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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 741 - January 31, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome. VENDEE GLOBE Desjoyeaux assured the Race HQ today that he never had a doubt about this turn of events. He has managed to accelerate gradually and create a 48-mile lead over Ellen, both now heading Northwest. "The way out was to be in the North and West of this phenomenon and that's why I got out first! I'm sure the Doldrums are behind me now. I've been sailing at more than 9 knots for a whole day." In the North Easterly trades, the leading boats climbing Northwards will be spending the next week heeled over upwind on one tack, in a constant search for a good compromise between heading and boat speed. Manoeuvres are thankfully rare in such conditions with a stable wind, and Desjoyeaux has been boasting that his boat is so well balanced, that she has even been sailing with the helm tied off. In his efforts to economise on his energy consumption he has done this to minimise use of his autopilots. His future is simplifying: "Right now I have to gain miles to the North as quickly as possible. In 3 Š 4 days time we'll know more from the weather files and then adopt a strategy for the Azores anticyclone. The forecasts aren't so reliable that far ahead." Ellen has been able to get going again and is benefiting from the same winds and thus the same speeds as Desjoyeaux. She has no radical option for a few days now but to keep the pressure on just to the East. There is no doubt that Desjoyeaux will mark her continuously though. - Philippe Jeantot, http://www.vendeeglobe.com * "I'm still kicking myself for my mistake three days ago when I fell asleep after climbing the mast and the boat headed further east," MacArthur admitted. Cutting the Doldrums at their westerly side is the normal drill and Desjoyeaux did that. "Mich's move to the west certainly paid off as he got the wind first," MacArthur added. "Once I lost my westerly position I never had the opportunity to get back there. I think he got the breeze about 10 hours before me. I always wanted to be west but that moment of fatigue lost me that advantage." It is typical of MacArthur to air her worries and doubts, to rue her mistakes just as she shares joy and elation. Putting her heart and soul before the public is what she is about and the public have another 10 days or so to enjoy her phenomenal performance before the finish at Les Sables d'Olonne. Though the leading pair are safely into the trade winds, there are still the light winds of the Azores high to negotiate. Neither are they immune to attack from Marc Thiercelin's Active Wear and Roland Jourdain's Sill, some 220 and 310 miles off the lead after 84 days racing. "There are still lots of choices to make, and I think any of the first four boats could still pull this off over the next 3,000 miles," said MacArthur." - Tim Jeffery, Daily Telegraph, UK, http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ * Few gave MacArthur, the young native of landlocked Derbyshire, smack in the middle of England, much chance to be in range of victory this late in the race. Even (Mark) Turner, the project manager, remarked last winter that she was quite inexperienced compared with the other skippers, and very young. But she apparently has been blessed with a good boat - the first one ever designed for this race by a four-man team of Alain Gautier, Rob Humphries, Mervyn Owen and Giovanni Belgrano. In a meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, during the America's Cup last winter, Turner said MacArthur was selected as skipper mostly because she could attract sponsorship no male skipper could ever land. He chuckled sheepishly yesterday when reminded of that. "She just works hard and keeps at it," he said. "That's the secret of her success." - Angus Phillips, Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ STANDINGS - January 30 @ 09:00 UT: 1 PRB (Desjoyeaux) 2923 miles from finish, 2. Kingfisher (MacArthur) 49 miles behind leader, 3. Active Wear (Thiercelin) 240 mbl, 4. SILL Matines La Potag¸re (Jourdain) 307 mbl 5. Union Bancaire Privˇe (Wavre) 975 mbl, 6. Sodebo (Coville) 1089 mbl. - http://www.vendeeglobe.com/home.asp?lang=us NEW QUESTION What comes in Grey with a Hawaiian stripe, and can make a world of difference to your disposition when you're spending a day on the water? It's the new color of the Camet 3000 Sailing Shorts. They're made of fast drying Supplex and are reinforced with a Cordura seat patch. Take the curmudgeon's advice and use the optional 1/4 inch foam seat pads - your butt will thank you. Check it out the full line of high performance sailing gear: http://www.camet.com THE RACE "Yesterday was the real first day of Southern Ocean sea conditions", reported crewmember Elena Caputo. "It was at the end of my watch, it was two o'clock in the morning when we heard a loud bang! Then there was a lot of noise inside the hull and finally there was another shock at the rudder. We realized that we had just lost half the daggerboard!" This new damage may well force Peyron's hand and force him into Wellington harbor. By doing so, the cat would also be able to replace her tattered sails and carry out other much-needed repairs around the boat. But stopping would earn a 48-hour penalty, allowing Grant Dalton to stretch out his lead again. This is a bitter blow to Peyron as he is likely to close considerably on his Kiwi adversary, who may slow up as Club Med approaches lighter winds. "Whilst we are making way towards the Tasmanian Sea, Innovation Explorer is catching up a system just behind us and I estimate that he should be about 320km/200 miles behind us in Cook. He is nailing us against the wall," said Dalton. In the last 24 hours Peyron's boat has been considerably faster, covering
580 nautical miles (nm) compared to 490 for Dalton, who forecast reaching
the Cook Strait on Saturday. - NOW Sports website, STANDINGS - January 31 @ 00:25 GMT: 1. Club Med, 2. Innovation Explorer, 748 miles behind leader, 3. Team Adventure, 4037 mbl, 4. Warta Polpharma, 4398 mbl, 5. Team Legato, 5285 mbl. * Pete Goss and the Goss team continue to tie up the Team Philips' project.
Such an extensive project, with such a far reach and so many tangents takes
time to tie up in a satisfactory way. Farewells to sponsors and a few team
members are underway. Logistical issues are also being taken care of by
Pete and Logitics Manager Nick booth. The short lived beacon signal from
Team Philips a few weeks ago revealed nothing of the boat, and many
continue to speculate on the reasons why. - RIGHT NOW http://www.sailing.org/regulations/eligibilitycode.pdf 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. We don't publish anonymous letters, but will withhold your e-mail address on request.) * From: " Bill Heintz " <bheintz@wans.net> In response to Guy Ballou question on dry-sailing on the Chesapeake - My father lives on a shallow creek in the Chesapeake. About 15 years ago he purchased a sling hoist, about the same time Burt Jabin's yard started routinely hauling boats on a daily basis. Advantages: zero cost for bottom paint, bottom scrubbing, sanding, painting, blisters, etc. Only once in that time has the boat been to a boatyard, for repairs. Disadvantages: On overnight and distance races he does not have any anti-fouling. Also he has to pay waterfront property tax. Unfair advantage: The boat is still exposed to rain, so it still absorbs some water from above. I suppose that all things being equal: hull fairing, crew and boat handling, start, strategy and tactics, sails, etc. a boat that is dry-sailed may have some speed advantage in light air or downwind. Many one-design classes have displacement marks and other rules which virtually nullify this marginal advantage. * From: "Ralph Taylor" <rtaylor@informationtools.com> Yes, Guy, dry-sailed boats are faster. You'll notice that the AC boats are pulled after every day of sailing and have no bottom paint. Older resins allowed more water absorption through the skin; so a boat kept in the water was heavier than one allowed to air-dry most of its life. It's less of a problem with modern construction materials, so your J-105 shouldn't be picking up much water weight. Also, a hull without bottom paint can be wet-sanded to a smooth (600+ grit) finish, reducing drag. Bottom paints, needed to keep the fur and critters off, can't attain the same degree of finish, even after wipe-down. Critical drag areas are the keel (especially hard to clean in the water) and rudder. It adds up. Take the example of a 5-mile race, which your boat sails at an average speed of 5.00 knots. A boat which could average 0.05 knot more (0.0853 ft. per second) would cross the line 36 seconds ahead of you, about 10 lengths. But, it's still one-design racing. Few classes restrict sanding and fairing, as long as you keep profiles within tolerance limits. After all, you have the option to keep your boat on a trailer during the week. Some classes, however, have restrictions on pulling boats during regattas. * From Mike Hunt <yachtracer@lycos.com> According to Seahorse magazine, last year, in its first year of operation, over 5000 boats raced with IRC certificates. So what (or who) is keeping IRC from penetrating the US sailing scene? Isn't it time to admit that IMS & Americap are dead? * From: Mark Green <mgreen@ecorp-real-estate.com> I hate to depart from the de rigueur discussion of (yawn) America's Cup intrigue and protocols, and the ISAF, but did anyone notice there are two exciting races going on out there? Go Ellen! What a great battle and comeback this might be. (Oddly, no one seems to be writing about the place and abilities of women in sailing this month while McArthur is fighting one of the most physically and tactically gruelling races ever...even if she doesn't win, her accomplishment is remarkable regardless of gender) Go Grant! 30 knots of wind and water in the face for 60 days is not for me, but I enjoy reading about your endeavor while I sip my coffee in front of the heater each morning. * From: Craig Fletcher <sailfletch@email.msn.com> In reply to Rod Davis, it's called "GOVERNMENT". If you can't do it you teach it, if you can't teach it you administer it. Therefore you have wannabe sailors running the show. This practice must end, we need to have people who are still active on the water become active in the board room. The Rod Davis's of our sport must step up. Lead, follow or get out of the way comes to mind. SAIL REPAIRS AT SEA Sticky-back Dacron is to the sailmaker what duct tape and epoxy are to a boat builder, an indispensable item. It comes in various weights, but the three-ounce weight is the most versatile and, for some reason, has the best adhesion. You can build up to the required weight by layering the Dacron, and the best part is that by layering you do not end up with a hard spot at the edge of the patch, which could become a hinge and form a weak spot in the sail. Before adding any sticky-back, make sure that the area to be patched is clean and dry. Wipe it clean with freshwater, or better still with alcohol (not your best gin, but an industrial type). It is important that there is no grime or grease on the sail. Sticky-back will adhere to damp sailcloth, but the bond will be much better if the sail is clean and dry, and better still if you are able to heat the patch once it is laid down. If you've got one available, use a hair dryer, or leave the sail in direct sunlight. The heat softens the adhesive and it becomes tacky, bonding more securely. Use sticky-back for repairing all Dacron sails, and for a quick fix on spinnakers. You'll find that it does not work for a long-term repair on Nylon because Dacron and Nylon stretch characteristics are disimilar and the Dacron patch will form a hard spot in the Nylon sail, which will end up ripping after a while. The key to good sail patching is to lay the ripped area out flat, piecing the edges together where you want them to be when the sail is repaired. Use the underside of one of your wooden floorboards for a flat surface and secure the fabric using sailmaker's awls, or if you prefer, regular pushpins. Trim off any frayed edges and pulled threads to allow the fabric to lay flat. In some cases it might be necessary to cut a square piece out to eliminate the ripped or chafed area if doing so will allow the rest of the fabric to lay flat. Then cut strips of sticky-back wide enough to cover the gap, and carefully place them over the torn area. When using sticky back, it's important to work from the center of the sail out toward the edges so that if your repair does not match up exactly, you can trim off the excess fabric. If you work in toward the middle of the sail and end up with a pucker, you will not be able to trim the excess. Remember, it's important that the repair come out as smooth as possible, so pay careful attention when pinning the sail to the board. A hard spot will soon become a weak spot. - Brian Hancock, SailNet website. Full story:http://www.sailnet.com/collections/seamanship/index.cfm?articleid=hancoc0015&tfr=fp AMERICA'S CUP * Into this minefield steps Peter Harrison, who has found his own excitement on the back of a racing yacht. But, even with a personal worth of £200m to £300m, depending on the final deal over the sale of his computer systems company Chernikeeff, he is in the small-change league compared with the Oracle computer boss Larry Ellison, telecoms mogul Craig McCaw, Swiss pharmaceuticals billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and Italy's Prada fashion-house boss Patrizio Bertelli, who will spend up to $100m each. Harrison is expected to spend up to $15m. * The syndicate has bought the two yachts from the 1999-2000 Nippon Challenge and is expected to announce that at least two of the Japanese design team will establish British residency to allow them to work alongside the British group. * This week's announcement had been held up while some loose ends, like individual contracts and negotiations with the yacht club through which Britain will officially challenge, have been tied up. It is also hoped that Harrison wanted time to strip out some of the old guard and create a streamlined management structure. Most importantly, flanked by his skipper, the double silver medallist Ian Walker, Harrison will be wanting to emphasise modest goals for the first outing in 2002-03 of what is meant to be a long-term campaign. - Mike Turner, Independent, UK, http://www.independent.co.uk/www/ VOLVO OCEAN RACE Instead of using an existing commercial boat yard abroad, Team SEB has recruited two of the world's most experienced boatbuilders in this category, New Zealanders Richard Gillies and Tim Smyth, who have recruited an international team of 18 boat builders from New Zealand, Spain and Sweden. After launching and christening in late April, the new boat will practice together with one of Team SEB's two other training boats SEB I and SEB II (former Silk Cut and Toshiba) in the test programme until it is time to move over to Team SEB's base in Southampton before the start in Volvo Ocean Race September 23. - www.teamseb.com US OPEN 60 "Our new name reflects the interests of generous contributors Kevin and Shauna Flanigan," said skipper and Foundation President Bruce Schwab. "Ocean Planet also recognizes hundreds of grass-roots supporters and contributors who share our respect and love for the world's oceans. While the sea offers the sailor's toughest challenges, it is also a fragile resource." Ocean Planet is the only state-of-the-art Open 60 racing sailboat under construction in the U.S. The boat will be among the lightest and fastest in its class ever built. The yacht will join the grueling schedule of international yacht races for Open 60s later this year. - Joan Garrett, SailSail website, http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=3683 THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUMWhen your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you're just sitting there, staring at carpeting? |
