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SCUTTLEBUTT 1615 - June 30, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest 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. IS IT A SAILING BOAT OR A SAILING PLANE? American glider pilots call their aircraft sailplanes, emphasizing the close affinity between sailing boats and wind powered aircraft. Now the links have moved closer as an Australian defence scientist has created the design for a revolutionary sailing craft, based on a wing-borne hydrofoil concept which he believes will break the world sailing speed record. Stephen Bourn, a mathematical scientist with the Australia's Adelaide-based Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO), claims his design will allow the sailing craft to travel at more than twice the speed of the wind in which it is sailing. Bourn explains, 'I decided to take a fresh look at the principles of sailing and the absolute limits to performance. What I came up with was a design that results in a much higher maximum speed. With sufficient wind and speed the hull will lift completely clear of the water surface, the craft will fly, leaving only the submerged hydrofoil struts cutting the surface. The air-borne hull means much lower drag. The relative positioning of the wing, hull and hydrofoil is inherently stable and there is no risk of capsize as sail force increases, unlike conventional craft. This allows a much higher power-to-weight ratio, and combined with lower drag, the result is much higher maximum speed.' Bourn believes the new design has the potential to shatter the full range of performance expectations set by conventional yachts, skiffs, catamarans, sailboards and kites, and to challenge the outright speed record. The initial design is for a sail-craft with an eight-meter wingspan. The craft will fly at a maximum speed exceeding 30 knots whenever the wind exceeds 15 knots. It will sail upwind and downwind faster than the wind. 'We have proved the new design concept on a number of radio-controlled models. We've also undertaken thorough analysis and computer simulation and are now seeking sponsorship to construct a full size craft,' Bourn stated. - Excerpts from a story by Rob Kothe on the Sail-World website. Full story and a photo: http://www.sail-world.com/ STRICTLY FOR THE BIG GUYS Charlie Barr's will have stood for 100 years but it will be seriously challenged next year. In 1905, Barr raced the renowned 185' schooner Atlantic eastbound in the "Great Ocean Race," setting a monohull transatlantic racing record of 12 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 19 seconds. The Rolex Transatlantic Challenge 2005, organized by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) with the cooperation of the Royal Yacht Squadron, is recognized by the World Sailing Speed Record Council as the only event in which a new monohull transatlantic racing record for yachts unassisted by powered winches can be posted. Boats with a length on deck of 70 feet (21.34m) or longer are allowed to enter. The Rolex Transatlantic fleet, expected to number 20-30 boats, will carry out pre-race preparations at Pier 86 in New York City. Previously announced as intending to enter the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge are such magnificent yachts as the 140' Mari-Cha IV, which last October set the west to east transatlantic passage record of six days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds; the 94' Sumurun, which finished first in her class the last time this race was run in 1997 (Sumurun's owner A. Robert Towbin is the current chairman of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge Committee); the 136' Ranger, a re-creation of the J-Class yacht that won the 1937 America's Cup; and the 230' Stad Amsterdam, a tall ship chartered by members of the Storm Trysail Club. Among other expected entrants are the 73' (22.3m) Bolero, the 81' (24.7m) Carrera, the 134' (41m) Destination Fox Harb'r, the 89.9' (27.4m) Genuine Risk, the 90' (27.4m) Leopard, the 75' (27.4m) Palawan, the 131' (40m) Sariyah, the 116.3' (35.4m) Whisper and the 140' (43m) Whirlaway. The Challenge will feature two finishes: one at Lizard Point, a rocky headland in Cornwall at the southwestern tip of Britain. The first-to-finish times will be taken at that "gate" to determine if any boats have bettered Atlantic's record. If so, the fastest yacht will receive the Commodore Elbridge T. Gerry Cup. The fastest yacht in the Classic Division to break the record will receive the Atlantic Challenge Cup. The fleet will then continue racing another 142 nautical miles to a finish at The Needles, the distinctive outcrop of rocks at the westernmost tip of the Isle of Wight. - Media Pro Int'l, www.nyyc.org/index.cfm?menu=12 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar WHETHER YOU'RE OUT ON THE WATER OR ... having a drink at the bar, you need to be in Mount Gay Rum gear. Check out the upcoming Mount Gay Rum sponsored regattas at www.mountgay.com. See the over 100 regattas where you'll need to be wearing Mount Gay Rum gear - jackets, polos, fleece items and more. Discounts offered on Mount Gay Rum Crew Gear -12 pc. min. order. Mention that you read this ad on Scuttlebutt when you contact Zuse at 800-840-9335 or click on the Mount Gay Rum icon on http://www.zuse.com THE AFTERGUARD (The Daily Sail caught up with BMW Oracle Racing helmsman Gavin Brady to find out about progress within Larry Ellison's team. Here's an excerpt.) Key to the success of the afterguard says Brady is that they are not only among the best in the world in their jobs, but they must cohese as a unit and get on. It is no coincidence that Brady has sailed extensively before with both (John) Kostecki and (Chris) Dickson. "In the America's Cup we spend 20-30% of our time on the water and the rest of the time we are on airplanes, in meetings, dinners ... so it really becomes a family and if everyone is enjoying it and enjoying being around each other then ultimately it will be a better team at the end of the day." Clearly some lessons have been learned here following their last campaign. Brady says that this policy will extend to the different areas of the boat - the trimmers, the pitmen and the bow. Obviously with a large afterguard of such strong-minded and talented individuals there is always the possibility of disagreements on the water. This says Brady is one of the reasons why practice will help. "It can get like that, but at the end of the day we know what the roles are and as time goes on the strength of the afterguard will be that things will get more natural in our play book. There's a number of different ways to skin a cat out there but it's important that we know what we like to do in each situation. That can also change as you develop your yacht. - The Daily Sail, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2p4rl REPEAT PERFORMANCE? The UBS Trophy Rhode Island gave Newport its first taste of racing in current America's Cup boats in more than two decades. Any chance of a repeat before the 2007 races in Valencia, Spain? The answer is somewhere between slim and none. And slim just left town. Actually "slim" is the word used by Ernesto Bertarelli, the billionaire head of Team Alinghi, when asked about the possibility of another UBS Trophy-type event in Rhode Island waters before the 32nd America's Cup.Bertarelli acknowledged the possibility of another stateside event. "But crossing the Atlantic with two boats, plus all the equipment and crew, is not a cheap proposal," he said. Yes, even the very rich have spending caps. "If we have sponsorship, we might do it," Bertarelli said. "We're in discussion for next year. There is a lot of demand for this event." But regarding a return to Newport, why preach to the choir? - Rick McGowan, Newport Daily News, full story: www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2004/06/29/news/news1.txt DOWN UNDER The (Australian) OzBoyz Challenge for the America's Cup held an information night in Sydney last Thursday evening. Details of the challenge will not be released until funding for the planned $58M two-boat challenge is secured. The deadline is December 17 when a deposit of 1 million Euros has to be paid to AC Management otherwise a substantial late penalty is applied. So far four founding partners have come on board, Satchi and Satchi, Seek.com.au, Sumo and JLM Recruitment. A professional marketing agency has been engaged to find sponsors, targeting global companies and Australian companies wanting to expand into the European market. According to syndicate head Sebastien Destremau the OzBoyz Challenge have a good chance of reaching the quarter finals in the Louis Vuitton Cup. BMW Oracle, Team New Zealand and Prada are the teams with past experience and the rest will be starting out on par with the OzBoyz. Everything hinges on getting sufficient sponsorship by December 17 to mount a challenge. Only then will the yacht club be announced and a designer appointed. Currently four yacht clubs are in negotiations with OzBoyz and designers are already testing radical new designs. Sponsors, supporters and key crew members will also be announced at this time with the rest of the crew selections taking place in 2005. If sufficient sponsorship is not achieved by December 17, then Australia will not be represented at the next America's Cup unless another challenger comes forward. - Kathy McKenzie, Editor, Boating OZ, www.boatingoz.com.au/newsframes.htm IT STARTED WITH JOHN KOSTECKI Sailing World put him in their Hall of Fame. We developed our lens technology with him. We put Kaenon Polarized on Kostecki's eyes, on illbruck, around the world…took the pounding…endured the test…and outperformed. Like Kostecki, the SR-91 lens by Kaenon Polarized, is like no other. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. Available at TeamOne, APS, Vanguard, Island Sports, East of Maui, Boat Locker, FT Brown's, Boat House, Sailing Supply, Svendsen's, Seattle Sunglass Company, Fisheries Supply, Alain Mikli NYC, Paragon NYC, Crook & Crook, Melges Boatworks, Sunglass and Optical Warehouse, Lombardi's, Sport Chalet, Cabela's and Boater's World. http://www.kaenon.com WEST MARINE PACIFIC CUP The first of the smaller competitors crossed the start line of the 13th Biennial West Marine Pacific Cup in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge Monday. Another nine, sailed double-handed entries started earlier Tuesday followed by eight fully-crewed yachts. Over fifty will have set sail for Kaneohe by Friday in the biennial race to Hawaii. The staggered starts reflect the vast difference in yacht sizes and hope to bring the bulk of the fleet into Kaneohe between July 9, and 16. Tutto Bene, a Beneteau 38s5 from Vallejo leads the first day of the West Marine Pacific Cup, the 2070 mile race from San Francisco Bay to Kaneohe Bay. Skipper Jack Vetter and his four man crew are credited with both the overall and Division B lead for the race. Bravo, a Pretorian 35 from San Francisco is the leader in Division A. - Ann McDougall, www.pacificcup.org. IBM VICTORIA TO MAUI YACHT RACE At roll call Tuesday, the Vic-Maui fleet reported light conditions. There have been some changes in boat positions, and crews are watching the weather as nobody wants to get caught in the windless Pacific High they are all skirting. The fleet is still heading south. The boats are all trying to judge when to begin their turns towards Hawaii. While some have taken a very close course to the high-pressure zone, the more-easterly placed yachts have been sailing in better wind today. In Division 1, Gary Schoenrock's Cassiopeia moved into first place, while Larry Clark's Antares is the Division 2 leader and Jack Shannon's Swan 46 Tranquillite is not only the leader in Division 3, but leads the entire fleet on corrected time - Peter Bennett, www.vicmaui.org/2004 NEWS BRIEFS * Subject to World Sailing Speed Record Council ratification, there is a new record for the "Transatlantic West to East, singlehanded female" - Ellen MacArthur, "Castorama B&Q," 22.9m Trimaran, 7 days 3 hours 49 minutes 57 seconds, 17.09 kts. The existing record is held by Florence Arthaud in a time of 9 days 22 hours 5 minutes. - John Reed, Secretary to the WSSR Council * Sea Cliff YC, NY - For the first time in the history of US Sailing's U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, a pair of siblings won the event. TJ and Jerry Tullo, from Staten Island, NY, and representing Toms River YC in NJ, were presented with the Arthur J. Stevens Trophy. By winning the event, the brothers have qualified to represent the USA at the 2005 ISAF Youth World Championship to be held in South Korea. In second place were Jack Field and Tyler Burd representing Ram Island YC in West Mystic, CT. www.ussailing.org/multihull/youth.htm *As expected by many, Bermuda won the Optimist Team Racing Championship, followed the USA-3 team. USA-1 finished third with Japan taking fourth place. www.optiworld.org/2004namteam.pdf * The Manhasset Bay Challenge Cup, the oldest annual sailing event in the United States, will be hosted by Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA in Sonars during the weekend of September 11-12. Since 1902, the Challenge Cup has been won by 26 different clubs from places such as New York, Chicago, Marblehead, and Bermuda. The event is open to a single representative from any number of challenging clubs. More information is available at the Eastern YC web site. - http://www.eycrc.org/mbcc.htm * The organizers of the Maine Boats and Harbors Show have issued a call for entries for this year's World Championship Boatyard Dog Trials to be held Sunday, August 15, at 10:30 A.M., in Rockland's Harbor Park. Dogs and handlers will perform feats of derring-do that could include running a dockside obstacle course, leaping into the water from a dock to retrieve a stick and jumping in and out of a tippy boat. Contestants will also be asked to perform a free style event of their choosing. Entry deadline is June 30th. For additional information: http://www.maineboats.com./boatshow/bydtrials.shtm SAMSON PROFILE: VIC - MAUI There is lots of great racing this summer including the bi-annual 2,308 nautical mile Vic - Maui. Voodoo Child, Brian Duchin's J-130 is professionally rigged by Chris Tutmark of Tutmark Rigging, Seattle. Chris used WarpSpeed and Validator SK. Chris calls Samson his "Line of Choice." http://www.samsonrope.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (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 Bill Tripp: Olin Stephens, after such a distinguished career as a yacht designer, must relish his newer career as yachting's Mark Twain. His clear thinking on Racing Rules is one for the ages. * From Laurie Fullerton: I was fortunate to be in Newport, R.I. last week covering the UBS-regatta and along with the accessibility and excitement of the event there were certain images that seem drawn from a time before ours. Newport's mystical hold on the America's Cup was felt throughout the week, from a spectator fleet made up of beautifully restored 1920s power yachts to the 12-meters circling the IACC boats in a prideful dance. The radio commentary gave it an old-world feel and one wondered - is it the 1930s and is that T.O.M. Sopwith at the helm of the J-boat Endeavour? With the breaking news that Russell Coutts may leave Alinghi, the end of an era feeling affected the mood but also allowed us to experience it through images in a way only Newport can. During a lay day, Alinghi sailors took some journalists aboard en route to meet the J-boat Endeavor for a photo op and they perked up when Endeavour circled Alinghi under full sail - trying to coax her into a match race. Their challenger was three-time America's Cup helmsman Russell Coutts at the wheel - smiling from ear to ear at his mates - before he turned the J-boat towards the open water of Narragansett Bay. * From Mike Stevens: Heard this morning on NPR "the only tickets that are sold out for this Olympics are the swimming finals and all Sailing events". This partly reflects the smaller number available but does also indicate avid support, obliviously exceeding the organizers expectations. Please could we see some on broadcast TV, what about Kayaking and Rowing, surely more popular than archery say, or ribbon twirling ? * From Michael H. Koster: In response to Mr. Messer's comments regarding better prepped boats sailing by him in PHRF races, I would suggest that Mr. Messer get involved with his local Race Committee and/or orgainizing authority and set up races for the boats that are not optimally prepped. You do not need a PHRF committee to do this. Consider the PHRF handicap as a benchmark, and do what you want with it from there. Have racing based on sail age, bottom paint untouched, boat age, average crew age, golf handicaps, reefed mains, crew weight limits and minimum 3 months without cleaning bottom. The possibilities are endless. The other option is to find clubs with less experienced racers who are working their way up the racing learning curve. From my observations, these 'newbies' tend to have boats that are not optimally prepped. * From Chris Upton: Many have written to complain about how trophies can be purchased by expensive preparation and professional crews. How do you handicap year old sails when one competitor was out from April to November and the other only raced during summer vacation? Are "the boys" better at fairing the bottom than the local shop? Is one team better than the other? Lets not hurt the industry and suppliers by banning or penalizing professional preparation. Not everyone has the time to wet sand with their kids. As much as PHRF is not the venue for a full pro team, you should also choose a program you can afford in terms of time, preparation and, yes, money. * John C. Wade: After almost 60 years of sailing there is one thing I have learned: If you have the fastest boat in the fleet, and go the wrong way, your going the wrong way faster than anyone else. These folks that claim they can't win because they can't afford the latest gear and preparation are only fooling themselves. They are assuming that they always sail a perfect race, both in boat speed and tactics, and its only the other guy's money that beats them. I dare say that if Mr. Complainer swapped boats with a really good sailor with great boat prep and sails, he'd still loose * From Jervis Tilly: Two boats on port approach the middle of a set of leeward gate marks that are pretty square to the breeze and racetrack. The marks are less than four boat lengths apart. Initially there are no hails between the boats but it becomes increasingly clear that each boat is giving the other room for the opposite mark! That is (looking downwind), the right-hand boat wants to go around the left-hand mark and the visa versa. They are both inside two boat lengths on both marks and clearly "about to round". The leeward boat (righty) now calls the left boat "up" and off they go around the left hand mark. This is not where the left boat wanted to go. The logic used was windward boat keeps clear but was that correct? What if the boats had been on opposite gybes?" * From Jason Owens: I couldn't help but to think of all of the "Letter's to the Curmudgeon" about air time devoted to sailing, as I sat at a sports bar watching in utter disbelief the Dart Championships. Darts on TV, what's the world coming to? Talk about a waste of air time. If an ad sales rep can sell airtime for the Dart Championships during prime time, it seems as if that individual would have a field day getting ad dollars from companies like Rolex and LV. THE CURMUDGEON'S OXYMORON Butt head |
