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SCUTTLEBUTT 1889 - July 27, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. ROSEBUD IS THE BIG WINNER "I think they probably won," Philippe Kahn said after sailing his new Pegasus past the Diamond Head finish line far ahead---but not quite far enough ahead---of Sturgeon's three-year-old Rosebud in the final battle between Transpac 52s for the coveted King Kalakaua Trophy in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race. "They did a good job," Kahn said. Pegasus finished at 11:14 p.m. HST Monday night and Rosebud followed at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday with 39 minutes to spare on the 3 hours 50 minutes Pegasus owed her in corrected handicap time as an older generation member of the TP 52 class. "I didn't know if we'd won until we crossed the finish line," Sturgeon said. "We didn't know when [Pegasus] finished. We were blasting all out up to 23 knots off Molokai. The winds were over 25 with gusts to 30." So Transpac's big winners duplicated last year's Newport-Bermuda Race when Hasso Plattner's maxZ86 Morning Glory was first to finish in record time, as it won the Barn Door here, and Rosebud won overall---the latter a rare double in America's premier ocean races believed to be last achieved by Dorade in the 1930s. Australia's The Cone of Silence, the smallest of 75 boats in the race, reeled off some of the largest daily mileage numbers over the final week---223, 210, 255, 246, 263, 216---and finished well ahead of everybody in Division III Tuesday, but it wasn't quite enough to eclipse Reinrag2 on handicap time. The Garnier family's J/125 from Portland, Ore., finished about 2 ½ hours later to easily save the six hours owed by Jamie Neill's Down Under flyer, which wound up second in class. It was the third division win in four years for Reinrag2. -- Rich Roberts, complete standings: http://www.transpacificyc.org/ BIGGER AND FASTER (The Daily Sail subscription website spoke to trimaran guru Loick Peyron about his diverse sailing schedule and his new 38m maxi-foiler. Here are two brief excerpts from their story.) While Peyron at present is spending a lot of time sailing with other people, he recently revealed to us his next project - a 38m (125ft) long foiler trimaran. In this he hopes to follow a similar path to his elder brother Bruno by winning the Jules Verne Trophy and under taking a program of records. While Franck Cammas' new Groupama III maxi-trimaran, currently in build at Multiplast in France, and Olivier de Kersauson's Geronimo are more or less enlarged versions of the ORMA 60s, albeit with less extreme beam and sail area, Peyron's new boat - which he has designed himself - is very different. "The problem is very simple," says Peyron. "If you want to stay on one hull - which is the goal of any multihull sailor - you may do that on small boats or on the 60s or or on big cats just for the pictures, but on a round the world trip you spend maybe 5% of the time on one hull. That means you are not in good conditions 95% of the time and on a tri or a cat it is very hard to regulate that. The only way to stay on one hull is to stay on the main one." The perennial problem with having fixed foils in the floats is that they work really well within a small performance envelope and represent considerable drag in light conditions. Therefore it is necessary to have some way of retracting them. -- The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com SEVERED RELATIONSHIP The King Edward VII Gold Cup has broken ties with the Swedish Match Tour. However, Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) Jane Correia is confident the decision will not impact the Gold Cup negatively and that the match-racing event will retain its international popularity. We have got the top skippers coming again - defending champion Russell Coutts, Peter Gilmour, Ed Baird - they have all indicated they are coming. The prize money is very good - $100,000. Though not disclosing details, Correia explained that potential contractual conflicts necessitated a parting of ways. Swedish Match Tour director Scott MacLeod, however, said he was given no explanation for RBYC's decision to pull the Gold Cup from the Tour when Vice Commodore Andy Cox informed him of the move last week Monday. He added that whatever the issue was, he didn't think "it wasn't anything that couldn't have been worked out". -- Gayle Alleyne, The Royal Gazette, http://tinyurl.com/89a7w ESPN COMES TO NEWPORT ESPN is broadcasting this week from the Swan Village at Newport Shipyard, where almost half of the boats competing in the Swan American Regatta purchased their crew uniforms from Team One Newport, "the foul weather gear and crew uniform experts." They are wearing quick drying shorts, technical wicking shirts, and waterproof breathable foul weather gear. You can get the same awesome gear online and at 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327). Find the best from Henri-Lloyd, Musto, Gill, Patagonia, Camet, Railriders, Kaenon, Native Eyewear, Magic Marine, Harken, and tons more. Contact the experts and you'll get your gear right the first time! http://www.team1newport.com EAST COAST HANDICAP RACING US-IRC is organizing an ambitious 2006 series that will encompass ten existing East Coast races and regattas that span from Rhode Island to Key West - from the Virgin Islands to Bermuda. Dubbed the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series, it "offers sailors the choice between events best suited for their sailing programs." Starting in January 2006, the series includes the following events: Ft Lauderdale to Key West (January 11), Key West Race Week (January 16-20), St Maarten Heineken Regatta (March 3-5), Acura Miami Race Week (March 9-12), International Rolex Regatta St Thomas (March 24-26), Annapolis Yacht Club Spring IRC Races (April 22-23), The Storm Trysail Block Island Race (May 26-27), The New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta (June 9-11), The Cruising Club of America-Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Centennial Newport Bermuda Race (June 16-21)and The Royal Bermuda YC Anniversary Regatta (June 23). The Onion Patch Series, including Newport Bermuda, is required, as is one of the two medium distance races - Ft Lauderdale to Key West or the Block Island Race. Two other events, Key West Race Week, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, Acura Miami Race Week, International Rolex Regatta St. Thomas or the Annapolis Yacht Club Spring IRC regatta must be sailed at the owner's choice to complete the series. Racing will be scored under the IRC rating system either in specific classes or dual scored along with other systems. Racing will be by individual entry and by teams representing nations, yacht clubs, or other sailing associations for both the Gulf Stream Trophy and the Gulf Stream Team Trophy. Professional or amateur programs are welcome. The Notice of Race and Deed of Gift for the Trophy being written by the organizing committee are in the approval stages and will be posted on the series website: -- http://www.gulfstreamseries.com/ MAJOR EXERCISE Measuring the 242 boats at the Optimist World Championship is a major exercise. Four ISAF International Measurers with the help of local volunteers are scrutinizing all hulls and equipment and aiming to conduct full measurement on a randomly selected hull from each manufacturer represented. For each team the process takes less than an hour but for the measurers it is four days of intense work. 94 of the sailors, mostly non-European, will use charter boats supplied by the Danish builder Winner at a cost of US$480. The remainder of the fleet has brought their own Optimists, built by maybe 20 of the 30+ approved builders. At the recent European championship twelve builders had boats in the top 20 boys and girls. Details at: www.optiworld.org/topgear.html OLYMPIC VENUE Beijing, China -- The Olympic sailing marina in the coastal Chinese city of Qingdao should become the first new venue ready for the 2008 Summer Games if it is completed as scheduled next June. Well on target in its Games preparations, China has vowed to complete construction of all the venues in host city Beijing by 2007. The design of Qingdao's regatta facility was only set in May and construction should begin soon, the state-owned Xinhua news agency said. Yet the city appears confident that it can complete the marina in slightly less than a year. "We will endeavour to make the Olympic sailing events a complete success," Xia Geng, mayor of the city in eastern Shandong province, was quoted as saying in an overnight report. Construction of Qingdao's Olympic media centre, athletes' village and logistics hub began in early 2004, Xinhua said. -- Reuters, http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-7-2005_pg2_31 IT'S A RACE: IT'S MUSTO'S MPX GORE-TEX RACE It's exclusive, it's light, it's Gore-Tex. Musto's MPX Gore-Tex Race gear is extremely breathable, waterproof and durable whilst also providing maneuverability for high activity, high performance sailing - such as match racing or round the cans. It incorporates Musto's revolutionary HPX Stretch fabric in areas that require instant and high levels of mobility. Check it out at one of the following retailers: Annapolis Performance Sailing, Fawcett Boat Supplies, Fisheries Supply, Layline, Pineapple Sails, Sailing Supply, Team One Newport, The Sailing Pro Shop, or West Marine Stores. For product information and a store finder, check out http://www.musto.com/usa NEWS BRIEFS * Lauren Turner from Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club (W. NY) captured the USODA Girls' National Championship at Norfolk Yacht & Country Club in Norfolk, Virginia. Second was Melany Johnson from Haven Beach (NJ), third Deirdre Lambert from Portland Yacht Club (ME), fourth Katy Cenname, Seattle Yacht Club (WA) and fifth Stephanie Hudson from Lake Beulah Yacht Club (WI). For complete results from this event and the Optimist Nationals which began July 26: www.norfolkyacht.com * The first day of racing for the 42nd World Championship in Gamagori, Japan was postponed due to Typhoon Banyun. www.snipe.org * Ventura Calif. -- After waiting for wind all Monday morning racing finally got started at 2:30 in the afternoon and the fleet at the Hobie 16 NAs was on the water until 7:30 PM Defending champions from Mexico Armando Noriega and Roderigo Achach are off to a good start and lead the series. Americans Kieth Christensen, a three time past champion, and Kristen King are in second. The favored team from Puerto Rico, Enrique and Carla Figueroa jumped the gun at the first start but managed to salvage a 15 after re-starting. They were second in their second race. -- http://tinyurl.com/8mfey * The Scuttlebutt website has two new photo galleries that cover both ends of the spectrum. If you are into mega-yacht racing, we have images from the Newport Bucket Regatta from photographer Billy Black. If you prefer dinghy sailing, check out the Southern California Junior Sailing Olympic Festival, courtesy of photographer Glennon Stratton: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos * The second day of the Rolex Swan American Regatta brought much lighter wind than the blustery first day, calling for very different sailing skills from the 39 teams competing in Newport, Rhode Island. Yesterday was all about brute force and courage in the face of very challenging conditions. Today was about boat speed and smart tactics around the race course, with the wind blowing a very warm and pleasant 8 to 12 knots from the southwest. The change in weather had remarkably little effect on the leaderboard of the four divisions. Complete results: www.nyyc.org * Fifteen to twenty tall ships are expected to visit Newport R.I. the week before the Fourth of July holiday in 2007 as part of a four-day festival. Also planned are special programs surrounding the festival, including an International Village, crew/ cadet sports events, an integrated youth program (including a special classroom curriculum), fireworks, a street parade, and a black-tie Tall Ship Ball held jointly with the Preservation Society. As a non-profit organization, Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007 is looking for volunteers and sponsors and will donate any revenue over expenditures to youth programs, sail training and family services. -- www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org SCUTTLEBUTT SPECIALS The Scuttlebutt e-Newsletter is fortunate to have the support of some of the finest sailing suppliers in the sport. Occasionally these businesses have special offers to announce, so look for an email supplement to the newsletter at the end of each month that will include their offers. -- The Curmudgeon 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 neither 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. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From: Tom Fischbeck: Hobie 33 wins overall Newport/ Cabo 2005; Hobie 33 wins Division V in Transpac 2005; Hobie 33 built and designed 25 years ago; Hobie 33 original price $25,000. Pretty remarkable considering this design is beating boats of building costs Millions of dollars more than its competitors. You too can compete with the "Yachties" if you want? * From Kyle Clark: Forget about the exotic Cone of Silence. As fast and exotic as the Cone is, it has nothing on the newly rediscovered Hobie 33! Last Spring, one aced the Newport to Cabo Race and now another win's it's division in Transpac! There have been a couple of 33's that were highly modified with square-topped mains and penalty poles but to the best of my knowledge, both of these winners were essentially stock configurations. The Hobie 33 has got to be the low budget boat of choice right now. * From Wesley Rutherford: Am I the only one who finds it hard to have confidence in a handicapping system that can be twisted so that one TP52 owes another TP52 nearly four hours for the Transpac Race? This just seems bizarre knowing that the Transpacific YC wrote the TP52 box rule, and everywhere else TP52s always race boat-for boat. * From Dave Bandstra: Is this really a thread about how to put more "fun" in sailing? Maybe for those for whom "serious" is synonymous with "uptight" and "friendly competition" is an oxymoron, but for the rest of us leave it alone! The thrill of sailboat racing is the pursuit of excellence measured only by your competition. If you choose to measure your success solely by trophies you will be disappointed, but if you can keep everything in perspective there is no greater sport. If you don't care about the order in which you finish, trade your sailboat in for a 38' Powerquest, and if you want to handicap yourself you should definitely try golf, but if what you desire is a sport that will give you a lifetime of learning, enjoyment, competition, and friends, then sailboat racing, as I've been lucky enough to experience it, has no equal! * From John P. de Regt: I've thought about the handicap racing problem for years. One thought might be to have family-oriented weekend racing events, where the fleet races on Saturday, rafts up for Saturday night, and races again on Sunday. Crew lists would require that a certain, but meaningful, percentage of the crew be related and under the age of, let's say, 18. That way, the kids get a meaningful role, they meet each other, the owners actually meet and socialize. Racer/cruisers would be encouraged, no need to strip the last ounce of weight out of the boat to be competitive, and people, once again, actually spend the night on their boats. * From Ralph Taylor: NASTAR (National Standard Ski Race) uses a system in which pacesetters with known handicaps establish a standard time for the race course. Then each skier's percentage of the standard time is calculated as they finish. Medals (gold, silver, & bronze -- no limit to the numbers) are based on the skier's age & percentage of standard time. It could work in sailing, if we established handicaps for the pacesetters. An example: A pacesetter with a handicap of 20 skis a course in 60 seconds; the standard time is 50 seconds. Then, a competitor skis it in 66 seconds; it's 132% of the standard time, so his/her earned handicap is 32 -- good for a bronze medal in the 20-60 crowd. * From Grant Applegate: (re Sand traps and Potholes): After every poorly run regattas it seems like the RC has a very sad and moving story about with having to deal with factors "outside of their control which made it impossible to do the job right." But as you read about the accomplishments of those clubs on the short list of candidates for the St. Petersburg Trophy (for race committee excellence), we find most of those race committees also encountered trying conditions for their event -- but were prepared with the people and equipment necessary to deal with them. It seems to me that the big difference between running a good event and a disappointing one generally boils down to just a single word - preparedness. The good clubs organize and prepare their resources - not their excuses. * From Stuart Paine: Craig Leweck's comments (Sand traps and Potholes) are well taken and I wish every junior regatta had the qualities he describes. I have further wishes also. I wish that a lack of wind had not delayed the first race making it necessary to run the races and have 1/2 hr. lunch break in three hours and fifteen minutes. I wish we did not have to choose between running two races with a more perfect course or five races on flawed ones. I wish the wind had not kept oscillating 50 degrees every fifteen minutes or so. I wish I had not had to call an abandonment when the wind shifted right after the start. I wish I had not started one race where the pin end was in a different wind that the boat end. I wish it had not taken half an hour to reset the course twice. I wish that the leaders had not lapped the trailers so that I could have shifted the marks during the races. I wish I was a trained PRO rather than a just well intentioned parent asked to run the racing. I wish I had not made mistakes. But more than any other wish, I wish the individuals sitting on the dock and using their superior sailing expertise toward finding fault would redirect their energies and get out on the race course so that they could create the square courses, the steady winds, and the unlimited sailing time our kids so deserve. * From Bill Stump: Ah yes, on the final day of OLN's excellent coverage of Le Tour de France we were treated to an ad for the next America's Cup, coming your way in June 2007. By then another Tour will be in the record books and we'll be two champions removed from Lance before the billionsboyz ever splash their second boats. Pretty exciting stuff. And, no matter what kind of points or seeding results from the "Acts" they still feel like exhibition games to most of us. Seems like those paying the bills would want to shorten the cycle - no cross-sport pun intended. * From Andy MacDonald (re: Bill Lawhorn): I was fortunate to have sailed with and against Bill in scores of offshore races in the Atlantic and the Pacific over many years. Bill combined the best of dinghy racing and offshore expertise into one of the most outwardly mellow gentlemen who ever sheeted in. Inside, he quietly cradled an admirable and intense ability to win. He was a wisdom-filled mentor who expertly demonstrated not only how to prevail in a race, but also how to act once you had done so. He had a lot of practice in each of these distinct arts, and was a master of both. West Coast Sailing has lost a legend. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS On definite sign of 'maturity' is when your back goes out … but you stay at home. |
