|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 974 - December 28, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major 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.
SERIOUS CARNAGE - Sydney to Hobart Race She launched off a giant wave into the air and came crashing down. She suffered major structural damage and began taking water rapidly. The crew dropped all sails to slow the boat and staunched the flow, by stuffing slabs of foam bunk cushions into the cracks in the hull. 'It was like hitting concrete' said Langman. 'We were doing everything we could to slow the boat but we came off a giant wave and pancaked.' Langman reports that the inward water flow has now slowed sufficiently that he has withdrawn the Pan Pan and the boat is proceeding slowly under motor to Eden. - Rob Kothe, Sail-world website, www.sail-world.com/sydneytohobart/ * SEB is right now manoeuvring under emergency rudder and has retired from leg three. She retires due to losing her main rudder on route to Hobart from Sydney. SEB is now sailing doubling back to mainland Australia for necessary repairs. The boat is sound and all crew are safe and well. It was during the night to Friday that the main rudder's bottom rudder bearing went to pieces. As a result, the rudder broke away from the hull and became unattached. The crew managed to salvage the rudder before it went to pieces and installed the emergency rudder. Due to the rudder damages, Team SEB retires from leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race. The boat is now on course for Eden, NSW, on the southeast coast of Australia to carry out necessary repairs before sailing or transporting the boat to Auckland, New Zealand. "We are now organizing our shore crew to carry out the necessary repairs and getting the boat to full racing shape in good time for leg 4 out of Auckland" says Pelle Norberg, Managing Director for the syndicate company running Team SEB. - www.teamseb.com * Amer Sports Too was under bare poles in the middle of the Bass Strait as crew worked to save the mast after failure of a strop in the headstay. The failure was at the eye end of the stay at deck level. Skipper Lisa McDonald and crew have rigged a jury forestay. McDonald said tonight that the yacht was not in danger. The crew had considered returning the 110 nautical miles to Eden in NSW, to make repairs, but had decided to continue to Hobart, which is 310 nautical miles away, where shore crew are waiting with a replacement strop. Amer Sports Too was in a moderate seaway in about 20 knots of wind. - www.VolvoOceanRace.org * A pressurized part of the water ballast system on Amer Sports One exploded and almost drowned Pete Pendleton plus one of the navigation computers. Water was spraying everywhere and suddenly we were badly wounded. Pete and Pepe Ribez got very busy starting the repair work as we found ourselves and all other boats becalmed under a cloud of smoke from the bushfires. We did not dare to take out the ballast water on port side, but when new breeze filled from southwest we had to drop it all. We were on starboard tack where we still could fill water. An hour later, when a scary waterspout approached, ripping off the surface of the ocean with 60 knots of furious winds, we blew out jib number 3 while taking it down. As the spout passed and turned the wind into southeast we had to tack to port again. But now we had no water ballast and had to nurse the boat under three reefs and storm jib as the wind was still 35 knots. - Roger Nilson, www.VolvoOceanRace.org * The captain of Nicorette spoke last night of the moment he thought he might die, when a water spout hit the race leaders on Wednesday. Ludde Ingvall, one of the most experienced sailors in the fleet, said: "I really feared for my life. It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen. "I saw it coming and tried to out-run it. It looked like it was going behind us, but then it turned and got us. I was looking up a tunnel of water and could feel my jacket riding up my back." The water spout rained hailstones the size of golf balls down on Nicorette, shredding its new mainsail. The Swedish 79-footer lost the lead and dropped down to ninth after the incident. - Bob Ross, The Telegraph, UK, sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
SYDNEY TO HOBART RACE REPORT The boats were averaging about 2-3 knots in light winds. Mr Mainsbridge said with no breeze forecast till 10 o'clock tomorrow morning the first yachts probably won't arrive before midday. He says with only eight miles separating the first five yachts it's anyone's race. - Kate Leonard, official race website. s2h.tas.gov.au/2001/home.php
VOLVO OCEAN RACE REPORT The fleet now sails under spinnaker in less than 10 knots of northeasterly breeze, 36 miles away from Cape Sonnerat. The light wind will remain all the way to Hobart's finish line, now 130 miles away. POSITIONS at December 28 at 0350 GMT: 1. Illbruck, 1642 miles from finish; 2. News Corp, 1 mile behind leader; 3. Team Tyco, 1 mbl; 4. Assa Abloy, 4 mbl; 5. djuice, 9 mbl; 6. Amer Sports one, 13 mbl; 7. Amer Sports Too, 88 mbl 8. Team SEB, Retired. - www.volvooceanrace.com
EQUIPLITE SPECTRA CONNECTORS
OOPS The Race Committee advised Tyco of its action at the 2100 "sked" (position report) tonight with the Sydney Hobart fleet. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia introduced the mandatory-reporting-from-Green Cape rule as an additional safety requirement following the tragic 1998 Sydney Hobart Race. In a statement issued tonight, the Race Committee said it had met to consider the situation regarding Tyco's report in accordance with Sailing Instruction 43, when crossing latitude 37 degrees 15 minutes South (Green Cape). In accordance with the Sailing Instructions, Tyco shall be record as DNF (did not finish) and will not feature in the 57th CYCA Sydney Hobart Race placings, the Race Committee stated. The Volvo 60 yachts are eligible for Line Honors in the Sydney Hobart Race and a special Volvo Trophy, but not for any Handicap results. - Sydney-Hobart website, s2h.tas.gov.au/2001/news/newsitem.php?newsID=142&period=day2
REDRESS The press officer for Team Tyco, Elsa Butler says the protest has been officially filed with the race committee, and will be heard at sea on the way to Auckland by an international jury. Ms Butler says the while the crew couldn't make the call in the required seven minute time frame, they did check in shortly after. "They believe they were within the intent and spirit of the rule, and safety is always paramount with the crew. They felt they conducted themselves in a seamanship mannerÉthey were in an all hands on deck situation when they reached Green Cape" - www.teamtyco.com/teamtyco/index.jsp
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Blake Middleton (re: the GUEST EDITORIAL by Julie Hahnke on Rule 2, Fair Sailing): Nicely said! In addition to Julie's plea to racers and protest committees, I add another constructive suggestion for racers and those who act as role models for them. Much of our sportsmanship behavior is obviously based on what we observe and learn from others, especially as youths. We need to have ALL skippers, crews, parents, sailing instructors, junior and high school or college coaches set better examples. Step up to the plate and do the right thing. Don't sit back and watch bad examples happen again and again! If you tolerate lousy behavior, we all lose. The people in the sport that I respect the most, are those who -win or lose- sail competitively while sharing their joy of the sport and respect for their fellow sailors. If you win a race or event without following the guidelines in Rule 2 and/or through your display of poor sportsmanship, I won't be clapping at the awards ceremony, and I won't be looking forward to racing with or against you again. * From Peter Godfrey: The problem is not pumping, ooching and rocking; the problem is RRS 42. If kinetic movement makes the boat go faster, use it. Scrap RRS 42. It is unenforceable nonsense, as the 'Butt debate proves. Who of us has not pumped, ooched and rocked our boat to the mooring or dock when the wind has died? It works! If kinetics are the only way to move the boat, then wait 'til the wind comes up before starting the race, or call the race if the wind has died. * From Tim Kent (edited to our 250-word limit): In Milwaukee we have a once-a-year solution to impenetrable rules and lack of participation. Our Third Annual Louie's Thirst Last Regatta had 54 entrants (typical Saturday PHRF races have 27) and raised over $18,000 for Children's Hospital of Milwaukee. It is overwhelmingly the most popular race of the year, in part because of the interesting set of "rules" that we have written for the race and the unique awards. First place gets their name inscribed on the Louie's Cup and a quarter barrel of Louie's Demise Ale. Second gets two quarter barrels; third gets three quarter barrels. We all know that everyone wants to come in first - everyone in this regatta does. Each boat is entered in it's own "division"; therefore every boat wins its division, therefore every boat gets a first place flag. Would I like every regatta that I participate in to be governed this way? Of course not. But we get every sailboat that's still in the water - cruisers and racers alike - on the first weekend of October to race in lousy conditions (20+ knots, low forties and waves). For many of the participants, this is their only race of the year. We accomplish an awful lot with this race; sail in October, meet our non-racing counterparts and they us, have a wingding of a party, and raise money for a really great cause. The only really important rule is the last one on our SI's; "Remember, this race is for fun".
GAME OVER?
THE KEELS WERE DIFFERENT BUT THE CLOTH WAS THE SAME
THE PREZ SAYS First we have the response from those areas who have a historical sailing structure with their resident "Sea Lawyers" and "Racing Rule Gurus". They see no reason for any simplified explanation of the complexity of the Racing Rules saying that all sailors should read the rules and go to lectures to explain them usually with their "ISAF Appeals Book" firmly tucked under their arm. It should be pointed out that before an entry level sailor can do so they must go to a linguistic expert to translate them from any normal language into "Sailing Speak". The second group are those who are so thankful that the International Sailing Federation would address the challenges they face to promote the sport to those who dream of sailing and wish to participate. Clearly stating, in 10 simple points, the basic rules for racing sailboats greatly supports these enthusiasts. The complimentary letters from China and India more than offset the negatives. I gave a talk at a "Community Dinghy Sailing Club" in Toronto two weeks ago and during the question period an entry level sailor stood up and openly thanked the initiative and succinctly said: "This proves that ISAF does care about the local sailor not just the Olympics and the America's Cup." As I look forward (since sailing has no reverse gear) it is important that ISAF must continue to face the challenges to ensure that our beautiful sport becomes "inclusive" not "exclusive" and that the sailors who did not have the opportunity we had will be welcomed as equal members of the multi-faceted "Sailing Fraternity" hopefully as competitors. - Paul Henderson, Old Finn Sailor (and President of the International Sailing Federation)
IMAGES
29ER WORLDS Tomorrow, 29 December 2001, 52 and 51 boats will line up on 2 separate courses to start the first 4 of 12 qualification races Winds are expected to be fresh 18-20 knot N-E so racing will be fast and exciting. The 29er web site will try to keep you posted with mark roundings and positions: www.29er.org
QUOTES FROM THE BOATS
TITANIC R.M.S. Titanic Inc. argued in court papers that it might be forced out of business entirely if it must abide by restrictions imposed by federal judges in Norfolk. The company wants to sell more than 1,000 small, unidentifiable pieces from the Titanic to collectors. It also wants to sell an entire traveling exhibit of about 300 artifacts to an Irish museum. The remaining artifacts would be sold to a nonprofit foundation. It's impossible to know how much the collection is worth. For accounting purposes, R.M.S. Titanic values the artifacts at $12.7 million, but that is only the cost of salvage. The artifacts surely would bring tens of millions of dollars at auction or sale. - SailNet website Full story: www.sailnet.com
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
