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SCUTTLEBUTT 1946 -- October 17, 2005
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH
A huge bottle of champagne sat unopened on Grant Dalton's desk in Trapani.
The gift was from the Sicily event organisers to recognise Team New
Zealand's position as the top America's Cup challenger - something the
syndicate head didn't think was reason enough to celebrate. "We may be good
enough to challenge for the America's Cup but we are still not good enough
to win it," he said.
Leading into this year's regattas, Team New Zealand's aims were to rotate
crew, improve their winning starts and first-cross percentages, and learn
more about boat speed. "I think we need to be more consistent. We had some
good races and some bad races," Dalton said. "In saying that our biggest
strength, which I think has grown more in this regatta in Trapani, is the
unity and solidarity of the team. Our base is rock solid as a unit. But we
have to get better."
To help improve their match-racing skills and build the relationship
between the afterguard, syndicate members are building a TP52 boat and have
bought two Swedish Match 40s for inhouse racing. "I think we just need to
continue upskilling and let Ben [Ainslie] and Kelvin [Harrap] do a lot of
work with testing on the new boat and let the afterguard with Dean [Barker]
and Terry [Hutchinson] get out and race. Race, race, race till they hate
the word race. It is there for us to play for. We are complete idiots if we
bugger this up." -- Excerpts from a story by Julie Ash, NZ Herald, full
story: http://tinyurl.com/7f9fg
TIME ON THE WATER
(The Daily Sail subscription website spoke to skipper Bouwe Bekking about
his movistar VO70 campaign. Here are a couple of excerpts.)
Given that the 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race is being contended in a brand new
type of boat, it is widely felt that the team with the longest time on the
water will be in the strongest position come the start of the fully crewed
round the world race on 12 November. If this proves true then the Spanish
entry movistar would top the form book. Bouwe Bekking's Farr Yacht Design
Volvo Open 70 was the second to be launched, hot on the heels of the boat
we now call ABN Amro II on 25 February after a build at Boat Speed - Peter
and Sari Ullrich's yard to the north of Sydney. Since arriving back in
Europe the Spanish team have continued with their training out of the
marina in Sanxenxo, but no other team has come close to getting the amount
of sea time in as they have.
One of the biggest variations between the boats this time will be with the
sails, states Bekking. "That will be the amazing thing in this race, the
sails will be so different that you can't cover like you could in the last
race when you would sail the same angles as everybody, because everybody
had more or less the same sails. Now if you don't have a sail that someone
else has you can't match them, so you have to really go your own way. But
probably everyone will end up in the same place at the same time. That's
what happens very often in offshores anyway." -- www.thedailysail.com
END APPROACHING
After six weeks on standby for an attempt on the solo transatlantic record
to beat Francis Joyon's time of 6 days, 4 hours and 1 minute, the window of
opportunity is quickly drawing to a close for Ellen MacArthur. The 75-foot
trimaran B&Q arrived in New York (USA) on 23rd August and officially went
on standby from the 1st September, she has been waiting patiently but to no
avail. Now only one week remains before Ellen and her team are stood down
and, for now, the weather forecast over the next seven days is not
encouraging. The deadline of the 20th October looms as Ellen must be in the
port of Le Havre by the 28th October, a week before the start of the
Transat Jacques Vabre race which she is doing with French skipper, Roland
Jourdain on the Open 60 monohull Sill et Veolia - this is a mandatory
commitment for all skippers to participate in the event's prologue race.
Ellen and the team are working with their weather analysts in an attempt to
find a suitable weather system for her to begin her attempt, but present
forecasts for the next seven days are not looking positive, keeping B&Q
firmly tied to her berth at North Cove Marina in New York. However, Ellen
was in the same situation in June last year after a two-month standby
period for this same record looked set to prove fruitless - then what was
planned as a delivery trip back to the UK suddenly became a record attempt!
Although on that occasion, Ellen missed out on the record by 75 minutes, it
shows that the weather has the ability to change dramatically in a very
short period of time. -- www.teamellen.com
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OPEN HOUSE
Alinghi opened the doors to its new home Saturday evening, holding a house
warming for 700 guests. The party was attended by Syndicate head Ernesto
Bertarelli and his family, Brad Butterworth, vice-president and tactician,
Grant Simmer, co-general manager and head of design, Patrick Magyar,
co-general manager and the Alinghi team with their families.
"It is a pleasure for me to open this base today, it has been quite a long
time that we have been waiting to recover a place where we can share the
emotions we had in 2003," said Ernesto Bertareli, Alinghi syndicate head.
"It has been a long road since our victory in Auckland and tonight more
than anything I would like to thank every member of Alinghi and every
family member of the members of Alinghi that have followed the dream from
Auckland to Valencia." Alinghi held a public open house in their new
Valencia base Sunday afternoon. -- http://www.alinghi.com/en/
MATCH RACING
Hamilton, Bermuda -- The flat waters and light breeze out on Hamilton
Harbour Sunday provided a challenging battleground for the 12 international
women sailing teams competing on the second day of The Virtual Specators'
ISAF Women's Match Race World Championship. Marje Bjorling and her Swedish
crew ended the day as clear leaders with a 9-2 scoreline followed by Betsy
Alison (USA) in second place and Nina Braestrup from Denmark in third.
While Bjorling has enjoyed a stellar two days of racing, Sally Barkow, the
defending American world champion climbed back from a mid-fleet position in
the heavier winds experienced on Saturday to take fourth place.
"We are pretty happy about our racing and we are going to go at them hard
in the next round on Monday," Barkow said. "We are finally getting used to
the J24s class yachts which of course is the beauty of match racing as you
have to jump into different boats and get used to them quickly." One to
enjoy a great comeback has been French sailor Claire Leroy to end up Sunday
in fifth place, followed by the young Australian team skippered by Nicky
Souter in sixth place. -- Talbot Wilson, www.vssailing.com
* With a score of 7-1, Cameron Dunn of New Zealand is a top contender in
day two of the Qualifying event for the Investors Guaranty presentation of
The King Edward VII Gold Cup to enter the qualifying rounds, although he
faces tough competition as the elimination round enters its third and final
day. New Zealander Cameron Appleton and Polish sailor Karol Jablonski, who
sails for the Spanish America's Cup team Desafio Espanol are both in second
place with a score of 6-2. Jablonski had a perfect today after arriving
late due to passport problems in London. He took over the helm from
teammate John Cutler who moved to the foredeck. Japanese sailor Takumi
Nakamura is also having a strong regatta with a score of 5-3 and is
emerging as a contender to make it to the qualifying rounds. -- Laurie
Fullerton, http://www.kingedwardviigoldcup.com/index2.html
TEAM RACING
* With winds gusting to 40 mph at one point, the final day of sailing at
the U.S. Team Racing Championship for the George R. Hinman trophy was wet,
wild and thrilling. Keeping your sticks up turned out the phrase of the day
as sixth-ranked Team Trouble won its semi finals against Team Racing World
Champions Cape Cod WHishbone. In another upset, second-ranked Silver Panda
lost its semi-final match to eighth-ranked Route 3 Split with Silver Panda
capsizing at the start of both of its matches.
In the end, Team Trouble (Matt Allen, Glen Oaks, NY; Timothy Cain,
Marlborough, NJ; Brad Funk, Belleair Bluffs, FL; Heather Pescatello,
Westerly, RI; Anna Tunnicliffe, Norfolk, VA; and Mark Zagol, New York, NY)
had the winning combination and are the 2005 U.S. Team Racing Champions.
Larchmont Yacht Club won the Commodore George R. Hinman Invitational
Masters trophy. Larchmont won all its races in the final round beating out
a highly competitive team from Pequot Yacht Club in second and Eastern
Yacht Club in third. -- http://tinyurl.com/agm2c
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HE'S GOT THE STONES
"The strength of Alinghi is in its members, the strength of Alinghi is in
every single person that works and supports Alinghi. Like the pyramids they
seem like they were never built, they seem like a dream and of another
time. Alinghi has shown in 2005 that it is like a pyramid. A pyramid is
made of many stones and it is what it is thanks to every one of the stones.
The stones of Alinghi are the team members. And me personally, I am just
one of the stones." -- Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi syndicate head
NEWS BRIEFS
* With approximately 300 miles to the finish line in Salvador, Brazil, the
lead three yachts in the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race are still
jostling for first position of leg one, with westernaustralia.com just
ahead of Cardiff and closely followed by Liverpool 08, winner of the first
race to Portugal. This difficult Transatlantic crossing has seen many ups
and downs but since the heat and calm of the Doldrums, the yachts are now
experiencing excellent conditions with a steady 15 - 20 knot
east-south-east breeze. -- www.clipper-ventures.com
* With wall-to-wall top three finishes, including a pair of bullets, Malin
Burnham won the five-race, 13-boat Masters Regatta sailed at St. Francis YC
in J/105s. Bruce Monro from the host club was five points further back in
second place with Dick Tillman occupying the final spot on the podium. --
www.stfyc.org
* Annie Nelson from San Diego YC dominated the Linda Elias Memorial Women's
One Design Regatta sailed at Long Beach YC in the Congressional Cup
Catalina 37s in a potpourri of conditions. The California YC's team helmed
by Alice Leahey took second place in the nine-boat invitational -- one
point ahead the Long Beach/ Los Angeles Women's Sailing Association boat
driven by Karen Campbell. http://tinyurl.com/bq28f
J/124 TO LAUNCH NEXT MONTH
Hot off the launching of J/65 hull #1, the J Boats crew is now preparing to
unveil the new 41' J/124. With carbon rig, wheel steering, 6' headroom,
enclosed aft head, and huge sit-in cockpit, this should be an exciting
follow-up to the J/100. Complete details and photos at
http://www.jboats.com/j124
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 Stout: I'm watching the video on demand (www.t2p.tv) of the 470
Worlds and was amazed at the extreme pumping off the wind. I thought ISAF
was getting tougher on this, not easier, and these guys pump 4 or 5 times
to get down a wave. So, whatzupwiththat?
* From Ed Cesare (With regard to the comments of Mr. DeVroe in Scuttlebutt
1945 on the required use of power from the engine aboard Alfa Romeo 2): I
share some of his aversion to such a requirement aboard a sailboat.
However, I would point out a couple of things. Firstly, Alfa Romeo 2
perhaps approaches the size of a "sailing vessel" as opposed to a
"sailboat". Given such a characterization, there is an established
precedent for the use of power aboard sailing ships. Most notably the very
large barks and ships engaged in the nitrate, wheat and other routes from
Europe around the Horn in the early 20th century (Peking at South Street
Seaport is an example). The steam or internal combustion driven "donkey
engine" aboard these ships was an essential piece of sail handling
equipment necessitated by their size and the small size of their crews.
* From Kelly Busey: H.L. DeVore found it 'disgusting' that all winch power
the new Alfa Romeo 2 comes from the engine. Then you must also be outraged
at boats using on-board computer systems (i.e. Deckman for Windows, etc.)
racing for overall honors against smaller boats without that capability? I
prefer the human element of guessing laylines and gybe angles in addition
to grinding one's own winches.
* From Nick Harper: (re the new Alfa Romeo 2): I've just had a brainwave.
Instead of running the engines to drive the winches why don't they simply
connect the engine to a propeller? Also, this has the added advantage, that
they could 'sail' directly up wind!
* From Pete Pendelton: This is about the letters that are bashing boats
like Alfa Romeo-2. I just will have to say that reading letters from people
bashing new intervention into sailing regarding an engine running is a
classic example of why the old man sailing should stay in the old boat.
This is the future and it is the way sailing should go. These boats are
making and breaking records in which this sport needs to better the game.
Canting keel maxis and Volvo 70 are the dominating premiere of the game and
for people to say God bid a sailor to get involved or saying it is
disgusting, they should have there head examined.
* From Jack Mallinckrodt: Canting Ballast question -- Most canting keel
boats would appear to be in violation of Racing Rules 51 (movable ballast)
and 52 (manual power) unless modified by SIs. Can anyone kindly refer us to
sailing instructions that have modified those rules for CBs?
* From David Jones: When you claimed that no word in the English language
rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple, you obviously overlooked
oneth, sporange, chilver and curple.
* From Russ Jefferys: Sexagenarian Grandmother of three, Eileen Skelly is
causing quite a stir in the media, with a full page spread in the Daily
Telegraph and expected coverage on national radio and TV in the coming days
and weeks. Her transatlantic race on Liverpool 08 in the Clipper 05-06
Round the World Yacht Race is attracting something of a cult following with
the Race Press Office inundated with messages of interest and well-wishes
cheering on the inspirational Eileen. That Eileen is turning in to such a
media starlet is no surprise: an ambitious and adventurous woman with bags
of energy and a love for life, she does not see herself resting after this
epic adventure. With dreams of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and back-packing
across New Zealand her star is certainly on the rise.
* From Ted Jones: Nobody has mentioned the cargo ship "Mini Lace" (about
200 feet, I think) which set an experimental sailing rig designed by Lloyd
Bergeson with the sail made by Hood in 1981. The free-standing mast was
made of eight vertical steel panels with the sail rolled up on it --
hydraulically controlled through push-buttons on the bridge, so no
additional manpower was required. The test was successful (I was not privy
to the details) but about that time the fuel crisis abated, so the
experiment was not repeated on sisterships as had been planned. The rig was
designed as auxiliary power to the ships engines and was effective in
improving performance to within 10-degrees of the apparent wind.
I believe it was the largest sail built by Hood at that time, made out of
UV resistant dacron. It had to be made in two halves in the loft with final
assembly taking place in the parking lot at Little Harbor. Perhaps Ted Hood
or Chris Bouzaid would care to chime in on this with more details.
* From Holger Hinsch: There is a company called FastShip that is trying to
build a semi-planning hull cargo vessel to travel between Philadelphia and
Cherbourg, France at a proposed speed of 38 kts. The design calls for a
massive power plant with five gas turbines generating 335,000 horsepower.
However, this vessel has been in the concept phase for a while and until we
see it or something similar build, cargo vessels will travel at speeds slow
enough that winds in the open ocean could possibly be harnessed via kite
sails to reduce fuel consumption. Obviously, just like with hybrid cars,
rising fuel cost make investments into fuel saving technology more
economically viable for ships, but still low cost solutions like simple
kites will likely be more useful than expansive airfoil designs as either
will only be used for supplemental propulsion.
* From Adrian Morgan (Re Ole Eichhorn's comment on kites): Ocean-going
ships don't travel at 40+ knots! They trundle around the world at no more
than half that, as far as I am aware. And also kites, can I believe, draw
vessels upwind to some extent. However, I do wonder what would happen in a
port and starboard crossing situation, between two ships. Or in a traffic
separation zone with many ships. Could get their kites in an awful tangle.
But kites are well worth pursuing (literally).
* From Ken Argent: I was one of the four sailors on the sail assisted
jack-up drilling platform. We sailed the rig "Charles Rowan" from New
Orleans to the drilling location in the North Sea with towing assist from
the SAF Marine tug John Ross. The trip took 54 days. The sails saved about
20% of the normal fuel consumption for such a rig move but the set-up and
removal of the roller furling gear and sails took enough time to negate any
savings. It has not been attempted since. I wrote an article about the trip
which was published in the May/June Issue of Ocean Navigator.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS
The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often
stolen from public libraries.
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