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SCUTTLEBUTT 1948 -- October 19, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.FOR THE RECORD * Macquarie Innovation, a Star Wars-like craft and Aussie determination are being combined for a crack at sailing's Outright Speed Record and the elusive 50 knot mark. Victorian sailors Tim Daddo and Simon McKeon, along with designer Lindsay Cunningham, will be hoping for favorable conditions at Sandy Point, near Wilsons Promontory, in Victoria, to break the record before their December 16 deadline. Melbourne based Ronstan is providing the research and development, as well as equipment, to ensure the attempt reaches its fullest potential. Daddo says it is difficult to describe the look of the hi-tech Macquarie Innovation that will be used in the bid to beat the world record of 48.70 knots achieved by nominee for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Finian Mayard (IVB) back in April. 'Loosely speaking, Macquarie Innovation looks like a camera tripod that has been squashed down and little floats put on the arms with an airplane wing plonked on top,' Daddo said. 'We sit out on a pod to sail it. It's certainly nothing like your standard yacht. The hardest part is getting it up to speed and stopping it.' Technically speaking, Macquarie Innovation is an asymmetric trimaran that is powered by a solid aerofoil rig measuring about 7.5m high and 3.4m wide. Macquarie Innovation's design team is confident the 50 knot mark can be broken after extensive testing using computer simulations at the Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania. All up, a team of 14 will be on hand at the Sandy Point base for the world record attempt. 'Full scale testing has been performed at Sandy Point with some stunning results with peak speeds recorded in excess of 47 knots. The team believes strongly that it is just a matter of time before the world record is returned to Australian shores and that they will have the very significant honour of being the first sailing craft in the world to surpass 50 knots,' the team says on its website. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j17Fh0uq2 Macquarie Innovation's website: http://www.macquarie.com.au/speedsailing.htm * After a long stay in Polynesia since the 8 August, the Capgemini - Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo is getting ready to take to sea again to head for San Diego, USA. From there skipper Olivier De Kersauson (FRA) will begin his attempt at Bruno Peyron's (FRA) eight year old Transpacific record of 5 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds. After setting a new record time for the voyage between Sydney and Papeete, Geronimo has been the object of a complete check up to ensure she is ready for the Transpacific crossing from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Apart from routine maintenance work, such as changing the running rigging and cleaning off the hull, the canted mast anchoring points have been renewed. Since last year, Geronimo has become the only maxi multihull with a canted mast. This technology based on that used aboard 60 foot multihulls, which is intended to improve the boat's performance, does however put great strain on the equipment. This work proved to be quite tricky, as it had to be done from inside, requiring the upper surface of the floaters to be opened up to enable the crew to work on the internal structure of the hull. The operation went perfectly well, and De Kersauson's trimaran is due to set sail from Polynesian waters in the coming days to head for San Diego, which she should reach in a fortnight or so. Once there, she will take advantage of the facilities on Shelter Island, which were set up specifically for the 1995 America's Cup. While the exact departure time has not yet been fixed, it has already been announced that some North American sailors will be joining Geronimo's French crew proving on the 5 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds set by Peyron on Explorer in July 1997. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6~Fh0uqB BUTTERWORTH PROMOTED Ernesto Bertarelli, head of the Alinghi syndicate, nominated his vice-president and tactician, Brad Butterworth, to be the skipper of Alinghi at the base opening on Saturday. Brad was modest in his acceptance: "It is a great honour to be put in a position where he [Ernesto Bertarelli] gives me this sort of trust." The New Zealander is on his sixth America's Cup campaign and has won three, the last with Alinghi. He races as tactician and forms the core of the Swiss America's Cup Defense. For Alinghi, 'skipper' is a title rather than an active role, as Brad explains: "It won't make any difference to the way we sail the boat, everyone has their area and their responsibilities, but I guess it will be a little bit different for me as it makes me responsible for the boat as a whole. I will be thinking about doing my job well onboard and continuing on as we have in the past." "Off the boat, it doesn't really change much either. As you get older, you wind up with the most experience and so I guess that is where I am at. Really, once Russell [Coutts] left I took over some leadership of the team and I am happy in that position and comfortable to carry it on, especially with the strong group we have." -- www.alinghi.com SAVE $$$ AND BOOST YOUR MILES PER GUST It may be chilly outside but fall is the hottest time of the year to save a bundle and boost your boat's mpg (miles per gust). From carbon/aramid membrane sails to asymmetricals to laminate and woven panelled sails to one design and cruising sails, now is the time to check in with your local Doyle loft. Don't get caught in a "line at the pump" in the spring. Top up your tank today with Doyle! Call us at 1-800-94 DOYLE; http://www.doylesails.com/ DYNASTY Hamilton Bermuda -- Sally Barkow successfully defended her ISAF World Match Racing Championship -- defeating Betsy Alison 3-0 in the finals in light and fluky conditions. "We had some aggressive racing in the pre-start today and then received two penalties," Barkow said. "It is so easy to make a mistake in match racing, but we made very few mistakes in our overall sailing. I have a team with great instincts when it comes to calling the breeze and I think that was critical to our results." Sailing with Barkow in J/24s on Hamilton Harbour were Debbie Capozzi, Carrie Howe and Annie Lush. Earlier in the year, Barkow, Howe and Capozzi also won the Yngling World Championship on Lake Mondsee, Austria. Both Alison and Barkow have qualified to compete in the knockout round robin series of The Investor Guaranty presentation of The King Edward VII Gold Cup starting Thursday when Barkow faces Chris Dickson and Alison meets Gavin Brady. "I think Chris Dickson should be a little nervous about Sally," Alison said. "And, Gavin Brady, well, I just don't know." In the petite finals of the 2005 Virtual Spectator ISAF Women's Worlds Match Racing Championship, Claire Leroy of France dominating Danish sailor Nina Braestrup, 2-0. -- www.vssailing.com ROUND THE WORLD After a 3500 mile transatlantic crossing, westernaustralia.com has taken the lead back from Liverpool 08 by winning leg one of the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race. It was a close battle for first place with Liverpool 08 coming in just one hour and 24 minutes after the Australians and taking second place - pipping the Cardiff Clipper by just three minutes. This transatlantic race took 20 days in total, in which westernaustralia.com have held the lead for the past seven days. The yachts leave for the second leg on 25th October in the race for Durban, where they will face the challenge of the southern Atlantic weather systems followed by the treacherous seas around the Cape of Good Hope. The yachts will visit 12 international ports - including Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Western Australia), Singapore, Qingdao (China), Victoria (Canada) and New York (US) - before finally returning to Liverpool in July 2006. -- www.clipper-ventures.com EXTREME SAILING The number of Olympians among the ranks of the Volvo Extreme 40 multihull class was bolstered today with the announcement that a boat skippered by Carolijn Brouwer, former Volvo Ocean Race yachtswoman, has joined the entry list. TornadoSport, the class management, has provided the boat for Holland's Brouwer, who will compete under the Volvo Ocean Race banner. Brouwer sailed in the last Volvo Ocean Race onboard the all-woman entry Amer Sports Too and since then has competed at the Olympic Games in Athens before teaming up with Olympic silver medallist Sebastien Godefroid from Belgium to embark on an Olympic Tornado campaign. Each of the three boats that have been announced so far will have Olympic sailors competing onboard. Sailing on Conrad Humphreys' Motorola-CHR is Leigh McMillan from Great Britain, who competed in the Tornado class in Athens, along with fellow countryman and Olympic Tornado sailor Will Howden. Lining up against them on Team Holmatro, will be double Olympic medallist Mitch Booth, who will be competing with his Olympic team mate and triple world champion Herbert Dercksen The Volvo Extreme 40 class will race in five stopover ports; Sanxenxo (ESP), Rio de Janeiro (BRA), Baltimore/Annapolis (US), Portsmouth (UK) and Rotterdam (NED), and have been introduced to the Volvo Ocean Race to add spectacle to the entertainment package for stopover crowds. Five Volvo Extreme 40's will be due in Sanxenxo from the 4 November with racing taking place in the bay from the 6-10 November. To date there are entries from Team Holmatro, Motorola-CHR and Team Volvo Ocean Race. The announcement of two further boats will be made shortly. Full details can be found at www.volvoextreme40.org DON'T GET COLD FEET This fall, the Figawi Foul Weather Boot from Sperry Top-Sider® is ready for whatever Mother Nature sends your way. These fully insulated, knee-high boots feature seam-sealed waterproof construction and toggle closures to keep your feet warm and dry. Sperry Top-Sider's signature non-marking Super-Tack™ rubber outsoles with Quadro-Grip Wave-Siping™ keep you firmly planted on both wet and dry surfaces. And, their contoured EVA midsoles help absorb pounding waves, keeping you and your feet comfortable for hours on end. Available in charcoal grey with yellow accents, the Figawi Foul Weather Boot has a suggested retail price of $149.95. Additional information: http://www.sperrytopsider.com/Style.asp?code=1174 NEWS BRIEFS * Jim Teeters has joined US Sailing as Associate Offshore Director, bringing a strong capability in yacht design and offshore rating rules. He has 24 years of experience as a yacht designer, which he gained while working for Sparkman & Stephens and Langan Design. He understands the inner workings of rating rules through a decade of membership on the IMS International Technical Committee and has long been known as the "brains" behind the Americap rule. US Sailing's Offshore Department is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the offshore racing rating systems active in the U.S. which IRC, IMS, Americap and MORC. -- www.ussailing.org * Big -- More than two hundred pre-entries have been received for the 17th Hobie Cat 16 World Championships in the Nelson Mandela Bay of Port Elizabeth in South-Africa. These teams represent 28 countries, of which 10 are European. The regatta starts on Tuesday October 25th with the Women, Youth, Master and Grand Master series. The competition takes three days until Thursday October 27th, and then the three day Open Qualifier begins. The top 112 teams will go to the Semi-Finals from October 31st until November 2nd. The best 56 competitors sail the Finals on the last two days. -- www.hobieworlds.com * The Melbourne (Volvo Ocean Race) team, skippered by Grant Wharington, is still awaiting the arrival of their yacht in Zeebrugge, Belgium, where it will be rigged and checked before departing for Spain. The cash-strapped outfit has already warned it may only be able to complete the first leg to Cape Town, starting on 12 November. -- Stuart Alexander, The Independent, http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article320507.ece * Yves Blevec on Point Marriage and Corentin Douguet E Leclerc-Bouygues Telecom out to the west, have increased their lead on the second leg of the Mini Transat. Douguet is now 31 miles ahead with Alex Pella on Open Sea/Team Work now in third. By keeping in maximum pressure overnight, and by staying on a similar line to Blevec, Isabelle Joschke on a 1999 Cape design (Degremont) has taken five places. She's now up to fourth place but needs to keep a close eye on Adrien Hardy on Brossard who's now less than a mile ahead but further out east. -- Yachting World, full story: http://tinyurl.com/cjgd5 CHARLESTON RACE WEEK - PRESENTED BY SEABROOK ISLAND Scheduled for April 6-9, 2006, Charleston Race Week is perfectly placed if you're traveling north after Miami, or if you decide to make it your first regatta of the spring season. Free storage for trailered boats, free dockage for first 50 entries. Southern hospitality and great racing! 843-722-1030 or http://www.charlestonraceweek.com 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 neither 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. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Alex Pline: I have only one thing to say about boats like Alfa Romeo-2 using engine power instead of human: who cares? What bearing do boats like this have on 99.9 percent of the worlds sailing population other than as a an obscene spectacle, although a cool one to watch, I have to admit! * From Glenn Selvin, West Coast VP, U.S. Finn class: As I believe someone else mentioned, yes, the Finn class allows unlimited pumping when the Q flat is raised in winds over 12 knots. Many of the dinghy classes are going this route, as pumping is a natural transgression when conditions make pumping beneficial. While club racing Finns outside of major regattas, however, we're often yell at by race committee volunteers for pumping. A quick look at the Finn class rules clears up any misunderstanding, with people often shaking their heads as we start going pump, pump, pump on the downwind legs. * From Alun James (In answer to Frank Sticovich.): In NZ, getting sponsorship for anything is an uphill battle. That Grant Dalton has secured Emirates is significant enough of their faith in him as a good steward of their dollars. As principle sponsor, maybe they would like their team to win. Ergo, they will go with whatever strategies are available and advised by the management team that will "make the boat go faster". This wouldn't be the first tactic that more traditional types have raised an eyebrow at. Also, NZ is a relatively new destination for Emirates. It strikes me that as principle sponsor of the winning team they may have a vision for a healthy revenue stream when you all come down here to try and take it off us again when we win. * From Barbara Thoney: The comments made by Frank Sticovich are disturbing on so many levels it's hard address them all. Let it suffice to say that sponsors want the maximum result for their money. Handing over millions of dollars to anyone requires a level of trust and accountability. Does anyone think for a second that these sponsors don't believe that Grant Dalton knows what it will take for his team to be at their top level of performance? No one who is not directly involved can even begin to understand the complexities of any major program's sponsorship relationships. And anyone involved in a major program knows the level of commitment it takes to even be in the running, let alone win. The logistics, the stress on families, the constant training and technical work all come into play. It's not opening a beer and enjoying a fun day of competition on the water. It's a job and not an easy one at that. * From Dave Culp (Re John Rumsey's comments of commercial ship routes): It is a common misconception that modern ships cannot benefit from sail power. First, for many traditional shipping routes--Los Angeles/Honolulu; West Coast/Panama; Hawaii/Guam & Indonesia; Singapore/Hong Kong; New York/London; Gibralter/Florida & Panama; Florida/New York, Buenos Aires/New York; even Cape Town/Florida & New York--the great circle route fairly closely coincides with the old tradewind routes. That is, the winds are favorable for much of the route. And the return? The kite can sit on deck, fully containerized--or be re-routed to a different ship, embarking on a favorable course. Second, ships are learning that avoiding head winds (and storms) has a marketable benefit, even in a 100% powered world. For many routes (in addition to the above), mariners using sophisticated weather tracking and routing software are saving 5%, even as much as 8% of both fuel AND time, by deviating from strict great circle routing and following the wind--and that's sailing weather, folks. If we can reduce fuel consumption even 20-30%, the world's shipping will save millions of barrels--and billions of Dollars/Euros. Third, when companies such as KiteShip run cost/benefit scenarios, we use worst-cast scenarios, not best-case ones. Face it, shippers are conservative, bottom-line businessmen. If I can't make a case for a net cost savings, given a completely random wind direction and perfectly typical velocities, how do you suppose I can get their attention? It's one of the "little secrets" of kites, over masted sails, that this approach is cost efficient in the real world, today. * From Chris Ericksen: At the risk of veering from a thread that is probably due to be killed anyway, the suggestion made tongue-in-cheek by John Rumsey in 'Butt 1947 that "a small atomic power plant would be a much more effective solution (than auxiliary sail power for merchant ships)" was tried--and did not pan out. Authorized by the United States Congress as part of the "Atoms for Peace" program, N/S Savannah, a nuclear-powered passenger freighter, was launched in 1959 and commissioned in 1964. Displacing almost 16,000 tons, the ship was nearly 600 feet long and made 21 knots. A combination of public fear of nuclear power worldwide, high manning requirements demanded by the US Atomic Energy Commission and other factors made her economically unviable, and she was laid up in 1971 when government operational subsidies were cancelled. Moored for a time in her namesake city of Savannah, Georgia, as a floating maritime museum, she now lies in the Chesapeake as part of the James River Reserve Fleet. Savannah was named to honor the first ever steam-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic in 1819. Interestingly enough, that Savannah, as were most oceangoing, powered merchant vessels of the Nineteenth Century, relied on a combination of steam and sail--not unlike the suggestions being discussed in this thread. * From Juliet Smith: Just a correction, from the Mother of the J 24 World Champion, Anthony Kotoun...... Kotoun is racing with Bill Hardesty and fellow J 24 crewmate, Chuck Norris. Both hail from Newport, Rhode Island. Not San Diego, as reported by the King Edward Gold Cup news release. * From From Rodger Martin (In reply to Alan Andrews' letter): WTF-* are all these acronyms? We like FCBs* and FOFBoAKs** as well as RMHs***, MB****s and all kinds of Bs*****. *Wot The Fook *Fast Cruising Boats **Flat Out Fast Boats of All Kinds ***Ripping MultiHulls ****Motor Boats *****Boats CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS I envy people who drink. At least they have something to blame everything on. -- Oscar Levant |
