|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2708 - Wednesday, October 22, 2008Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Today's sponsors are Doyle Sails and LaserPerformance. MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (Oct. 21, 2008; Day 11) - The French nature documentary film, March of the Penguins, depicted the yearly journeys of the emperor penguins of Antarctica where they leave their normal habitat of the ocean to walk inland to their ancestral breeding grounds. It is a painful journey, and some fair better than others. Change channels now to the Volvo Ocean Race, and theme is the same - a painful slog through the doldrums, seeking the light at the end of the tunnel, or specifically, the southeasterly trades of the Southern Hemisphere. By late Tuesday, the leaders, which have essentially maintained the same order all day (perhaps a race first), began to get some Latin love as the wind has increased, nearly to the teens, and has clocked around to between 145-160 degrees per the standings below. Of course, that is about an upwind angle to the Fernando de Noronha scoring gate, 393 nm away for Green Dragon, who is now positioned just north of the equator at 2 degrees latitude with a bearing of 186 degrees to the gate. The length of Leg One is 6500nm, with teams expected to finish by the first week in November. Current standings (as of Oct. 22, 1:00am GMT): 1. Green Dragon, Ian Walker, 3751 nm distance to finish 2. Puma, Ken Read, 28 nm distance to lead 3. Ericsson 4, Torben Grael, 34 nm DTL 4. Telefonica Black, Fernando Echavarri, 69 nm DTL 5. Telefonica Blue, Bouwe Bekking, 123 nm DTL 6. Ericsson 3, Anders Lewander, 149 nm DTL 7. Team Russia, Andreas Hanakamp, 165 nm DTL 8. Delta Lloyd, Ger O'Rourke, 188 nm DTL Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org * GEOGRAPHY LESSON: Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, around 354 km offshore from the Brazilian coast with a population of 2,051 (2000). The position is 03 degrees 54’S latitude, 32 degrees 25’W longitude . The islands of this archipelago are the visible parts of a range of submerged mountains. Consisting of 21 islands, islets and rocks of volcanic origin, the main island has an area of 18 km squared, being 10 km long and 3.5 km at its maximum width. The base of this enormous volcanic formation is 756 m below the surface. The main island, from which the group gets its name, makes up 91% of the total area; the islands of Rata, Sela Gineta, Cabeluda and São Jose, together with the islets of Leao and Viuva make up the rest. * ERICSSON 4: The crew is adapting to life without helmsman/trimmer Tony Mutter, who was transferred off the racing yacht last Friday, Oct. 17, due to complications from an infected knee. Mutter was taken to a hospital in the Cape Verde Islands, where he was met by team physician Dr. Antonio Coido. Mutter has been receiving antibiotics intravenously twice a day since being removed from Ericsson 4 and arrived today in Cape Town, South Africa, to join his family and meet the crew when they arrive. -- http://www.ericssonracingteam.com THE STORY OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST DOLDRUMS By Kenny Read, PUMA Skipper (Oct. 21, 2008) - It is well documented that this is my first doldrums crossing--and of course my first equator crossing. Yeah yeah, I know. The antics of "King Neptune" are not far away now. Casey Smith, Mickey Mueller and myself have that to look forward to! But, for the last couple of days or so it has felt like we would never get to those antics. Light air running - just getting going only to be smacked by a cloud that has no wind. Then a cloud with pressure gives you hope. And then a clearing that brings slapping sails. And it goes on, and on, and on. Early in the race we knew that this was going to be a major trap. The doldrums as described by Capey (Andrew Cape - navigator) in his typical understated tones were "unusually large." Which is translated to," Holy crap, there isn't any wind forever!" Actually what he described is that the doldrums are exactly where they usually are, and aren't really that large, but there is a huge band of no wind to the north of the doldrums making it seem like the world’s largest doldrums. And he was right. So we entered in the lead with only our historical data, some pretty sketchy weather analysis and a prayer. I think in this particular case it was certainly a disadvantage to enter this massive doldrums in the lead. A few of the boats had a nice shot at seeing our 3 hour position reports and seeing what the wind was doing with us and evaluating their weather files and deciding where to go next. We always liked the west, but to go there meant to jibe away from the entire fleet at one point and give up the lead for positioning sake - while still in the lead. -- Excerpt from full post here: http://tinyurl.com/57lsa6 HUGO BOSS WORKING TOWARDS THE START LINE (Oct. 21, 2008) To insure they arrive to the start on November 9th for the Vendee Globe, the team from Alex Thomson Racing have been working around the clock since the collision with a French fishing vessel on Friday (Oct 17th). In addition to this, Sir Keith Mills (Chairman of Alex Thomson Racing) has brought in support staff from Team ORGIN in the form of Team Director Mike Sanderson, Shore Operations Director David Duff and others to assist Alex in making the start line a reality. The damage that HUGO BOSS suffered through the collision was severe. The mast, which came down during the incident was broken 5 metres from the deck, but luckily it was recovered on Friday evening. David Barnaby from Southern Spars has been on site and the mast has been deemed repairable. All the sails were recovered and remarkably were undamaged, they have been sent to North sails France to be serviced. The team have been working alongside Pascal Conq the designer at Finot Conq, structural engineer Dr. Paolo Manganelli from SP and Multiplast in Vannes to decide the best way to repair the extensive damage. The team have also brought in specialist in ultrasound to assess the structural damage. The priority right now is to find a solution that allows a strong repair but also a fast one. This will be a difficult to balance, but crucial to the team’s goal of making the start line on November 9th. -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/VendeeGlobe102108 Race website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en STOCK MARKET GOT YOU DOWN? Now is the time to tune-up your current sail inventory. Upgrade your existing main with a StackPack. StackPacks can be added to any main - doesn't have to be new, doesn't have to be Doyle. Breathe new life into your sails by having them re-cut. Extend the life of your sails with routine maintenance and washing. Have your sails inspected so small issues can be addressed before resulting in a failure. To maximize the performance and life of your existing sails, contact your local Doyle loft, 800-94-DOYLE, http://www.doylesails.com QUOTE / UNQUOTE Guy Salter, Media Crew Member aboard the Volvo Ocean Race entrant Ericsson 4: “The hot weather - although uncomfortable has brought its fair share of laughs, namely in the array of marginal clothing being sported. There are some budding tailors onboard and the odd wannabe ballet dancer (in lycra skin tight leggings) but for me the prize of most marginal has to go to a Brazilian and his very short shorts (they get shorter by the day). At least the Speedos have not made an appearance yet, probably because the shoe horn needed to get into them has been left ashore! How about getting your crew shorts back on Torben! Please!” -- http://tinyurl.com/TorbenShorts MELGES 24 WORLDS PREVIEW NEXT WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS The International Melges 24 2008 North American Championship will descend on the Eastport YC in Annapolis, MD next week, which will also be the site for the 2009 Melges 24 World Championship in twelve months time. As a result, the entry list is shaping up to be a who’s who of Olympians, serial world champions and America’s Cup veterans. Defending North American champion (and current US National winner) Brian and John Porter’s Full Throttle will be there along with 2007 Melges 24 World Champion Dave Ullman, America’s Cup legend Terry Hutchinson, and One Design guru Chris Larson with tactician Allan Terhune by his side. -- Complete report: http://www.usmelges24.com/news/2008/article/usmcanews776.asp * With 48 boats currently registered for the North Americans, talk amongst the locals is how a club with nominal space like Eastport YC will be able to handle the measurement, launching, and storage logistics of events of this scale. According to Measurement and Logistics chair Liz Filter, it is not going to be a problem, but it will require high levels of patience and cooperation. To that end, Filter has outlined a comprehensive “Policy Paper” that other event organizers may want to file away for future needs. As for the NA entrants, read up: http://www.annapolismelges24.com/documents/Melges%20Marina%20Policy.pdf TP 52 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Oct. 21, 2008) - It was another tricky day on the Lanzarotean waters for the 14 crews taking part in the TP52 World Championship – Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. The race committee had to move the starting line a mile further offshore, trying to get a better breeze, but had to fire the gun with no more than 7 knots of a northeasterly to begin the second day of the championship. There was no shortage of challenges for the tacticians today, but for Mutua Madrileña it was another day in the office as they gathered bullets in both races to now lead the series. As for the Artemis team, which fell hard from first overall to third, tactician Russell Coutts commented, “Today we had a light and complicated breeze, we were early over the line and had to go back and if you stay back in this fleet it’s really tough to climb, it’s a real battle. Under these wind conditions you don’t try to win, you try to avoid losing and you have to be quite conservative. We had a couple of opportunities to separate from the fleet but some stupid errors made us slip back.” Current standings (top 5 of 14) 1. Mutua Madrileña (CHI), Flavio Favini, 3-1-6-1-1, 12 points 2. Quantum (USA), Terry Hutchinson, 2-6-1-4-6, 19 points 3 Artemis (SWE), Torbjorn Tornqvist, 1-2-2-11-13, 29 points 4. Bribón (ESP), Dean Barker, 10-12-4-2-5, 33 points 5. Matador (ARG), Alberto Roemmers, 6-4-5-7-11, 33 points Complete report and standings: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6563#6563 AMERICA’S CUP CLASS RACING RETURNS TO VALENCIA Valencia, Spain (Oct. 21, 2008) - The second edition of the Trofeo Desafío Español on November 8-9, the annual regatta organized by Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV), will this year include yachts and teams from the 32nd America’s Cup. Sailing ACC V5 boats used in the 2007 match, Alinghi - the sailing team of the Defender, Société Nautique de Geneve, and Desafío Español - the syndicate of Club Náutico Español de Vela that is currently recognized as the Challenger of Record, have already confirmed their attendance. “Our desire is for the America’s Cup to start as soon as possible back in Valencia,” said Manuel Chirivella, president of the CNEV. “We want Trofeo Desafío Español to be the beginning of testing, training, and racing, not only for Desafío Español and Alinghi, but also for other America’s Cup teams that are willing to take part in the races, which are open to all.” -- CNEV website: http://www.clubnauticoev.com INVESTMENT ALTERNATIVES FROM LASERPERFORMANCE. Why bother investing in the stock market when you can take advantage of the incredible fall savings available from LaserPerformance! Get free gear with new boats purchased before Dec 31st, stock up on parts from our online store, and get the latest event news and results from our website. http://www.laserperformance.com SAILING SHORTS * Veteran show producers Show Management of Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Sail America of Middletown, RI have merged two successful, long-standing boat shows into one all-new “super show” now called St. Petersburg Boat Show and Strictly Sail slated for December 4-7, 2008 in St. Petersburg, FL. For the first time, the show features the very best of boating and sailing worlds, with more than 200 power boats and 50 sailboats anchored in new floating docks. Additionally, a newly expanded Accessories Tent with hold 275 booths. -- http://tinyurl.com/SButt102108a * Weather reports announce a passage of a front Wednesday in the middle of the day, moving little by little into Thursday. As a result, the 60-foot l'Hydroptère should be going to the speed base at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône to take advantage of the Mistral wind which is forecast. Alain Thébault and his crew are seeking to break the world outright speed record, which is currently held by kiteboarder Alex Caizergues (FRA) at 50.57 knots (not yet ratified). -- http://www.hydroptere.com/_en * Once a year the top echelon of New Zealand sailors are recognized for their achievements with a nomination for the Yachting Excellence Awards. These people, coming from the ranks of Olympic, America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, and other great sailing disciplines, have reached the pinnacle of yachting on a national and international level, and join the likes of Sir Peter Blake, Russell Coutts, Mike Sanderson, Barbara Kendall, and Team New Zealand in our sport’s hall of fame. Those who are nominated will be recognized at the Yachting Excellence Awards on November 28, 2008. -- Full story: http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/NewsletterDetail.aspx?NewsletterID=174 * (Oct. 21, 2008) - The doublehanded Class 40 Kazimir Partners, sailed by Van Der Wel brothers Lenjon and Peter, hit a whale while competing in the Portimão Global Ocean Race. Said skipper Lenjohn, “We were traveling at 8 knots and came to an abrupt stop. We are not sure on damages yet but will drop the spinnaker and investigate later today. The bow seems intact and believe contact was made in front of the keel. Rudders seem ok.” It is now Day 9 for the two singlehanded Open 40s and four doublehanded Class 40s, with their first leg extending from Portimao, Portugal to Cape Town. -- http://www.portimaorace.com PREPARING FOR TRANSATLANTIC RECORD ATTEMPT (Oct. 21, 2008) Sir Richard Branson and triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie are on standby in New York to begin a Transatlantic Record Attempt aboard the 100ft Virgin Money (formerly Speedboat). With a potential weather window approaching, the crew hopes to set sail early Wednesday morning with TEAMORIGIN’s Team Director Mike Sanderson as skipper. Sanderson set the current transatlantic record of 6d 17h 52m 39s aboard the 140-foot Mari Cha IV in 2003. With a potential start from North Cove Marina, New York, Ainslie, TEAMORIGIN’s America’s Cup helmsman, will be on the wheel as the boat passes Ambrose Light, and the clock starts. The course will take them through treacherous winter conditions in the North Atlantic before finishing at Lizard Point, off the coast of Plymouth. The Juan Kouyoumdjian designed supermaxi has been on standby since they first attempted the record on June 29th, but were forced to return during the first day when one of their daggerboards broke. LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Gene Hinkel: (re, story in Issue 2707) As TD for the 2007 IFDS Worlds, it was an honor to ask Peter Wood to be one of the ISAF Judges. His work with Disabled Sailing and ISAF is what makes our sport Great. The TV coverage is vital to bring awareness to programs anywhere but without a sparkplug like Peter these programs do not happen. With Canada bringing home two medals from Qingdao it will help the Paralympic efforts for the sailors competing but the basic grass root programs just to get people in boats needs all our support in funding and volunteers. Thanks to the bald plumber or rather master plumber when I asked for an ISAF Canadian Judge suggestion. * From George Albaugh: After going to the Annapolis Boat Show (I'm a regular attendee, mostly because I'm a local), I found myself thinking that if it wasn't for the roast beast samich and a big beer at the Fleet Reserve Club, the show itself wouldn't be worth the time, money and effort for a dinghy sailor to attend. I shoulda spent the day sailing. (the samich was good, howsomeever). The Brits, on the other hand, have what appears to be a wonderful annual dinghy show at Earls Court. Why don't we have that here in the US? I didn't bother kicking my shoes off to go aboard a single big, more than I'll ever be able to afford tub, bobbing up and down at the floating docks. Even if I could afford one, a big boat just seems boring to a Moth Boat guy (I started racing Moths in 1959 and haven't bothered to aspire to anything bigger--no need to). I did spend time in the vendor tents and bumped into various folks I know, but for the small dinghy racer, there is really nothing that I'd call exciting to rev up the imagination at a typical In-The-Water boat show. In past years, yes, OK, there was a foiler Moth and Rohan, etc. but one guy and one boat every five or ten years--is that all there is? Well-meaning peeps are always submitting hand wringing letters to Scuttlebutt asking the same question: "Oh, what can be done to turn around the slumping growth curve for U.S. sailing?"From my perspective, some effort needs to be applied to the "grass roots" level of sailing---dinghy sailing. We need an annual dinghy show of our own! Is anyone listening? Does anyone care? => Curmudgeon’s Comment: No doubt, the Annapolis Boat Show is selling new boats, and while there was a nice display of dinghies from LaserPerformance and RS Racing, this show is certainly not run by local OD fleets seeking new members. Does anyone have examples of an annual dinghy show? SCUTTLEBUTT ADVERTISING IN 2009 The Scuttlebutt newsletter provides a limited amount of text ad slots in each issue, and these are often sold out well in advance. Most of the ad slots for 2009 will be booked in the next few months, so if you are interested in advertising, but always had heard how hard it was to get on the schedule… think again. Ad placement for 2009 is now available; contact Craig Leweck for details: 619-299-5678 or mailto:craig@sailingscuttlebutt.com CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Why isn't "palindrome" spelled the same way backwards? Special thanks to Doyle Sails and LaserPerformance. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
