|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 698 - November 28, 2000AMERICA'S CUPNow that Computer Associates chairman Charles Wang has a hockey team, an arena football team and the company logo on a top Formula One race car, he's taking a crack at the most prestigious prize in yachting: the America's Cup. On Wednesday, the New York Yacht Club and sailor Dennis Conner are planning to announce that CA will be the lead sponsor of the Stars and Stripes syndicate, which will try to bring the cup home from New Zealand in 2003. Neither CA nor Stars and Stripes were willing to reveal the cost of the sponsorship, but the minimum for a competitive entry is considered to be about $30 million. In return, CA, which has recently tried to raise the company's profile among investors, gets its logo on a billowing spinnaker. As a provider of software for the boat's electronics, CA also gets bragging rights if Stars and Stripes does well. - Jack Otter, Newsday Full story: http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/business/monday/nd5486.htm VENDEE GLOBE By Philippe Jeantot Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) continues not only to hold but also extend his lead over the 21 strong international fleet in the Vendee Globe 2000. The other skippers admit that to them this is no surprise. The more one dives Southwards, the better the conditions are. Going into the Southern Hemisphere, at the Equator, the fleet experienced a moderate South East wind. Negotiating the high pressure system, they are changing their sailing angle in relation to its centre. Firstly, in the Northern section, the Southeasterly breeze holds, then in the Northwest section the winds shift to the East South East shifting East towards the bottom. The leaders are in this Northwest part and the winds have rotated from 40 to 50 degrees towards the East with some force. In the Southwest sector, the wind continues to rotate towards the North and the boats will gradually sail more downwind and finally the wind will be right from behind. For the first time Yves Parlier has pushed out over 100 miles from his nearest rival, Michel Desjoyeaux. Fifth placed Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) voiced the sentiments of the leading skippers: "Yves is really going well ahead, his boat is quick in reaching conditions, no surprises there. We can still catch him, he hasn't that big a lead and we've only done 1/5th of the race so anything could happen still." Ellen is marginally the furthest to the West, however Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) is on the same latitude, but further East, which is why she is now placed ahead of Ellen in the rankings. Further back in the fleet, 9th placed Josh Hall (EBP/Gartmore) seemed to be losing speed on the others and today he explained that he had found an enormous fishing net hanging off the keel. "I've was losing 1.5 - 2 knots and couldn't understand why before as I looked everywhere and saw nothing. Now I'm back up to normal speed, heading on the same route as Parlier. On Wednesday the front guys will fall into lighter winds so I hope to catch up there" Mike Golding (Team Group 4) recounted his 5-hour battle to unravel the spinnaker intact, after it wound round both forestays in mid-gybe, not any easy feat single-handedly. However, he remains focused on what's ahead: "I'm taking a punt at the Doldrums to cross further to the left than originally planned. I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain if I cut a corner. The weather in the Southern Atlantic favours that route. The high is displaced further in the West but I am constantly monitoring it." Standings (Nov, 27 at 16:00 UT): 1. Aquitaine Innovations, Yves Parlier, 2. PRB, Michel Desjoyeaux (+124 miles) 3. Sill Matines & La Potagere, Roland Jourdain (+174m) 4. Whirlpool, Catherine Chabaud (+178m) 5. Kingfisher, Ellen MacArthur (+227m) Website: http://www.vendeeglobe.com MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION When you need the latest high-tech gear for your boat, you: A) Get in the car, drive to the store, wait for someone to show you a catalog. B) Dig out the "Old Boat Supply" catalog, and call for pricing on obsolete products. C) Visit ?????.com, and learn how to tie some knots or dock your boat. D) Call Performance Yacht Systems at 1-877-3pyacht. Click below for answers. http://www.pyacht.com - Hardware / rigging / sails / clothing / marine electronics ISAF WORLDS MATCH RACING CHAMPS St. Petersburg, Fla. (November 27, 2000) - After completing five and four races in the A and B groups, respectively, leaders emerged in Round Robin 1 of the Rolex 2000 ISAF Women's World Match Racing Championship. Hannah Swett (New York, N.Y./Jamestown, R.I.) and match racing veteran Marie Bjorling (SWE) both earned perfect scorecards on a day plagued with light and shifty air on Tampa Bay. The round will continue tomorrow, with Round Robin 2 scheduled to begin immediately afterward, if time permits. "Our goal today was to stay out of trouble," said Swett, sailing with Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Dawn Riley (San Francisco, Calif.), Meg Gaillard (Pelham, N.Y.) and Melissa Purdy (Tiburon, Calif.). "We'll keep the momentum going tomorrow and not think about the rest of the week." Swett defeated each of her competitors today, but with four wins she still needs to be one of the top-four highest scoring skippers within group A to advance to the second round. Once there the competition will get fiercer as the regatta's top-seeded skippers will be waiting after a two-day bye from racing. Swedish match racer Bjorling also faces an uncertain future as her entry into the second round has yet to be captured. Only the top four advance and with Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Marie Klok (DEN), Amy Waring (NZL) and Katie Spithill (AUS) nipping at the transom of Bjorling, tomorrow's races will determine who gets the pass card into round two. The final round is scheduled for Saturday, December 2. - Dana Paxton Digital images by Dan Nerney, Daniel Forster and Walter Cooper posted daily: www.spyc.org LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed may be edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Ben Beer - I would like to disagree with Zack de Beer. Every sport like every industry needs an environment where people are allowed to "push the envelope." Just as the auto industry has formula 1 racing and the airline industry has space exploration the world of sailing has America's Cup racing. Progress always has its price and every step forward mankind has made has been at a price. In most industries that price as been paid with peoples lives. We are fortunate that with sailing that is not the case. As sailors we should all be thankful that the America's Cup is here to keep our sport on the cutting edge of technology. With out the America's Cup being our "full scale test lab" the developments in materials and processes and techniques would not be afforded to the local Yacht club sailors. The developments made in this arena can be seen on your boat as well as mine whether it is a Farr 40 of a Finn. It is in mankind's nature to achieve and to be better then he is and as men we will always push the envelope. -- From David Lackey, Wellington, NZ - Michael Barnett and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce should butt out of the America's Cup challenge process. He should accept that the contest involves certain preliminaries and protocols which must take their course. Suffice it to say, there are many yachtsmen who, like Mr. Barnett, would like to see some resolution in the matter of acceptance of the Swiss entry, but such a resolution must be predicated on yachting related criteria, not on the commercial interests and impatience of a bunch of eager-beaver businessmen in the City of Auckland. -- From Ken Guyer - ichael Barnett from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce is concerned about the acceptance (or not) of one of the Challengers for the America's Cup. He is concerned that if the challenge is not accepted quickly it may have an impact on the number of challengers in Auckland and thus how much money the city will make off the event. As much as his concerns fit with the duties of his position within the city of Auckland as it relates to the business community, it shows a real lack of understanding on his part, the event which is entrusted to the New Zealand defenders. This is a contest that has rules governing who may participate. The requirements may be amended, but are founded in long tradition and not to be taken lightly. I am sure the New Zealand trustees of the deed, after careful consideration and due diligence, of all the facts will allow the Swiss Challenge. After all in 1988, the San Diego Yacht Club was forced to accept a challenge from a New Zealand yacht club whose clubhouse was a rusty hulk of an abandoned car in a field that could not really point to any regattas held on an "arm of the sea"! -- From Stephen Wells - It seems to me that the OPTI is in many ways the perfect Olympic boat very much in line with the typical Olympic decision making traditions. It's not even a boat if your criteria includes being pointed at one end, it doesn't really sail if you include going to windward and adult humans (over 80 pounds) can't sail it. Don't you think an Olympic class should have a better reason for existence than being able to be constructed out of a single sheet of 4x8 plywood.? The Opti is a great cheap training boat for beginners but a current racing Opti at $4,000 is oxymoronic! -- From Scott Ridgeway - I just noticed the PHRF rating for the Yngling is in the 240 range. That kind of performance should certainly make for exciting Olympic racing. I wonder if the ISAF also considered the Cal 20 or the West Wight Potter before making its decision. TECHNOLOGY Bill Keith told the world's second-richest man where to go the other week. Software billionaire Larry Ellison does not like being behind the competition, so it was not surprising that his America's Cup syndicate, Oracle Racing, asked if it could use some innovative technology that Mr Keith's company had developed for Team New Zealand last summer. His response: "Get lost. You're a US syndicate." What Phonak NZ had that Mr Ellison's syndicate wanted for its 2002/03 challenge were the waterproof earpieces that Team NZ used so successfully in their Cup defence. For the next series, Mr Keith is promising enhancements to the communications system that will make it even easier for the skipper to talk to crewmen above the roar of wind, waves and helicopters - but only on Black Magic. Takapuna-based Phonak provided the system free for the defenders last summer and plans to do the same next time around. Of course, Mr Keith is well aware that other subsidiaries of the Swiss-based Phonak may be keen to look after their local syndicates. But meanwhile, he is busy improving the system for our yachties. The key to the onboard communication system is the waterproof casing surrounding the high-tech radio receivers. The brain behind it belongs to Phonak NZ's technical manager, Rex Lyes, who is part of an international product design team to which New Zealand contributes more than its fair share. We may be a relatively small market, but Kiwis are known as early adopters of technology and many of Phonak's new products are tested here first. The waterproof earpieces have applications outside yachting, says Mr Keith. Surf lifesaving and marine rescue groups, here and in Australia, are showing interest, and police dog-handlers, who have to work in areas where radio contact may be lost, are also potential users. Mr Lyes tried a prototype of the waterproof hearing aid on blind swimmer Jason Griffiths in his buildup to the 1996 Paralympics. Griffiths' coach wanted to communicate with him during training to warn him when he was approaching the end of the pool. And she felt there had to be a better way than running up and tapping him on the shoulder with a stick. Enter Phonak and Mr Lyes, who devised a system of magnetic beacons that sent out a signal to let Griffiths know when his turns were coming up. - Daniel Riordan, NZ Herald. Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ THE RACE * Steve Fossett's maxi-cat leapt out of the Green Marine Boatyard sheds and into the water today after nine weeks on the rack. The stretched PlayStation is now topping the overall length charts for The Race at 125 feet or 38 meters. At first glance the bows have been given plenty of reserve buoyancy for those "down the mine" moments, with a profile that wouldn't embarrass a ski-jump ramp. By the afternoon the rudders and centerboards had been added. The next stage was to move the boat to Empress Dock, where the mast would be stepped, the boat rigged and sails attached. PlayStation has a new suit of Cuben Fiber sails to test, and the crew hopes to be on the water by Thursday. Departure from England to the Med for the start of The Race is intended on Dec. 3 or 4. With Team Philips still quietly undergoing sea trials from Dartmouth, and all three of the Gilles Ollier-designed boats - Club Med, Code One and Team Adventure - sailing, there are now five boats in the water for The Race. - Mark Chisnell, for madforsailing.com. Full story: http://www.quokkasailing.com/stories/11/SLQ_1127_s_NewsBriefs_WFC.html * Team Legato, Tony Bullimore's, 102ft-catamaran entry in 'The Race,' brought traffic around Bristol Docks to a halt today, when craned over Prince Street Bridge and launched in Bristol Docks. The Record Breaking catamaran has undergone a two year modification programme to her hulls and rig in readiness for this non-stop round the world race, starting from Barcelona on December 31st. 'Team Legato's', giant wing mast will arrive by road transporter tomorrow Tuesday 28th November, and will seated on the catamaran on Wednesday 29th November. The bare boat weighed 11.5 tones at her launch, exactly as designer Nigel Irens had predicted and is expected to tip the scales at around 15 tonnes all up weight, at the start of 'The Race.' - Barry Pickthall, SailSail website. Full story: http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=2727 * Due to storms on the south coast this past weekend, Team Philips remained in Dartmouth at the weekend. Winds of 60 knots were measured at start point over the weekend; one vessel registered 40 knots in the marina itself. Weather permitting, the team are hoping for further day sails and extended sea trails later this week. Current weather patterns are shifting very quickly, and we hope that the massive low pressure system currently stretching from Africa to Ireland dissipates or passes quickly. During their day sails, the team developed a new solution to minimise chafing, and so a new piece of metalwork has now been fitted on both masts. - Team Philips website. Full story: http://www.teamphilips.com/index.cfm?ArticleID=3279 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION When you need the latest high-tech gear for your boat, you: A) Get in the car, drive to the store, wait for someone to show you a catalog. B) Dig out the "Old Boat Supply" catalog, and call for pricing on obsolete products. C) Visit ?????.com, and learn how to tie some knots or dock your boat. D) Call Performance Yacht Systems at 1-877-3pyacht. Click below for answers. http://www.pyacht.com - Hardware / rigging / sails / clothing / marine electronics CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS January 23-27, 2001: Eleventh annual Miami Olympic Classes Regatta (OCR), U.S. Sailing Center; Coral Reef, Biscayne Bay, Key Biscayne and Miami Yacht Clubs; and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The only International Sailing Federation (ISAF) grade-one ranking event in the U.S for Europe, Finn, 470, 49er, Laser, Mistral, Star, Tornado and Yngling. www.ussailing.org/Olympics/MiamiOCR IMAGES There is a great collection of photos from the windy recent Mumm 30 Worlds online - several of which seem to beg for an explanation from Dr. Crash: www.regattaphotos.com THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they worried someone will clean them? |
