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SCUTTLEBUTT 1303 - April 8, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. GIVING BACK The Ellen MacArthur Trust has been specifically set up to support, empower and enliven young people suffering from cancer and leukemia by taking them on sailing trips. The first two sailing trips have now been organized for 18-20 July and 25-27 July - Ellen will join the children for both weekend trips on the Solent. The Trust was launched in January 2003 following Ellen's experience with the French-based charity A Chacun son Cap, that runs similar sailing trips for young people in France, and her work with Sargent Cancer Care. The UKSA, based next door to the offices of Ellen and her team, will be providing the boats and logistical support. Last year Ellen became an Ambassador to the UKSA, itself a charity that regularly organizes sailing for young people including disadvantaged and disabled children. Since the launch in January 2003 at the London Boat Show, the Ellen MacArthur Trust has achieved the Charities Commission registration and received donations from individuals, companies and Trusts: "The response has been awesome," said Ellen. "As soon as we announced the Trust, the offers of help, support and donations began and are still going - it is just fantastic to see this response. - www.ellenadonf.com/ GERONIMO 'Whether it's normal or abnormal, wear and tear always has an explanation' says Didier Ragot, Olivier de Kersauson's loyal second-in-command and a Geronimo watch captain. It's a loyalty that extends to the culture of the Grands Records team, "You watch, you examine and you search; then you try to understand and finally you think about how things can be improved." Since the giant trimaran returned to Brest, her team have been far from idle. "Right the way through the round-the-world voyage, I logged everything I thought was odd or abnormal. Soon after we came home, we held a briefing on all those observations and we're now at the diagnosis stage". Her round-the-world experience has revealed Geronimo's strengths and weaknesses. "There are some changes to be made", continues Didier, "for example, the mainsail traveller just exploded, so we need to understand why. Maybe the loads were higher than we predicted. We calculated a mainsail sheet loading of 14 to 15 tonnes. That may be too low a figure. But it may also involve the rail system. If we're going to solve the problem, we first have to explain it." And he'll be doing the same for every part of the boat. "Geronimo is still in the Moulin Blanc marina at the moment. We've already checked the mast, but we'll have to wait until she's out of the water before we can make a complete check-up". And that's what they'll be doing next week. This in-depth inspection will be made using a method called "tapping" which, as the word suggests, involves tapping the structure after attaching a sensor connected to a computer. The resulting resonance gives a precise indication of the condition of the mast to the nearest centimetre. An identical system is used to test the structure of the boat's beams and hulls. Then there are all the fittings (winches, etc.), the sails and so on, until every component part of Geronimo has been examined in detail. "At the same time, we are making the detailed studies that will help us decide which improvements or modifications we should make". - Grands Records website, full story: www.grandsrecords.com/ker/rec/en/homepage_flash.htm LAST CHANCE FOR GREAT WEATHER (SEMINAR) IN NORTHEAST The final date of this spring's Commander's Weather Seminars is coming up fast. Ockam Instruments and Blue Water Sailing Magazine have sponsored this well received series, ending this weekend in Marblehead. If you're a Mass Bay, Buzzard's Bay, Maine, New Hampshire, Cape Cod or the Islands sailor, registering now will secure a remaining seat. For Weather Seminar details e-mail billbiewenga@compuserve.com or visit http://www.WxAdvantage.com REGULATIONS It is now a requirement of ISAF Regulation 19 - Eligibility Code that sailors participating in the Olympic Regatta, ISAF Events, ISAF Graded Match Racing Events and Regional Games register to ISAF Sailor. Launched in March 2002, ISAF Sailor provides online Competitor Classification to register to determine your amateur/professional status for those events which limit the number of professionals, Sailor Biography, Image Library, Discussion Forums, Email Services and much more. The ISAF Sailor online Biography provides the software for sailors to update and maintain biographical information on the ISAF website, including images and sponsors' logos, together with hotlinks to sponsors' websites, ranked and non-ranked event results. Updated and maintained by sailors, the biographies provide an excellent resource of information, whether you be a fellow competitor or journalist writing an event report. Sailors who appear on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will have their ranked regatta results linked to their ISAF Sailor biography, which will draw in all past results alongside their current world ranking. - http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=4251, www.sailing.org/isafsailor / www.sailing.org/regulations AROUND ALONE The day that Derek Hatfield never thought he would see, has arrived. Spirit of Canada, with a new mast, sails and electronics, has finally rejoined the Around Alone as an on-the-water competitor. Almost five weeks after losing his mast just east of Cape Horn after the boat was pitch-poled by a breaking Southern Ocean wave, Derek slipped the lines in Ushuaia and headed back out to sea. Race rules require Hatfield to return to the exact spot where he turned his engine on after capsizing before he can turn the bows north once more and resume the leg to Salvador. It's roughly fifty miles from Ushuaia to the capsize area and Hatfield estimates that he will reach the spot at 02:00 local time. He will notify race operations of his position and then settle down to a long, hard sail to Salvador. The next few weeks are not going to be easy. Derek is going to have to navigate the tricky conditions up the coast of Argentina and Brazil, although the seasons have turned from summer to fall since his competitors sailed that way and Hatfield can expect more settled weather. By the time he gets to Salvador the rest of the Around Alone fleet will be long gone. After a compulsory 48-hour layover Spirit of Canada will start Leg 5 and what seemed an impossibility a scant month ago is now a distinct probability; Derek Hatfield and Spirit of Canada are going to complete their circumnavigation. - Brian Hancock, www.aroundalone.com * As Brad Van Liew prepares for the impending start of the fifth and final leg of the Around Alone race, he will take time on Tuesday as the honoree at a festive Brazilian party in Rio de Janeiro. The party is to celebrate Van Liew's dominant performance in the race and the four victories he has acquired. The Copacabana Palace has been transformed into an elegant nautical set. Brazilian models will showcase the Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America line of clothing, inspired by Van Liew's quest to win the Around Alone race. - Meaghan Van Liew, www.tommy.com/freedomamerica NEWS BRIEFS * Larchmont YC - Two blustery days, 63 boats, 9 races and the final result of the IC Dinghy National Championship regatta came down to a countback. Final results: 1. Cesare, Ben/ Cesare, Kim, 29; 2. Benjamin, Steve/ Kane, Rob, 29; 3. Patin, Paul-Jon/ Patin, Anne, 33; 4. Bowers, Jim/ Chan MacRae, Myrna, 41; 5. Kirkpatrick, Steve/ Randall, Emily, 45. Full story and complete results: www.larchmontyc.org * African Optimist Championships, Port Elizabeth, Final results (54 boats): 1. Cullman, Cam, USA, 38 pts; 2. Larkens, Aaron, South Africa, 64; 3.McNeill, Rudy, South Africa 74; 4. Stirk, Brett, South Africa, 80; 5. Fink, Thomas, USA, 85; 6. Wilson, Morgan, USA 101 (first female). http://home.mweb.co.za/ij/ijones/afr_results.htm * Clearwater Community Sailing Center and Clearwater Yacht Club - Matt Struble & WF Oliver took three bullets in the opening day of racing at the US Multihull Championship (Alter Cup) to take an early lead in the event. - www.ussailing.org/alter/ * The VicMaui Race Committee announced that there will be a Double Handed Division in their 2004 International Yacht Race. www.vicmaui.org THE KEY TO FUN SAILING The key to enhance your sailing enjoyment is the right gear; check out the Camet web site for new ideas. The Camet Sailing pants are as comfortable and practical as the shorts, and have the reinforced Cordura® seat pad for the foam pads. The Camet line of Neoprene Hiking pants have new reinforced pads and battens; combine these with the Bubble Top to create and maintain a comfortable microclimate close to your skin surface. CoolMax® shirts, etc. All these make all the difference for your sailing comfort. http://www.camet.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Cathy Spokes: Finally, someone in the sport of sailing who understands what selling a sponsorship is all about. Mr. Stark gets it. I work for a large ad agency. Part of my job is to set the agenda for our clients regarding their non-media marketing programs. I get swamped with proposals from sailing events and/or teams. Most of them are so poorly written, they get tossed. Almost all of them say something like "I'm a great sailor and I want your logo on my sails". Or, "I run an event and we have our alcohol sponsor for the party, how about parking some cars there". Uh, huh, that makes a lot of sense. Almost none, I mean none, of these proposals tell me how my clients are going to sell more product. Shame on you if you think that sponsors are there so they can fund international sailing adventures that you otherwise wouldn't be able to afford, or that this money will help improve your race committee work. Do you mean to tell me your race committee needs my clients money so that they can learn to run better races? And most of these event have so many sponsors that the clutter is worse than the spam in my email inbox. Sailing is something my clients actually ask for occasionally, but we just can't make sense out of the sport for them. Get your act together sailing, you too often sell yourself as the discount warehouse of sports. * From Uncle Charlie Ross: I find it hard to believe that Arthur Jones (#1301) took offense to the Preseason Refresher list when alcohol was only referenced in 2 of the 15 items. With absolutely no predilection to political correctness, I suspect alcohol plays a much larger role in most programs than a measly 2/15ths. I hope he isn't offended by bikinis on the rail too. * From Donald T. Rave, Jr.: I have to ask Arthur Jones how a joke ("Preseason Refresher Course", 'Butt 1301) can be "out of line" if it's not vulgar or ethnically insensitive? Perhaps he also should have considered the fact that some boats have gourmet food and skippers who exude sensitivity on the race course. I can hardly wait for more politically correct people to complain that you were similarly "out of line" for implying to the contrary. Needless to say, I thought 'Butt's Refresher was extraordinarily well done and I'll bet you get the fan mail to prove it. By the way, wouldn't the Curmudgeon say "sensible drinking" is an oxymoron? * From Tucker Strasser: Having been the designated driver from sailing events for many years I saw nothing wrong with the 'Preseason Refresher Course' in Scuttlebutt 1301. Alcohol (After Racing) and boating is a part of the sport. How else would you get someone to spend so much money on sailboat racing and feel good about it? The only gripe I have is that many events have free kegs but charge us designated drivers $2.00 for sodas. Let's devote out attention to that inequity. * From Ian Jenkins: (In response to Arthur "us who sail and don't drink" Jones: Everyone drinks - just some of us avoid too much water. We know what the fish have done in it! * From Paul Fuchs: Bernard Olcott claims that: "Ted Hood, Successful Skipper of Courageous and Charter Member of the America's Cup Hall of Fame, is the inventor of a new keel design in U.S. Patent 6,349, 650" A quick search at the patent office shows this patent was issued for a 'Launchable flameless expulsion grenade.' My guess is that was not Ted Hood's intent at all. It would be a bit assertive for Ted. * From Barney Harris: I believe Hood's keel patent number is actually 6,349,659. See following material from the US Patent web site: Sailboat rotatable keel appendage - A Rotatable Keel Appendage comprising a conical hollow support fixed to a sailboat hull into which is juxtapositioned a rotatable cone member which supports a fin keel carrying a heavy ballast bulb. The rotatable cone member has a threaded shaft at its peak which has a diameter greater than the thickness of the fin and is lockable to the fixed appendage conical hollow support by a nut on the threaded shaft. In another embodiment, the rotatable cone member carries two fins, in either spaced parallel relationship or in spaced aligned relationship. Mathematical Formulas for Energy Balance are developed to establish that a tacking sailboat with the appendages in the Specification will hydrodynamically generate forces to both decrease the leeward drift and increase the forward velocity of the hull. Methods for sailing more quickly to reach a windward destination are set forth using the appendages in the specification. * From Tom Ehman: In yesterday's 'Butt (1302) Mr Bernard Olcott points out that the AC Deed of Gift states that "centerboard or sliding keel vessels shall always be allowed...." This, however, is one of the Deed's "default provisions" that applies only in the case mutual consent on race "conditions" is not otherwise reached between the challenger(s) and defender. For the avoidance of doubt, during the most recent Cup this issue was put to the AC Arbitration Panel, and their clear ruling confirmed that it is only a "default provision." Of the 31 AC matches to date, only the 1988 match was run under the "default provisions" of the Deed. That year, no surprise, the defender's catamaran used sliding centerboards. All matches since 1988 have been run under mutual consent, which includes the AC Class Rule. The ACC rule (formerly the IACC rule), like the 12-Metre Rule before it, effectively bans centerboards and sliding keels while racing. The ACC rule has been agreed for the next (32nd) Cup, subject to the usual post-event tweaks now being considered by the Defender and Challenger of Record with the advice of the greater Cup community. One expects the ban against centerboards and sliding keels will remain, unless Alinghi and Oracle BMW are otherwise persuaded. * From T.J. Perrotti: In 'Butt 1302, Bernard Olcott stipulates that the America's Cup Deed of Gift mandates the legality of centerboard and sliding keels. While his quoted reference to the Deed of Gift is correct, he fails to further reference the "mutual consent" clause also contained in the Deed: "The Club challenging for the Cup and the Club holding the same may, by mutual consent, make any arrangement satisfactory to both as to the dates, courses, number of trials, rules and sailing regulations, and any and all other conditions of the match..." A winning Club is obligated to accept its first Cup challenge in compliance with the terms of the Deed of Gift. In modern Cup tradition, a winning Club has on hand at its victory a representative of a pending Challenger of Record club. The parties agree, by mutual consent, to the terms of the next Cup match. Since 1992, this has included agreement to race the event in IACC yachts (with keel restrictions contained within the IACC Class rules) and agreement to allow the inclusion of other challenging clubs. * From Mark Van Selst: Thank you for the information on jack line termination points. In the SF Bay area this is certainly an actively shared piece of wisdom and I encourage 'Buttheads to both implement it on their own boats and tell their crew (or skippers) why they are setting up the jacklines as they are. One additional piece of information (in response to Richard Squire's letter) is that sail-tie material is not necessarily strong enough to withstand the shockloads that may be generated when used as jacklines. Check with your supplier to find out the breaking strength of your webbing and then compare it to what is sold commercially for jacklines (my recollection is that standard west marine webbing is c. 780lbs; jacklines 1750lbs). (at the very least 1.5" folded & sewn...) * From Allan F. Johnson: Good on ya, for the mention of Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle. Did anyone else notice that they had 103 registrants for the Blakely Rock Benefit Race on April 5th? Emphasis on fun, fundraising and sailing. Pretty darn good for a club with no dock and three parking spaces. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. |
