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SCUTTLEBUTT 1786 - March 2, 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. END OF AN ERA Auckland, NZ - Over the years, at least seven America's Cup yachts - including KZ 7, New Zealand's plastic fantastic - and ocean-going battlers such as Kingfisher for British solo sailing star Ellen McArthur, two Grant Dalton Whitbread entrants and many cruising boats took shape at Marten's Auckland yards. With the boom brought on by New Zealand's America's Cup reign, it looked like Marten was in a dream position in a dream industry. The dream ended this month when Marten Yachts collapsed. The voluntary liquidation of his company has come at a time when the marine export industry is struggling after years of tremendous growth. Two main factors are raised as the reason for the slump: the rise and rise of the Kiwi dollar, which this week hit 73.05USc, the highest level since it floated in March 1985; and the loss of the Auld Mug to Alinghi in 2003. In the past year, exports have dropped, companies have laid off staff, and the industry has been through a major overhaul, leading to the redundancy of one of the men who led it through the heady days. Documents relating to Marten Yachts' could just as easily tell the story of the industry as a whole. "The liquidators have been advised that the business had begun to experience trading and cash-flow difficulties as a result of the generally depressed state of the industry," says the liquidators' first report. "In addition, the strengthened New Zealand dollar has made the purchase price of yachts produced by the company much more expensive to foreign purchasers, thus precluding desired new contracts from being signed." In the weeks leading up to the February 10 collapse, Marten tried to seal a contract for a large boat to keep the company afloat. But the efforts were in vain and the company was left with liabilities of $6 million, almost $2 million more than assets, as assessed at the time of the liquidation. Three yachts were under construction, including one for German businessman and sailing enthusiast Michael Illbruck, and discussions are underway with the owners. Experts predict more companies will close as the industry adapts. By the Marine Industry Association's reckoning, many companies were close to dire straits - with dangerously low numbers of orders - in the six to 12 months after the loss of the Cup. - Excerpts of a story by Eugene Bingham in the NZ Herald. Full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=10112676 EXPERIENCE AND VERSATILITY "The quality of the boat is crucial, for any additional speed is always an advantage, but the really essential aspect is a good human team which can optimize their potential" says Telefónica MoviStar's Pedro Campos. "In fact, my first decision during the project development phase was to choose the Volvo Ocean Race team leader and skipper. I chose Bouwe Bekking because I think he meets all the requirements: excellent sailor, with extended experience in races around the world, good partner, responsible, hard working and knowledgeable about Spanish racing and racers, as he has been sailing in Spain for quite some time". Campos and Bekking have the responsibility of choosing each and every one of the crewmembers that will race around the world on Telefónica MoviStar. "The new boat will demand an extra effort from the crew, and we need people who have done the job before", Bekking explains. A good crew is not enough to face the Volvo Ocean Race - 31,250-mile race around the world, with legs up to 7,000 miles under the hardest sailing conditions. The Telefónica MoviStar project managers have prepared their list of candidates based on experience, adaptability and talent. "That's why we have sought experienced sailors," says Campos. "The result is a crew combining the experience of several members who have already won a Round the World Race, mixed with a clutch of World Champions and Olympic medal winners". Apart from Bouwe Bekking (skipper), Pedro Campos (inshore helmsman) and Iker Martínez (offshore helmsman), the list of professional sailors onboard the boat is completed with well-known names in international racing such as Pepe Ribes, Chris Nicholson, Xabi Fernández, Andrew Cape and Stu Bannatyne. - Full story, www.volvooceanrace.com/pages/news/news118.htm BACKING OFF THE THROTTLE Thirty six hours after the chance encounter with a sea creature, the maxi-catamaran Orange II's mid term objective is to benefit from a transition zone with light winds, between the current depression and the Saint Helena High, to work on the damaged rudder. In the meantime Bruno Peyron's men are under orders not to reach too great a speed so as to avoid working the rudder to its maximum. Bruno Peyron's lead of over eight days on Steve Fossett's outright record is enabling them to deal with this unfortunate damage intelligently. In less than two days, above the latitude of Rio, Orange II is likely to cross an unsettled zone between the current depression pushing them northwards and the famous trade winds from the Saint Helena high. These few hours of respite will enable the onboard composite specialists to dive down and make a kind of carbon bandage around the rudder's open wound. As a result, the end of the round the world is not in question and they are still on course with the record. At 0140 GMT on Wednesday Orange II had covered 21055 nm at an average speed of 23.9 knots. Having sailed 540 nm in the previous 24 hours Orange II is now 3024 ahead of the absolute record held by Cheyenne with 4944 nm to go. - www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER Ichi Ban tore up the race course outside Sydney Heads to win both races on Day 1 of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds. No boat has ever won two races in the same day of a Farr 40 Worlds, but Matt Allen and his Aussie team used a combination of good speed and solid tactics to post a perfect score at the front of the 28-boat fleet. In second place after two races is another Aussie boat, Evolution. Having dominated recent regattas in the build-up to the Worlds, Richard Perini's crew had a torrid time of the Pre-Worlds last week and sat out the final day of racing. To outside observers, it appeared they had fallen out of form at just the wrong moment, but Perini and his team laid those ghosts to rest. Paul Cayard's advice for his crew on Warpath was, "Don't hit any boats, don't hit any marks, and don't get any alphabet." By alphabet he meant to avoid notching up any of those nasty three-letter acronyms on the scoreboard, such as the dreaded DSQ for disqualification. Young skipper Steve Howe duly listened to his tactician's advice and steered Warpath to scores of 10-3, placing the American boat in 3rd overall at this early stage of the regatta. German boat Morning Glory enjoyed a solid day after an indifferent showing at the Pre-Worlds. Hasso Plattner, with Russell Coutts as tactician, steered his yacht to 9-6 finishes, placing him 4th overall on the leaderboard. North Americans in the top 20 include Jim Richardson is in 12th place with 22 points, Philippe Kahn is in 16th (24 pts) and John Thompson in 17th (34 pts). - Complete standings: www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/f40w_ps.pdf THESE RULES WEREN'T MADE FOR BREAKING The Protest Room is the wrong place to learn the racing rules, especially when it's so easy to learn them on-line. Go to http://www.uksailmakers.com , click on Rules Quiz and you'll get the animated action many have described as the clearest presentation of rules they've ever seen. All kinds of situations develop as you watch, accompanied by the applicable rules. 17 situations, some covering multiple rules, are already posted; new quizzes are added regularly. If you've visited before, go back: in addition to new quizzes, you'll be surprised at the upgrades. Try it now…before a competitor throws you out. ORYX QUEST 2005 Since Wednesday morning, Geronimo has been making for more sheltered waters east of Tasmania as new indications of forward crossbeam delaminating appeared overnight, but not in the same areas that were repaired in Perth. The sea state made it impossible for the Capgemini and Schneider Electric crew to locate the problem accurately in the constant racket created by heavy seas. Olivier de Kersauson therefore took the decision to take a closer look straight away before attacking the South Pacific. The skipper will decide whether or not to continue his circumnavigation once he has had time to find out more about the nature and extent of these new problems. - http://www.sail-world.com/ The leading yachts in the Oryx Quest 2005 are currently transiting the loneliest part of a lonely planet. They are in the deep south thumping downwind toward Cape Horn, about as far away from any land you can get while still being on earth. Other than the ocean floor a few miles below their razor sharp hulls, the closest land for Doha 2006 is more than 2,000 miles away. Standings: Doha 2006, 12,325 miles to finish, 2. Cheyenne, 1279 miles to leader, 3. Deadalus, 1723 mtl, 4. Geranimo, 3659 mtl. - www.oryxquest.com/ ORYX QUEST 2005 SIDEBAR The rush of water out the back doesn't stop. The noise below decks is relentless and doesn't stop. The motion of the boat varies very little. Basically it feels like we are on a ferry bound for the Horn. 25 knots has become such a common number that it is ... I hate to say it, boring. Yesterday we ticked off 603 miles without trying very hard. We have moved into 'supercruise' mode where the aim is to go fast but err on the side of caution. Sailing this way does become boring and boredom is something that has to be dealt with like all the other emotions and conditions of long haul sailing. To pretend it doesn't exist is like pretending you don't get cold or wet. It comes with the territory I'm afraid. Most endurance sports have to deal with boredom. Those who do it best accept it as one of the hurdles to cross to achieve the final goal. Something upon which their focus doesn't waiver. Nonetheless it is always good to bring along little 'treats' for the brain such as books, music, diaries or games. I brought a couple of books which are currently doing the rounds and an IPOD for this trip. The book's a cracker and leads to a lot of conversation. It's called 'A brief history of everything'. Trouble is that I've read it now but I can sure pass the time boring the hell out of other people with mind numbing facts. - Excerpts from a story posted on The Daily Sail subscription website by Doha 2006 crewman, Paul Larsen, www.thedailysail.com NEWS BRIEFS * Two days after the start of Leg 4 in Sydney Harbor, the 12-boat Global Challenge fleet is now headed south towards Tasmania in 20-25 knots of breeze. The next stop in this 'wrong way' round the world race is Cape Town in South Africa - some 40 days away. Barclays Adventurer and BP Explorer are side by side with Imagine It Done close astern. Me to You blew up their spinnaker on Tuesday and VAIO also reported some kite damage. However the kites won't be missed for a while as the fleet heads for the Southern Ocean.- www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/ * All was well on board Steve Fossett's Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, despite problems in the first hours of the flight with the Global Positioning System. Steve is happy and alert, and Mission Control have estimated that he could possibly land at midday on Thursday. There's a slick website for those who want to track this solo, non-stop attempt at a round the world record in a single engine airplane. The flight position data updates every minute while the maps update every five minutes. www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/MissionControl/Tracking/ * North Sails is partnering with expert meteorologist Chris Bedford of Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts for Acura Miami Race Week 2005 from March 10-13. Detailed forecasts will be emailed to subscribers each morning by 0730 local time. Visit North Sails' online weather center to sign up: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf * The full Challenger Commission proposal for the America's Cup Challenger Selection Series -- the so-called San Fran Plan -- is also now posted online: www.tfehman.com/CC_Dox/CSSSFFINAL.doc * 515 boats from 34 nations have already entered the 36th edition of the ISAF Grade 2 Trofeo Princessa Sofia in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, March 19-25. The Laser is the class has the highest number of entries (69) followed by the Europe men (52) and then the 49er, Dragon and 470 M classes (48). The different classes participating in the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia will sail in six racing areas distributed in the Bay of Palma. The IMS cruiser event, the second event of the Spanish Championship, will be held from April 29 to May 1. www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/ * The Seaman's Church Institute will name the library of the Institute's building on Market Square in Newport RI after long time supporter and sailing luminary Henry H. "Harry" Anderson Jr. It will provide a comfortable setting for mariners where they can read books and periodicals on marine topics and gain access to the Internet through computer stations and WiFi. Currently, Anderson is spearheading the Seaman's Church Institute's capital campaign, which hopes to raise $2.5 million for improvements to the Institute's building. The campaign has already netted $800,000 and Phase I renovations have recently been completed. * Long time Cruising World editor Jeremy McGeary has been promoted from associate editor to senior editor, and David W. Shaw and Dieter Loibner join Cruising World as associate editors. McGeary will now head the magazine's Hands-On Sailor technical section, covering navigation, seamanship, auxiliaries, systems and maintenance. David Shaw has written several works of narrative nonfiction including Flying Cloud, The Sea Shall Embrace Them, Sea Wolf of the Confederacy and America's Victory. With a Ph.D. in journalism, Dieter Loibner is Cruising World's new boat-review editor and will help run the annual Boat of the Year contest. * A number of the America's Cup challengers are concerned that the size and location of the proposed Super Yacht "T" pier may significantly impede and endanger operations from many of the team bases. - AC Challenger Commission, full story: http://tinyurl.com/575mc * The Beneteau First 235 now has a website to communicate helpful tips, tuning information, photos and a forum: http://www.beneteau235.com * The South African America's Cup Team Shosholoza opened its new sailing and training center in Cape Town at the weekend. The base in Cape Town's V&A Waterfront will serve as the control center for the first African team. - www.sachallenge.com/site/ THE SNOWBALL KEEPS ON GROWING… The latest tally has even shocked us. The demand for Sailing Pro Shop products has skyrocketed over the past six months due in no small part to the Dryshirt™ and new DryGuard. Specials on Gill gear including the breathable Key West jacket and trousers combination* at 25% off, Virtual Skipper 3 at 40% off, and selected Gill closeout items at up to 60% off have made the first two months one for the record books at SPS. Order for your team or individually from us or one of our authorized dealers: Call 800-354-7245 (562-594-8749 outside USA) or http://www.sailingproshop.com/scuttlebutt3.htm 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 John Harwood-Bee (edited to our 250-word limit): To answer Mr Bourdow more precisely, Steve Fossett holds the current absolute RTW record having traveled some 20 miles further and significantly faster than the Jules Verne course. It is my understanding that Steve Fossett offered to pay the Jules Verne organization the standard fee paid by other challengers for the Trophy. It appears that for some strange reason, for first time challengers as he would have been, the fee is approximately trebled. Fossett declined to pay that exorbitant charge whilst still offering to pay the standard fee. This was rejected by the organizers. Fossett set sail from a point some ten miles further away from the JV start point at Le Stiff and proceeded to smash the absolute RTW record. Geronimo, who had followed Fossett's Cheyenne some days later, failed to beat Fossett's new RTW record, but did better the previous JV time. At this point it would have been sensible for the JV organization to have kept the trophy to be awarded to the next vessel to beat the record and which had paid the fee. They, mistakenly in my opinion, awarded it to 'Geronimo' for what was only a second best time thereby destroying the integrity of the Jules Verne trophy and its standing as the trophy for the fastest circumnavigation. The JV can now be won by any boat beating Geronimo's time - provided they have paid the fee. * From Ian Smith, UK: I'd just like to add my voice to those who salute Bruce Schwab's incredible achievement in the Vendee, which I feel deserves a lot more recognition than he's getting. Yes, he's 22 days off the lead; but he's just set the all-time US record for a solo, non-stop circumnavigation, which puts him at the pinnacle of American sailing as far as I'm concerned. So Bruce finished 9th, but let's put this in perspective, relative to the drastic improvements in finishing time in recent years -- as recently as two editions of the Vendee ago, in 1997, Bruce's 109-day voyage would have earned him the silver medal. And all this with an incredibly minimal budget, the barest set of sails, etc. -- it's rather like making the 9th-fastest ascent of Everest -- with a wooden leg. So my question is -- what could he have done with full sponsorship? Way to go Bruce! And let's hope he finally gets the support he deserves for his next campaign, so that he can put the USA firmly on the ocean sailing map. * From Charlie Clifton: "Failure to see" is the crux of this matter. Some fail to see that the COLREGS requires all vessels to keep a proper 360° lookout at all times. Some fail to see that the basis for a proper lookout is a person awake and on watch using his/her full faculties and senses including sight and hearing. Electronic aids are ancillary to a human lookout. Some fail to see anomalies inherent with electronics, particularly radar which sometimes allow seagulls to be seen on the water while at other times a 60 foot fishing boat is undetected. Some fail to see why one mariner would feel something less than admiration for another mariner sailing over the seas at high speeds while asleep. I could care less if someone wants to go kill herself but some fail to see why I take issue with them trying to kill me.Some heap accolades on their heroes but fail to see the victims such as the "Lady Olive Marie", left behind wounded in their wakes. * From Lyn Silva: Caroline Blake will be missed here in Hawaii. She was awarded the 'Yachtswoman of the Year' here last year in recognition of her dedication and giving to our sport. * From George Edmonds: I am happy to report that the Wianno Senior fleet, which began racing in Nantucket Sound in 1914, is still going strong. Today's fleet is a combination of wooden and fiberglass boats. Last summer we had 25 boats racing in our championship series, the "Scudder Cup", which takes place over three weekends at three different yacht clubs. One quarter of the boats racing were wooden. In 2004 six new fiberglass boats were built and six more have been purchased for this coming summer. The boat is gaff rigged, 25' long, with the boom extending about 2 feet over the transom. To learn more about Wianno Seniors, go to our web site: www.wiannosenior.org/ CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but simply must check when you say the paint is wet? |
