. www.severnsailing.org/optiteam/results.htm CAN'T WAIT TO GO SAILING Summer is on its way! Get yourself into a pair of Camet Sailing Shorts or Pants! Rated as sailing's "Must Have" gear in this month's SAIL magazine. Made of fast drying breathable Supplex and reinforced Cordura with optional foam padding. Available in a variety of styles and colors to match anyone's personality or boat gear. Contact Camet International or one of their many dealers right now! For sales or a catalog, call 619-224-6737 or go online to http://www.camet.com NEWS BRIEFS * On Saturday, Bruce Schwab attended the Vendee Globe award ceremony in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. Over 50,000 people crowded the main beach of Les Sables to watch the ceremony. Schwab is the first American to officially complete the Vendee. He placed 9th out of the 20 skippers in the raceThis week, Schwab departs France to sail across the Atlantic to Portland, Maine for the official U.S. Homecoming of Ocean Planet. Events to be held at Portland Yacht Services Friday, June 3 - Sunday, June 5. - http://business.mainetoday.com/newsdirect/release.html?id=1742 * Nathan Hollerbach has won the inaugural 2005 Chicago Match Race Regatta, presented by Regatta Group. Joined by team members Patrick McMath, Michael Hoey, and Evan Jahn, Hollerbach prevailed in an exciting and contentious two-match series against Canadian Bill Abbott. The event sailed in J/80 featured eight teams from three countries, and is ranked a Grade 3 event by ISAF. Final results: 1. Nathan Hollerbach, USA; 2. Bill Abbott, CAN; 3. Betsy Alison, USA; 4. Bruce Mahoney, USA; 5. Marie Klok Crump, DEN; 6. Justin Hood, USA; 7. Justin DaMore, USA; 8. Don Wilson, USA. - www.chicagoyachtclub.org/index.cfm?content=sailingevents_details&eventid=140 * Nearly 250 athletes from 32 Nations have already registered to compete in the International 470 European Championships on June 5-14 in Gdynia, Poland. From Myanmar to Argentina to China, from Russia to Romania and Turkey sailors will use the regatta to check where their true speed is after the long break since the Athens' Olympics. Several of the top female teams including the Gold and Silver Medallist will be missing, electing to sail the Mediterranean Games Championship in Spain. But the 470 Women's fleet has deepened greatly in the past four years and there will be plenty of talent ready to fill the gap. - www.euro470.pl/ * 2000 Olympic Games gold medallist in the 470, Tom King, Chairman of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Athletes' Commission, has been elected Chairman of the inaugural Yachting Australia Athletes' Committee. As Chairman, KING will be made a Director of the Board of Yachting Australia and as such give a powerful voice to participating sailors. The Committee will play an important role in providing input into the strategy and policies of Yachting Australia, particularly in the High Performance area. All members are either involved or have recently been involved in Olympic, Paralympic, International or Youth Sailing. www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6qFhy~vB * Having steadily moved up the Global Challenge leaderboard to lay an equal claim on first place, Barclays Adventurer has taken a plunge to the west to round the island of St. Helena. As a result, SAIC La Jolla now leads second place VAIO by 3nm and Team Stelmar moves into third just 4nm off the pace. Barclays Adventurer's decision to take a hard left puts them in equal forth with BP Explorer, 7nm behind the leader. After a period of steady winds from the southeast, the fleet was making just 8-9 knots Monday afternoon.- www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/ * Ellen MacArthur's B&Q has suffered damage to her central bow after being struck by a motor launch while berthed at East Cowes Marina yesterday. On Sunday morning a Nelson motor launch struck the 75ft trimaran directly on the central bow damaging the sacrifical crash box as it was trying to manoeuvre on to the dock at East Cowes. No one was hurt in the incident and B&Q's boat captain, Loik Gallon, was on board at the time. The boat team are now assessing the damage and whether the repair can be made whilst the trimaran is still in the water. - Yachting World, www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050409105327ywnews.html J/ CLASSES GEARING UP FOR BLOCK ISLAND A record turnout is expected in several J classes at Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week 2005. There is still time to sign-up for this late June classic. One-design starts are planned for the J/80, J/29, J/105, J/109, J/120 and J/44, as well as IRC and PHRF. Visit http://www.blockislandraceweek.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Kris Kristiansen: I just followed the links that today's scuttlebutt so kindly provided to learn how I could apply for an IRC certificate. Seemed that all this fervor over IRC might be good for racing and sailing in general. I discovered that my J130 would have the privilege of racing other IRC boats - provided I pay $675 plus the cost of the Travelift to weigh my boat plus all the trouble to fill out the #$@%)* form with information that I don't have and would probably take a couple more days to track down since my boat has a modified shoal keel. Seems now that I'll stick to racing PHRF and if all races go IRC, I'll forget about racing. Promoting an expensive, time consuming rating process, that history teaches us will be replaced by another rating scheme in a few years is simply disappointing. I honestly don't see how this is going to improve sailing. I'm not joining. Is there something I'm missing here? * From Scott Finkboner: Regarding the Opti, Sabot and El Toro debate, I must put a plug in for the El Toro. I sailed as a junior against David MacFaull from the Waikiki YC, who later became Hawaii's first Olympic medalist winning the Silver in the Tornado class in 1976/ Montreal. Also the world knows too well the living legend Paul Cayard and his accomplishments to date. Both learned to sail in El Toro's. I believe it is the competition, coaching, parental and yacht club support, traveling to as many venues, sailing in as many conditions as possible in most 8-foot single sail "beginner" boats, etc including those 3 classes mentioned above that is the root start of championship sailing and sailors, and not necessarily the numbers in those classes. * From Ken Voss: I am surprised to see Peter Commette say, "I just don't think it's a great thing for Optimist kids, young families and expensive coaches on princely per diems to have to go all over the country for a 10 year old to someday develop into a lifelong committed sailor. All Sabot events lie within a 130-mile." While as a father who has sponsored a young sailor to multiple opti continental championships and a world championship, I have spent my share of money on this ... I don't see the "princely per diems" go along with this. The coaches can live on their salary. But my main fear is that my son may want to grow up to be a coach, rather than a lawyer like Peter. For the most part these guys are not making a princely amount of money, more like a secretary. But they are teaching our kids to sail much better than I. * From Peter Huston: Thank you Peter Commette for bringing a sense of reason to this discussion about Opti's vs. Sabots. Our sport is not big enough, perhaps at best only holding stable in terms of racing participation, for anyone to be trying to limit any class. If your kids likes Opti's and both of you think it would be great to travel the world racing them at age 12, more power to you. If your child wants to only sail Sabots in Newport Beach and also surf the Wedge, cool. If you have two kids that sail doublehanded Sunfish at Portage Lake in Ann Arbor and then play pick up hockey on that frozen wide spot in the creek during the winter, maybe they will be the first person to medal in both the winter and summer games. Free markets are the only ones that thrive over time - any type of control always results in serious market inefficiencies - if not eventual market collapse. Sailboat racing is just about the ultimate free market - those classes that promote themselves the best will endure. Anyone trying to limit participation in the sport is part of the problem and not a solution to anything, except their own self interest. * From Doug Messer RE: butt 1830 Charlie McLaughlin's suggestion to put the "excess" cost of the AC campaigns into a charitable trust is a laudable use of other people's money. AC campaigns are privately funded with sponsors that pay for the exposure and association with the glamorous in crowd and the only bite on our pocket is if the government issues tax credits or deductions (which I am sure they do) but that is relatively small potatoes. Better to rail against the 400 billion spent every year on the armed forces and let the rich guys play, after all they aren't hurting anyone and they just might come up with a breakthrough that will trickle down to the average sailor. * From Scott Truesdell (Re: the high cost of yacht racing): John B. (Jim) Kilroy is the source of two of my favorite quotes: When asked if maxi racing was a rich man's sport he answered "No it isn't: there's one rich man on board and there's 25 poor men and they enjoy it more than the rich man does!" And: "[Maxi] sailing -- expensive? Let me comment on that, very strongly: people say it's expensive, but it gives a hell of a lot of people a lot of jobs. They call these maxi yachts. I call them 'marxi yachts' because they redistribute the wealth!" CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating. |
