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SCUTTLEBUTT #376 - August 10, 1999FASTNET RACEThe outright Fastnet Race record was slashed by more than three and a half hours yesterday when Loick Peyron's 60ft trimaran Fujicolor II crossed the Plymouth breakwater finish line to complete the 605-mile course. There were sustained periods of sailing at 30 knots - a better speed than can be achieved by many power-boats - during which Peyron said the "speedo needle was off the gauge and in the glovebox." But the wind was sufficiently uncooperative to prevent a complete demolition of the record. As it was, Fujicolor II finished at 11.27am yesterday to post a final time of 40 hours 27 mins and lower the record by 3hours 33mins. "We could have broken it by as much as 10 hours," said Jean Maurel, one of Peyron's six-strong crew and former skipper of Elf Aquitaine. Fujicolor II beat Alain Gautier's Broceliande home by 41mins in an unrelenting dogfight in which Gautier held the upper hand for over half the race. "It was impossible to steer without a mask," said Peyron. "The spray was like needles. Water was coming from everywhere. The trimmer's cockpit is worst. It's not covered by water - it's completely under it." At these speeds, Peyron had only the leeward one of the boat's three hulls in the water. "Flying the boat is easy," he said nonchalantly. "Landing it is the hard part, because the sea was so confused. " The rudders are vibrating hard in the turbulence. Sometimes they stall, the boat has sudden leeward helm and the tiller hits you in the chest," he added. It took the next two 60ft multihulls a further 13 hours to reach the Rock, Francois Joyon's Banque Populaire leading Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher round at 3.04am yesterday, with Ross Field's New Zealand Maxi One Design the first monohull, some two and a half hours later, at 5.30am. In the train of boats that followed, individual contests were played out class by class. American John Kostecki leading the German Illbruck team was the first Volvo 60 and 11th yacht round at 7.16am, a full hour ahead of Belgium's Volvo 60 Yess, with Grant Dalton and Adrian Stead aboard. Leading the ILC-70 maxi was Jim Dolan's Sagamore, 12th at the Rock, and two minutes ahead of George Coumantaros' Boomerang, with Alberto Roemmers' Alexia 12 minutes later and Larry Ellison and Ted Turner's Sayonara a further 21 minutes further back. Slotting in between ILC-70s were the Open 60 monohulls, with Catherine Chabaud's Whirlpool a full 2hr 11min ahead of Mike Golding's Team Group 4. This is Golding's first outing since pulling out of last winter's Around Alone race. -- Tim Jeffery, Daily Telegraph, UK To read Jeffery's full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Fastnet Race website: http://fastnet.org CAL 20 CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (46 Boats) -- After Friday's qualifying series, it was apparent that the 6 race Championship series would be a battle. There were 7 or 8 teams with a legitimate chance at first. Mark Golison followed up his win in the Qualifying Series by winning 2 of 3 on Saturday. Mark Folkman had a 1-2 and breakdown 13th. Doug McClean had a steady 2-4-5, and 4 other boats entered Sunday with a good chance to win. Sunday was typical Long Beach Conditions with the right breeze filling in early. Golison continued his winning ways in race 1, but on the run to the finish, his spreader came off the mast and he barely limped across the line, apparently out of the regatta with no spreaders. With a display of incredible seamanship Mark and his crew Chris Snow and Ruth Pauling dropped the rig in 15-18 knots of breeze, repaired the damage, re-stepped and started late in race 2 to finish an amazing 5th. This set up the dramatic last race with Mark vs. Mark in a match race. Mark G. beat Mark F. to the weather mark just barely, and the game was on. The fleet compressed at the gate and Folkman took the advantage. Upwind Folkman sailed Golison off the course while maintaining 6th position, good enough to take the Championship for the 3rd time in 4 years. McClean covered the fleet to take 3rd. -- Randy Smith Final Results: 1) Mark Folkman / Jeff Johnson / Kurt Mayol 13 pts. 2) Mark Golison / Chris Snow / Ruth Pauling 15 pts. 3) Doug McClean / Randy Smith / Jib Kelly 19 pts. 4) Chuck Clay / Geordy Hershman / Chris Messano 25 pts. 5) Hank Schofield / Vahan Skendarian / Steve Bloemeke 25 pts. 6) Ron Wood / Vann Wilson 27 pts. 7) Walter Johnson / Terry Anctil 29 pts. 8. Bruce Golison / Robin Durn 30 pts. 9. Mike Burch / Kenny Dair 44 pts. Bill Schoff / Mike Pentecost 48 pts SILVER FLEET: 1) Wade Hill/ Dave Crockett 12 pts 2) David Gilboa 13 pts. 3) Lee Smith / Steve Gunn 22pts. Complete results: http://abyc.org/1999CAL20NATIONALS/RESULTS.HTML THE GOOD STUFF Douglas Gill is totally focused on supplying truly great gear. PERIOD! And because their products are genuinely superior, they have no trouble guaranteeing them against defects in material and workmanship for the lifetime of that product. Plus, their sailing apparel is the most comfortable you can buy, so why would you settle for anything less? http://www.douglasgill.com AMERICA'S CUP SAN DIEGO, CA (August 9, 1999) -- Team Dennis Conner is making final preparations to begin campaigning their new IACC boat USA 55. The newest Stars & Stripes which left Long Beach California yesterday on the Australia New Zealand Direct Lines "Direct Falcon" bound for Auckland, New Zealand is due to arrive later this month. Once again, Conner has surrounded himself with sailors who have solid big boat and America's Cup experience. The initial sailing team includes: -- Bill Trenkle has been an integral part of Conner's America's Cup campaigns since 1980. He is president of Dennis Conner Sports, Inc., he is responsible for all aspects of DCSI's worldwide operations. This is Trenkle's seventh America's Cup campaign. -- Sailmaker Ken Read, one of the world's preeminent helmsmen, will share the helm with Skipper Dennis Conner. The 1982 College Sailor of the Year is an eight-time world champion who has twice been a helmsman on the US Admiral Cup team. In both 1985 and 1994, Read was named US Sailing's Yachtsman of the Year. In 1995 he sailed with the PACT 95 America's Cup campaign. -- Peter Isler was the 1976 College Sailor of the Year and the top-ranked U.S. skipper on the Professional Match Racing Circuit from 1988 to 1993. He was the tactician/navigator on the ULDB 70 Season Champion in 1996 and 1998; was in the afterguard on the World Champion Ericsson 80 Maxi Class yacht in 1997; and navigated Dennis Conner's winning America's Cup campaigns in both 1987 and 1988. -- After Peter Holmberg won a Silver Medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea in the Finn Class he went on to play a key role on the winning campaigns for the 1989 International 50 World Cup and the 1990 Maxi World Championships. Later he won the Congressional Cup, the St. Francis Cup, and the Trofeo Challenge on his way to becoming the top-rated US skipper on the World Match Racing Circuit. Holmberg was co-founder of the Virgin Islands America's Cup syndicate that merged with Team Dennis Conner. -- Judd Chamberlin, a professional sailor, joins the team as one of the few America's Cup rookies. He is an experienced one design sailor and races big boats on the Gulfcoast. -- Professional sailor Harvey Davis is a regular on IMS Grand Prix campaigns and on the World Match Racing Circuit. -- Jeff Dionne is a young athlete with a tremendous amount of experience as a maxi boat grinder and full time crewmember .-- Sailmaker Eric Doyle, a world ranked Star sailor and member of the US Sailing Team will be the syndicate's mainsail trimmer. -- Stuart Felker is a regular crew member on the ILC Maxi Sayonara and sailed with the PACT 95 America's Cup syndicate. -- This will be the third America's Cup campaign for Mick Harvey as a member of Team Dennis Conner. Harvey is a former maxi boat captain who sails regularly on 1D48 campaigns and supervised the construction of USA 55. -- Professional rigger Arte Means is a regular crew member on Dennis Conner's racing programs doing his first cup campaign. He is the skipper of a successful Melges 30 when not crewing for Conner. -- Former pro football player Larry Mialik has sailed with two America's Cup campaigns. He was with Buddy Melges' Heart of America syndicate in 1987 and on the winning America3 team in 1992. -- Rob Myles is a professional sailor, rigger and race boat captain who competes actively offshore, on the IMS circuit and aboard the successful Farr 40, Solution. -- Geordie Shaver sailed with the PACT 95 America's Cup program as well and the Young America match racing team. He is a professional yacht captain with extensive experience on successful maxi boat programs and on the 1D48 circuit. -- Mastman Matt Smith is a veteran of many successful campaigns on maxi boats, the Admiral's Cup, the World Match Racing Circuit and he sailed with the PACT 95 America's Cup campaign. -- Versatile Mike Toppa has raced all over the world -- campaigning IMS boats, Swans, Classic yachts and dinghies. He raced three legs of the 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race on 'Chessie Racing,' and has been a sail trimmer and sail designer in four America's Cup campaigns. -- Robbie Young is a veteran of two previous America's Cup campaigns. Young also races regularly races on the 1D48 circuit and on other leading edge racing campaigns. This will be Dennis Conner's eighth America's Cup campaign, having qualified in six of his seven attempts, winning the America's Cup four times. Conner is the only Challenger ever to win the America's Cup and with a determined and focused group of experienced and committed team members he hopes to return the America's Cup to the United States once again. USA 55 was designed by the Reichel / Pugh Design Team. In 1992, John Reichel and Jim Pugh were key members of Bill Koch's America3 design team, and for the 1995 America's Cup campaign they played a lead role in the design of OneAustralia. USA 55 was built at New England Boatworks in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. -- Bill Trenkle, Team Dennis Conner LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. -- From the ISAF Secretariat -- With reference to Neil Humphrey's letter in Scuttlebutt 373, please note that as an Olympic sport, the International Sailing Federation is restricted to the acronym it can use by the International Olympic Committee. No International Federation which is part of the Olympic programme may use initials already in use by any other "Olympic" International Federation. Therefore, as the International Softball Federation uses the initials "ISF", the International Sailing Federation was not permitted to use them and had to opt for "ISAF". In respect of your comments on the International Snowboard Federation, they are not an independent International Federation recognised as such by the IOC. Indeed in the Olympic Programme snowboarding comes under the remit of the International Ski Federation (who as you can see faces the same problem as the International Sailing Federation in respect of initials) who operate under the acronym "FIS". The International Schoolsports Federation are not on the Olympic Programme, so can use whichever initials they like. -- From Mike Leneman (Re: Santa Barbara - King Harbor Race) Though we finished 7 mins. behind Magnitude, we started 15 mins. behind her on Delta Vee (F-31R). Our elapsed time of 6 hrs. 46 mins. is a new course record. The old record of 6hrs. and 48 mins. was held by myself on the 40' Catamaran "Minette". We have campaigned to start with the turbo sleds so that the boat for boat race is more definitive...but to no avail. Nonetheless...we beat her on elapsed time! Curmudgeon's comment: Congratulations Mike--well done! Can anyone tell me if Magnitude set a new monohull record? -- From Alan Andrews -- It looks like Jerry Kaye (Scuttlebutt #375) misinterpreted some of my comments. In doing so he may be prematurely dismissing the "Ratings Plus" tool that can help local PHRF handicappers. VPP's are arguably better at predicting change of performance with change of either wind speed or wind direction than they are at predicting absolute speed within a few seconds per mile. "Ratings Plus" can help area PHRF committees develop multiple handicaps like SoCal's Random Leg and Offwind handicaps or more quickly reach a fair handicap for a boat new to the area. IMS hull measurement DOES record the "lumps and bumps" of IOR hulls but the LPP module integrates the total hull shape into global values of Length, Displacement, Wetted Surface, etc. The VPP predicts performance based on these integrated values, without attempting to predict the added drag caused by these local distortions. Accordingly, IOR hulls have punitive IMS ratings (undoubtedly the same with Americap). PHRF can assign arbitrary handicaps to reflect observed performance of these distorted hulls (or other non-optimum design features). Where "Ratings Plus" can help, even for IOR boats, is in tuning PHRF ratings for different wind speeds or different course contents. PHRF may have found that the "1979 IOR 35" should rate 12 seconds per mile slower than the IMS or Americap prediction suggests. But when calculating the "offset" between PHRF W/L Buoys and PHRF Offwind, the "offset" suggested by "Ratings Plus" for these two courses could be a good place to start. Likewise, "Ratings Plus" could help determine a fair Southern California PHRF Rating (lighter air) for a visiting yacht with a known San Francisco Bay PHRF Rating (heavy air) by comparing the difference in predicted performance over the change in average wind speed for fleet benchmark boats with the difference in predicted performance for the new arrival. I've tried to keep it short but find it hard to fit 250 words. Otherwise I would certainly mention: 1) This is just another tool that can help get the handicap closer to correct the first time around. 2) For PHRF to be true to their mission of observed handicapping, they will have to continue to observe performance. -- From Glenn Magyar -- On Friday night, August 6 1999, the sailing community around the world lost a fine sailor and a great friend. Captain Douglas C Vann, skipper and owner of the Farr 44 "Tiare" suffered heart failure and died despite the best efforts of his crew and the EMT's on shore to administer CPR. Just after rounding the outer buoy on the Friday evening race we hoisted the spinnaker and headed for HH. Doug's wife Sherry was driving while he was coordinating the foredeck to make sure everything went smoothly. A minute or two later, his internal defibrillator went off several times in rapid succession. He went below to lay down on the bunk and Melinda, one of our crewmembers, went with him. While we were making our way back in, he told me it didn't make sense to give up the race since there wasn't anything more we could do and that he just needed some time to recover. After another minute or so he stopped breathing. We called 911 on the cell and asked for an ambulance to meet us. At 6:01 PM we started CPR. The EMT's met us at the dock and took him to the emergency room. The code 500 team did all they could but were not able to convince his heart to beat normally again. Doug died while doing what he loved. He was with his friends and he passed very quickly without suffering. The last week of his life was as good as a person could hope for. Curmudgeon's comment: Services for Doug Vann, e are planned for Friday, Aug. 13, 4:30 p.m., at Hawaii Yacht Club, in lieu of the usual races. AUCKLAND UPDATE (Reprinted with permission from DEFENCE 2000, which is available for US $48 per year from John@roake.gen.nz) * Paul Cayard grudgingly confesses that he still has to find another US$8million to finalise needed funds for his budget. A total funding in all of US$32 million (NZ$61.5 million). And Cayard freely admits he hates the job, 'begging for funds' as he calls it, but the realities are that he is now on the phone hour after hour, day after day, 'dialing for dollars.' * Australia's Youth Challenge for the America's Cup, Rob Brown, triple 18 foot skiff world champion and member of the victorious Australia II team has been appointed Coach and Project Manager for the Young Australia 2000 syndicate. PERSONAL NOTE Lowell North -- I've misplaced your email address and would appreciate it if you'd send it to me again. I have a message for you. IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME If the gear you wear during the summer doesn't breath, you're going to be one miserable puppy. Alex Camet is a world class sailor and he understands that fully. That's why he's so pleased with his company's new neo-thermal top that allows sailors (and others too) can wear breathable Neoprene close to the skin. As a result, trapped vapors (like sweat) disappear quickly -- almost magically. As a result, racing sailors can now be more comfortable than was ever possible before. To learn more about the amazing new Camet neo-thermal top: http://www.camet.com FINALLY -- SOME GOOD NEWS A new study says you can fight heart disease, stave off cancer, and boost your immune system by indulging in one of life's great (but often guilty) pleasures. It's chocolate. Preferably dark chocolate. Dutch researchers report in the current edition of The Lancet that chocolate contains more antioxidants than tea, which has been widely reported as protective against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and possibly immune disorders. It turns out that chocolate has even more catechins -- antioxidants that are actually called tea flavonoids -- than tea itself. Only problem is, you'd have to eat an awful lot of chocolate to equal what you'd get in, say, a liter of tea. Try a kilo of chocolate. Of course, for some people that wouldn't present much of a problem. -- Julia McNamee Neenan, HealthSCOUT For the full story: http://www.healthscout.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Af.woa?ap=43&id=64714 NEW LAUNCHING Another new Snipe sailor entered the Annapolis Fleet on July 30, 1999 at 7:15 PM. Eleanor Frances Pline is the latest lightweight crew of Snipe sailors Lisa Pline and Alex Pline weighing in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. This Snipe family is now completely up to speed attempting to hit all the shifts on the first beat. Pictures of the entire Fleet can be found at: http://snipe.org/pline/ ("FGPO"). THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. |
