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SCUTTLEBUTT 1225 - December 23, 2002Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news ofmajor significance; 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. IT'S OVER Facing elimination today, the Seattle Yacht Club's OneWorld Challenge couldn't hold on to a 200-metre lead halfway through the race, and fell to Oracle BMW Racing who won the race to sweep the series, 4-0. (Following the America's Cup Arbitration Panel decision of 9th December 2002, OneWorld Challenge would have had its first point deducted.) After losing eight consecutive races to USA-76, it had looked as though this would be OneWorld's day. Helmsman James Spithill didn't hesitate at all on the start, hitting the line right at the gun just one day after being called back for starting prematurely. Trailing by nearly one minute at the start of the second run, Oracle BMW Racing split off to the right side of the course, and found increased pressure that never reached OneWorld. Dickson's squad made the pass on that leg, and covered OneWorld the rest of the way for the win. With the loss, OneWorld is eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup. Oracle BMW Racing, representing San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club now advance to the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals, where they will meet the Alinghi Challenge, from the Switzerland's Société Nautique de Genève. On January 6th the teams will declare what boat they use for the Finals. January 7th is unveiling day and Race One of the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals is scheduled for January 11th. - Louis Vuitton Cup website WEEKEND RACE RESULTS: Oracle BMW Racing defeated OneWorld Challenge by 3 seconds Oracle BMW Racing defeated OneWorld Challenge by 55 seconds Oracle BMW Racing defeated OneWorld Challenge by 1 minute, 4 seconds Full stories: http://www.louisvuittoncup.yahoo.com/ THE BEAT GOES ON December 21 - The off-water mudslinging has continued at the America's Cup after documents damaging to billionaire Larry Ellison's syndicate Oracle BMW Racing were circulated anonymously to the media. The documents, delivered to the Herald yesterday but which have not been verified, are intended to suggest Oracle have broken the America's Cup rules by purchasing design information for two cup boats bought after the 2000 campaign. That is strictly banned by the cup protocol, and the San Francisco syndicate was told that in an America's Cup Arbitration Panel ruling delivered in October last year. It is not known who distributed the documents, which do not appear to be complete. An Oracle lawyer last night dismissed the validity of the documents, and spokeswoman Joanna Ingley said the material was clearly part of a smear campaign, and was dirty tactics. "That's really sad. It's obvious there's no validity to them or it would have certainly gone to the Arbitration Panel." - NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/sportsstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3048297&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup&thesecondsubsection=challengers * Seattle's OneWorld Challenge said Sunday it would not ask the America's Cup Arbitration Panel to investigate alleged rule infractions by San Francisco's Oracle racing team. OneWorld had asked its lawyers to examine documents which appeared to show Oracle obtained prohibited design data when it bought assets belonging to 2000 Cup challengers AmericaOne. After speaking with Oracle attorney Douglas D. Smith on Sunday, OneWorld chief executive Gary Wright decided the case would not be pursued. - AP, as posted on the Fox Sports website, full story: http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=821698 HOLIDAY GREETINGS! From our worldwide family of Ullman Sails Sailmakers to all Scuttlebutt readers, we wish to send our fondest wishes to you and your families for a joyous Holiday Season and a very Happy and Safe New Year. We sincerely appreciated your interest in the Ullman Sails group during this past year, and look forward to including more of you in our performance oriented programs for 2003. Sail Loft locations can be found at: http://www.ullmansails.com NEWS BRIEFS * Volvo Event Management UK was given an unusually large Christmas Gift - the female mould used to build the Abloy boats. The gift is intended to facilitate the development of the platform for the next Volvo Ocean Race. The female mould is made of 8 mm solid carbon fiber by Green Marine Ltd in Lymington, UK. It took 5000 man hours to build it and the building cost was 300,000 USD. "The mould is a solid construction and can be used to build lots of more boats in a cost efficient way," comments Geoff Stock, Managing Director at Green Marine Ltd. * The giant trimaran Geronimo has been fully provisioned and is now ready to leave for skipper Olivier de Kersauson's seventh attempt at the Round the World Record. The crewmembers are now waiting impatiently for the fair weather window they need to set off in pursuit of the Jules Verne Trophy. Setting off at the beginning of winter gives Geronimo the option of completing half the course and returning to Brest for another attempt if weather conditions are unsuitable. www.grandsrecords.com * 75-year-old Syd Fischer has been awarded the prestigious Australian Ocean Racer of the Year award for his contribution to the sport. Fischer also saw his "crew boss", Tony Ellis, named as the Ocean Racing Crewperson of the Year. For the first time, the Ocean Racer of the Year awards have given posthumous recognition to a yachtsman - Sydney yachtsman Ashley Reed who died at sea during the Sydney - Mooloolaba Race earlier this year. - www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=3613 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) (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 Daron Townson: Reading through Scuttlebutt 1224 I can't help but feel amused by some of the observations of what has been going on in the past few days with the AC. The expressions of righteous indignation that teams (Including my beloved TNZ) should be seeking loopholes in the rules to gain an advantage on the track do seem a little misplaced in my opinion at this level of competition. I can't think of many sports in which, at the premier level at least, such loopholes are not exploited to within an inch of what might be legal. Agreed this "Appendage" development (If real) offers us, the amateur sailor and boat owner, little ongoing benefit for our own boats but let us please remember that these guys are not doing this for humanitarian reasons or to better the development of sailing as a whole; they are out there to win. Can I suggest that we all sit back, take a pinch of salt and enjoy the rest of the racing whilst happily musing on what on earth might happen next? * From Matt White: The idea's expressed in Brendan Dobroth's description of how the "clip-on" could be designed are interesting, but unfortunately, illegal. One of the primary issues in the design of this appendage is that it may not flex and touch the hull because of forces applied under sailing conditions. Confidential Interpretation #5 goes to the heart of this issue. From Ken McAlpine: "...If an appendage was designed to deflect to touch the hull whilst racing it would contravene Rule 16 and Rule 19.11 as a flexible contrivance. Any contact between an appendage (including any fairing strips) and the hull outside the "hollows permitted" area would contravene Rule 16. If an appendage was designed to be close to the hull outside the "hollows permitted" area, the measurer shall be satisfied that there can be no contact of the appendage, including any fairing strip and hull at any time whilst racing." Part of the problem may be solvable by sizing the clip-on so that the trailing edges are above the water line. I'm not sure about the design of the leading edge, though. * From Tim Robinson: Just to keep all the AC complaints in perspective, we cannot forget this event is the pro's of sailing, and it does captivate all of us, sailor and non-sailor alike. Period. There may be turn-offs for some of us, and yes, the AC does have some image problems among non-sailors. But these are little different than when an East Coast sports fan can't get excited about a Super Bowl among Midwest or West Coast teams, or any sports fan gets tired of hearing about bargaining agreements and salary caps and owners telling coaches how to run their teams. The complaining (and constructive criticism!) we generate is no different than listening to any sports talk radio station, in fact it's a lot more pleasant. Maybe the right people in the AC world will recognize this event can't be run by a competitor, needs to continue to aspire to more professional and independent administration, and will attack the myriad of issues being discussed here and in the AC world. Perhaps that will quell the many pointed remarks by active and armchair sailors, and non-sailors, over the last few months. But when this does happen, and it will, don't tell me we won't find ourselves complaining about bargaining agreements and salary caps and owners telling coaches how to run their teams. It is just a sport, after all, but clearly one that many, many people all over the world think is pretty cool. * From Alex Pline: Two comments on the Brou Ha Ha surrounding the AC: 1. The behavior is a classic example of human nature which can be summed up by the trite, but true perversion of the Golden Rule: "Those with the gold make the rules" and the corollary "Those who don't have the gold, want the gold". It's all about power, pure and simple (on all levels). 2. Nonetheless, it does make for good drama, the AC version of "Days of Our Lives". I say take it for what it's worth and bring it on, the more the better! It's certainly more compelling than watching the sailing... * From Angus Macaulay (edited to our 250-word limit): While a considerable about of time and energy is spent on design in the America's Cup, the latest innovation from the Kiwi's is yet another reminder that the design efforts are, for the most part, relevant only to the design parameters of this particular class of boat and have no relevance or "trickle down" for the rest of us. I know all the manufacturers get a great testing environment for incremental improvements, but the rules do and will continue to limit true break through innovations that impact a broader aspect of the sport. Want to find an event that is a true test bed for products as well as for design evolutions, just scoll down further in today's issue of Scuttlebutt and you have the Around Alone race in Open Class sailboats. In addition to all of the manufacturers using this race as an ongoing test bed (think of electronics, onboard communications, autopilots, sails, etc.) also think of the other larger design ideas brought out in this class of boat and being put to the test: simplified systems to handle the boat shorthanded, canting keels, water ballast, and general design: plumb bow, broad stern. Finally, take a look at the production boats being produced today, both racing and cruising. They have more in common with the boats that have raced in the single-handed races over the past decade than the boats that have competed in the America's Cup. * From Chris McCaffrey (re the LVC semifinals): All I can say is " Cover, Cover, Cover!" * From George St. George (re the LVC semifinals): Who was it that first said, "We have met the enemy, and it is us?" Pity - Craig McCaw, Paul Allen, Laurie Davidson, Bruce Nelson and Phil Kaiko deserved much better. However, it was refreshing to see that at least one of the semifinalists understood the importance of staying between 'the man and the hoop.' * From Mark Mills (In response to assertions that big multihulls could offer a cheaper option for the Volvo, or an open rule a cheaper Americas Cup): The cost issue is not one of design or engineering, its one of human nature. If the Volvo were run in bathtubs there would be a syndicate with millions to spend to make it the fastest. In reality the VO60 (or the next 70) represents fairly tried and familiar design and engineering territory which keeps things fairly reasonable - what happens when the level of intensity of the last Volvo gets applied to larger, more complex and less thoroughly researched structures like maxi multihulls? The sky is the limit costwise. I can't guess the cost of an 80' cats sail program if done to an Illbruck level of detail. One design fleets met the same problem: when the boat and its sail inventory were limited as in the Mumm 36 fleet, some owners went and bought two boats to have a larger pool of sails. It's human nature which drives the costs of these things, and in line with common sense, the larger and more complex the boat the more expensive it gets. * From Joel Stiebel: I was sorry to read that Stanley Rosenfeld is ailing. It is a particularly cruel trick of fate that someone with such great aesthetic vision should be robbed by macular degeneration. As a racing sailor I have always liked his work for conveying the pleasure of the sport we love. I am impressed by his work's majesty, capture of movement, display of invisible wind power, and just shear beauty. The best photography makes it look far easier than it--almost impossibly--is. Among my most prized possessions are two yachting photographs by his father, Morris Rosenfeld. What I really wish for is one of Stanley's great photographs of two twelve-meters crossing tacks in the America's Cup. This past summer I visited the Mystic Seaport with a fellow sailor to see the Rosenfeld Collection. We spent some glorious time marveling at the images from their laser discs on the video monitor and the all-too-few prints on display in the restaurant. (They really should have more and especially some of the larger prints on display.) I am pleased to let him know of the appreciation this fan--one out of countless others--has for him and his matchless work. FULL REPORT - ARBITRATION PANEL Seattle's OneWorld Challenge was not disqualified from the America's Cup this month because an Arbitration Panel couldn't clearly establish that it used rivals' secret designs. The Panel, which released its full report Sunday into OneWorld, accepted OneWorld's own evidence that it possessed prohibited design information - more than it had revealed at a previous hearing - but said while it couldn't "exclude" use of that data it couldn't prove it. On Dec. 9, the Panel penalized OneWorld a point in each of the remaining rounds of the Cup when it found one its designers, Ian Mitchell, possessed and later destroyed secret design data belonging to Team New Zealand. The detailed ruling of the Panel emphasized that in imposing penalty it acted on evidence of possession submitted by OneWorld itself. It treated possession as a lesser offense than use which, it said, would have carried the automatic penalty of disqualification. Steve McMorran, AP, as posted on the Fox Sports website, full story: http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=821702 SPECIAL DELIVERY Santa's Holiday Gifts traveling at 186,282 miles per second! At that speed you can order at noon on Christmas Eve or 12:01 Christmas Day, the gifts will get to the recipient in seconds. No cutting and pasting a picture from an old catalog. We generate your own personalized gift certificate page with customized graphics for you to print or e-mail to your cherished family or friends. We are also shipping gifts via overnight frieght on Monday, December 23rd for Christmas Eve delivery guaranteed. Happy Holidays from all of us here at the SailingProShop. http://www.sailingproshop.com/giftcert.htm IT NEVER ENDS A sophisticated radar system has created the latest spying stir in the America's Cup. OneWorld wants to use a scrambling beam to "cloak" their boat from a secret high-tech device on Oracle. The arch-rival syndicates of billionaires Larry Ellison and Craig McCaw are racing each other on the Hauraki Gulf, but McCaw's OneWorld team are worried Ellison's crew might be seeing too much. They think Oracle's radar system may have been developed using military know-how. Skipper Chris Dickson said last night that the boat had a number of pieces of equipment, "and we don't discuss what they do". "We are fully aware of the rules and we are clear we are 100 per cent within them." Two other teams have joined OneWorld in asking the international jury to check whether Oracle's radar system is within the rules. The jury was meeting last night. Alinghi could not be contacted last night, but Team New Zealand said they had not made inquiries to the jury. * Oracle BMW has taken the game a technological step further than the white radar on the stern of their boat, by testing "heads-up display units". The BMW units are a wireless connection to instruments. Crew get readouts using their sunglasses and a pull-down screen. - Julie Ash, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3048419&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup AND THEN THERE WERE ELEVEN The Southern Ocean is dishing up its usual dose of difficult conditions and they are taking their toll on the 12-boat Around Alone fleet after 8 days of racing from Cape Town, South Africa on their way to Tauranga, NZL. John Dennis, Canadian skipper of Open 50 Bayer Ascensia, announced this morning that he was turning back for Cape Town. "I have diverted and I am now heading to Cape Town as the bearings on the shaft for the alternator and ballast pump have ceased," he wrote in a brief email to Race HQ. "I feel that it is unsafe to proceed if I am not able to charge batteries or pump water ballast. Once I get to port I will decide then what the best course of action might be." Race rules require the yachts to be sailed between each port for the competitor to remain an official entrant. Standings 2200 UTC December 22, 2002 CLASS 1:: 1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm, 4761 miles from finish; 2. Solidaires, Thierry Dubois, 148 miles behind leader; 3. Hexagon, Graham Dalton, 366 mbl. CLASS 2: 1. Tommy Hilfiger, Brad Van Liew, 5362 miles from finish; 2. Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield; 309 ml: 3. Everest Horizontal, Tim Kent, 349 mbl. - www.aroundalone.com CLIPPER 2002 Simon Rowell and the crew of Jersey Clipper won Race 3 of Clipper 2002. After seven days of racing from Havana to Panama, the top six boats were separated by just a bit over two hours: 1. Jersey Clipper 13:18 GMT; 2 London Clipper 13:26; 3. Glasgow Clipper 14:07; 4. Liverpool Clipper 14:16; 5. Bristol Clipper 15:22; 6. Hong Kong Clipper 15:23. - www.clipper-ventures.com THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS You know the honeymoon is pretty much over when you start to go out with the boys on Wednesday nights, and so does she. |
