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SCUTTLEBUTT 1363 - July 2, 2003Powered 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. TRANSPAC The starting gun fired punctually at 1 p.m. Tuesday for the first of three starts in the 42nd Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii . . . and nothing happened. On a warm, sunny day, with a breeze of only 2 knots and an opposing current of 1 1/2 knots, the first 25 of 58 boats were left sailing in place. Three minutes later Palo Alto's Stan and Sally Honey, veterans of many Transpacs sailing their Cal 40, Illusion, were the first to nurse their boat across the line. They were followed six minutes later by William Boyd's Beneteau 47.7, Beautiful Day, from San Diego, at the pin end of the line, a couple of lengths in front of Robert Rice's Tripp 40, There and Back Again, from Long Beach. After 45 minutes Kirby Coryell and Neil Weinberg, sailing Beach Music from Lafayette, Calif., doublehanded, willed their red Tayana 52 across to complete the exercise in agony. The group consisted of 10 Cal 40s, 11 Aloha class boats in four racing Division 5 boats. Divisions 3 and 4 will start Friday, the Fourth of July, followed by the largest and faster Division 1 and 2 boats Sunday. Starbuck, a Black Soo 31 entered by Greg Nelsen of Piedmont, Calif. withdrew Monday, leaving the total fleet count at 58, still the largest in 18 years. Daily position reports, news summaries, photos will be posted at http://www.transpacificyc.org CAL 40 RENASSAINCE Among the first starters in the Transpac is a one-design fleet of Cal 40's, the first time ever that a class start has been provided for the biennial event. As this year is the 40th anniversary of the class, competitor Wendy Siegal thought it would be a fitting tribute to round up as many Cal 40s as possible for what is hailed as the first affordable production offshore racing sailboat. Siegal lives aboard her boat in Long Beach. She has team T-shirts noting: "The Trailing Edge of Technology!" But in 1963 the Cal 40 was ahead of its time. Although perceived by many as too light and radical in design, Cal 40s won the '65, '67 and '69 Transpacs on overall corrected handicap time. Illusion is the favorite in the class. Its crew is legend. Besides Stan Honey's 17 Hawaii races, including Transpac, crew and wife Sally has done four, Skip Allan has twenty-four and Jon Andron has seen thirteen. Allan was the race's overall winner in '67, sailing Holiday Too. In '69, a windy year, Andron sailed Argonaut to the fastest Cal 40 crossing ever: 11 days 16 hours 35 minutes 23 seconds. Sailing straight downwind is usually slow, especially with a big ultralight that can sail faster than the wind if it sails at angles to the breeze. But with a Cal 40, once it reaches its maximum hull speed, it's better to head straight toward the finish line. Honey observed, "Most of the historic Cal 40 tracks are almost like rulers. I was astonished because I navigated for a number of years on the sleds, and then I plotted out the classic Cal 40 tracks. It's just like you put a ruler from the West End [of Catalina] to Diamond Head, unlike sleds whose hull speeds are limited more by the gusts and guts of the crew." Honey is the most famous, but the Cal 40 skippers have come from Southern and Northern California, Hawaii and even Idaho. The latter is Andy Opple, a carpenter from Sun Valley sailing Redhead. He has sailed to Hawaii six times but, at age 62, this may be his last time. He plans to sell his boat after the race to pay off a line of credit he acquired to pay expenses. "We're not going to be much of a factor," he said. "I think I have the oldest boat and I'm sure I have the oldest sails. They're all signed by [North Sails founder] Lowell North. - http://www.transpacificyc.org ULLMAN SAILS SWEEP LONG BEACH RACE WEEK! 61 Boats, 8 Classes and all first place finishers flew Ullman Sails. Congratulations go to, Dale Williams, Wassabi (1st Class AA); Tom Schock, Schocka Zulu (1st Class A); Scott Taylor, Defiance (1st Class B); Andrea Cabito, Scooter (1st Class C); Aaron Feves, (1st Olson 30); Eric McClure (1st J/29); Dixon Hall (1st B25); Steve & Jane Horst (1st Cal 25). Let Ullman Sails show you how affordable the "Fastest Sails on the Planet" can be. Call the Ullman Sails loft in your area or visit http://www.ullmansails.com SWEDISH MATCH TOUR MARSTRAND, Sweden (July 1, 2003) - The final event of Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003, the Swedish Match Cup, saw the men endure the arrival of a storm front dropping a steady rain on the island of Marstrand throughout the day. Sweden's Mattias Rahm of Team Stena Bulk overcame the uncomfortable conditions to post a perfect day of 4-0 to take the early lead in Group 2. For Rahm the weather wasn't really much of a distraction and actually may have aided in his result. "I don't like it when there's no wind and it's raining, but today it was OK because there was enough of a breeze to see the wind on the water," explained Rahm. "We had flat water and it was a bit shifty, much like sailing in Gothenberg (his hometown)." Rahm did however have to overcome some trepidation early in today's racing to cruise to the top of the leaderboard. "In our first two races against the Swedes (Mikael Lindqvist and Johnnie Berntsson) we were nervous and focused too much on them and not enough on the course. After we won both those races we felt we could sail more relaxed even though we were sailing two of the best skippers in the world (Jesper Radich and Paolo Cian)." Group 1 will start on Thursday, and includes Karol Jablonski (POL), James Spithill (AUS), Ed Baird (USA), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Chris Law (GBR), Peter Holmberg (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), and Andy Beadsworth (GBR). Group 2 racing resumes on Wednesday morning with all three remaining flights in the round robin scheduled. Wednesday's forecast calls for another day of rain. Swedish Match Cup Open Class Standings - Group 2: 1.Mattias Rahm, SWE/Team Stena Bulk (4-0); 2. Jesper Radich, Denmark (3-1); 3.Jesper Bank, Denmark (2-2); 4. Staffan Lindberg, Finland (2-2); 5. Johnie Berntsson, Sweden (2-2); 6. Paolo Cian, ITA/Riviera di Rimin di Sailing Team (1-3); 7. Mikael Lindqvist, Sweden (1-3); 8. Jes Gram-Hansen, DEN/Team Victory Lane (1-3) In the Swedish Match Cup Women's Class, four skippers went 2-1 on the second day of the Swedish Match Cup women's class as the first round came to a conclusion and semifinalists were determined. Leading the way into the semifinals as top-qualifier is Sweden's Malin Kallstrom, with a record of 5-2. Three skippers tied on 4-3 round out the semifinalists, Sweden's Marie Bjorling the world's number one ranked female match racer, Denmark's Annette Strom and Malin Millbourn the recently crowned women's match racing world champion. The best-of-three semifinals are set to begin after lunch, Wednesday, July 2. - Shawn McBride, http://www.swedishmatchtour.com and http://www.swedishmatchcup.com JONATHAN MCKEE Pacific Northwest publication 48 Degrees recently profiled Jonathan McKee as he prepares for the September 7th start of the Mini-Transat race, a 4,500-mile singlehanded race from France to Brazil in 21-foot box rule boats. Here are a few excerpts: "It's something I've wanted to do for five-plus years - ever since reading an article in Seahorse Magazine. It sounded so cutting edge. The boats are technologically forward thinking. My own boats have always been forward thinking and I've always been drawn to fast boats. I'm not sure what to compare it to," said Jonathan, although he suggested visualizing the below deck space as being similar to a J/22. "It will do nearly 6 knots upwind but as soon as you crack off they are pretty expeditious - light and very powerful." "You are by yourself," he reflected, "although I think I would enjoy it just as much if it were double handed. But it is also nice to just rely on yourself. And that includes the entire program: preparation, maintenance, logistics, dealing with the press and sponsors. It's very attractive to have a program where you are in complete control, and it's good to remind yourself that you can still sail - and run a program. So much is won or lost before the race begins." Jonathan, who spent the last two years down in New Zealand with the OneWorld Challenge America's Cup team as a mainsail trimmer, concedes that coordinating the initial logistics for his Mini campaign was not easy. "It was pretty hard at the beginning, trying to get it set up from half way around the world." Jonathan had just February, March and the beginning of April to finalize his campaign plans and then head to Europe and meet up with his new boat. "The first thing I had to do was a 1,000 mile qualifying sail. There is a set course you have to cover." For the qualifier the local harbor master signs off on the start and finish and then the sailors take pictures of the buoys as they are rounded. "It took 11 days - you just have to jump in and do it! You aren't timed but you do push yourself, both to learn and get it over with. I had some light air and a lot of upwind sailing. By the end I was feeling pretty comfortable and had slipped into a routine." Full story at http://www.48north.com/jul_2003/mckee.htm UPDATE (This continues the saga of Tim Kent and Rick McKenna, who had to abandon Around Alone entrant Everest Horizontal on June 20th after the boat capsized during the Bermuda 1-2 race) July 1st: This morning brings another round of developments in the search for Everest Horizontal. Yesterday, Tim Kent was back at the dock without Everest and with no sign of her. This morning we are pleased to learn that although Tim did not find her, another sailboat at sea spotted her and reported her location. This information was delivered to Tim who is at once relieved and frustrated. It seems that they spotted Everest at nearly the same time that Tim was actually as sea searching in a different area, with what was believed to be the best coordinates. Unfortunately, the radio transmission failed, making contact between boats impossible at the time. On the bright side, we have another reference point in the search. Tim remains at the dock in Bermuda this morning in search of the best available rescue vessel. The original boat is still an option, but he will need new and additional crew. The challenge at the moment is finding a boat with radar placed at the highest level possible. This sounds like a simple task, but is much easier said than done in Bermuda. This is because most boats in Bermuda do not have radar at all, as they don't venture out to sea. They are local boats and stick close to the island for the most part. Most boats there also do not carry charts, for the same reason, so charts were one of the first purchases made before heading out on the initial journey. - The Shore Crew, complete story at http://www.everesthorizontal.com/news.html BEHIND THE SCENES Long Beach, CA: The Raider RIB was once again selected as the official RIB for the Premiere Racing and Golison & Golison North Sails Race Week this past weekend. During the event, the new 22' Raider 665 made its debut. This new center console boat, complete with motor trailer, even has an enclosed head and is available with special introductory pricing. In addition, the Raider RIB will be on the start line of the 2003 Transpac Race as the official photo boat. Call for details at (619) 709-0697 or check out this high quality yet affordable RIB at http://www.raiderboat.com NEWS BRIEFS * Little more than two weeks before the start of the Admiral's Cup series in Cowes, the Ker 55, Aera, owned by London-based Greek Nick Lykiardopolou, has had its rating increased following alleged pressure from the owners of rival yachts. The RORC rating office subsequently increased Aera's rating from 1.319 to 1.336, some 1.3 per cent, meaning that she had to sail around the course some seven seconds per mile to beat the smaller Farr 52s. The rating office said they had not been in possession of drawings showing Aera's cutaway bow profile when the original rating was issued. Designer Jason Ker has since changed Aera's bow shape and made further optimisations to drop the rating back down to 1.325. - Tim Jeffery, http://sport.telegraph.co.uk * The Cadillac Van Isle 360, a two-week, 580 nm (nautical mile) point to point PHRF race circumnavigating wild and rugged Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada, wrapped over the weekend. Sailed in ten legs the course provides inshore, offshore and overnight legs through some of the worlds most challenging and beautiful waters. Overall Winners - Div 1: Vaca Loca, Ross MacDonald; Div 2: Lordelpus, Matt Wagstaffe; Div 3: Cheekee Monkee, Kim Alfreds; Fastest Elapsed Time -Cheekee Monkee. http://www.vanisle360.com * 191 boats competed last weekend in the annual Queen's Cup race from Milwaukee, WI to Muskegon, MI. The 76 mile race started under thunderstorm conditions which quickly gave way to light breezes which provided for mostly close reaching to beating conditions. There were 13 division, including one multihull division, all divisions raced PHRF. Line honors went to Alchemy, a Andrews 77 owned by Richard and Mary Compton while corrected time first place overall went to Insatiable, a Tartan 46 owned by Norman Silverman of the Bayview Yacht Club. * A world record breaking attempt to cross the North Atlantic, led by Britain's youngest conqueror of Mount Everest, Bear Grylls, will be undertaken in a small RIB (rigid inflatable boat) powered by a Caterpillar marine engine. Traveling from Nova Scotia to John O'Groats via a route which passes just south of the Arctic Circle, the five-strong crew are using a 10.85 metre aluminum hulled RIB built by Ocean Dynamics, is a boat which features a Caterpillar 3126B marine diesel propulsion engine rated at 456hp at 2800 rpm. The boat will have a top speed of 28 knots at reduced fuel and water levels, but with the longest leg of the voyage - from Greenland to Reykjavik - spanning a distance of over 850 nautical miles, the vessel has additional fuel tanks and an overall capacity of 4,000 litres of fuel. At 94 litres an hour when flat out, this equates to 42 hours' traveling which, at an average speed of 20 knots, would see the boat covering a distance of 851 nautical miles. - http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=10211 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * July 6: The 30th Biennial Marblehead-To-Halifax Ocean Race sponsored jointly by the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron and the Boston Yacht Club. Currently, over 100 boats are registered to start the 360 nautical mile ocean race for IMS, PHRF, PHRF Cruising Canvas, Multihull and Classic Yachts. - http://www.marbleheadhalifax.org * July 11-13: Laser Pacific Coast Championships (Laser, Laser Radial, Masters), Cascade Locks, OR, Columbia Gorge Racing Association, http://www.cgra.org * July 18-20: 29er North Americans, Cascade Locks, OR, Columbia Gorge Racing Association, http://www.cgra.org * July 18-20: St. Moritz Match Race, a Grade 3 regatta organized by the Sailing Club St. Moritz on the St. Moritz Lake, Switzerland. Competitors include Murray Jones, Jesper Bank, Thierry Peponnet, Luc Pillot and Marc Mendelblatt, and sailed in Streamlines, a small fast three-person boat with trapeze. - http://www.stmoritz-matchrace.ch 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 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 Count Enrico Alfredo Ferrari: The concept of using the AC boats in consecutive venues and competitions is an idea that is consistent with entrepreneurial charm. In the past, the winners of an America's Cup and other fast up to date race machines from the same generation were consigned to the shelf or as trial horses to never be altered and used as a brushing machine for future boats. It just makes our sport look bad. Instant obsolescence! Moet deserves some support; we should all buy a bottle or case of their product in thanks for sponsoring this bit of competition in San Francisco. For this year's Cup there were several fast boats as the designs hit a plateau of speed and it came down to boat handling and tactics, as it should in all races. I, and I feel there are many others who would love to see One World, Oracle, Alinghi, and a rebuilt NZ boat in a fleet race or a small round robin match race. These boats seemed to me to be the class of the fleet in the Louis Vuitton and subsequent AC. The crews may change out a bit but the boats and the skills will still be there. Who knows, maybe we can get Dennis Connor at the helm of one of these? Have a short time line for build up and the race much like any other race and unlike the mega buck AC with all the hype. Sounds like a plan to me. * From Thomas Newcomb: So we learn now that there appears to be two sides to the recent debate regarding the handicap limitations put in place by the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Did Neville Crichton amp up Alfa Romeo with the understanding that the Sydney Hobart race would permit his new rating? Or did Crichton make the alleged speed increasing modifications assuming that the race would raise the cap to permit his entry? Is either party ready to sound off again? CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film. |
