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SCUTTLEBUTT 2678 - Wednesday, September 10, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. TURNING 90 FEET INTO 100 FEET When BMW Oracle Racing decided to submit their Deed of Gift challenge for the America's Cup in July 2007, they needed to act fast to insure they were the second team to challenge (thus becoming the primary challenge if they could successfully nullify the Spanish challenge). They quickly assembled a consortium of multihull experts to determine the dimensions for the fastest boat that the Deed of Gift would allow. The Deed had limits on size, plus required certain specifications to be disclosed. Upon filing their challenge on July 11, 2007, BOR described their boat as having a 90-foot length at load waterline, a 90-foot beam at load waterline, a 90-foot extreme beam, a 3-foot hull draft, and a 20 draft with boards down. With the BOR trimaran now revealed, their announced 90-foot boat is decidedly longer. The secret is in the floats (aka amas or outer hulls), which extend both forward and aft of the main hull. When the boat is level, both floats are in the water at the same time, thus providing the described beam at load waterline. However, in this position, their waterline length is a small fraction of their actual length, which is understood to be 100 feet. The main hull total length and waterline length appear identical at 90 feet. When sailing in light winds, the boat rides on the main hull and the leeward float. However, with sufficient wind strength, the boat will heel enough to ride on only the leeward float, thus benefiting from its longer immersed waterline length (approx. 100 feet) and smaller hull form, a feat that has ably been demonstrated in no more than nine knots of wind. -- Excerpt from a Scuttlebutt exclusive: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0909 MOVING DAY On Tuesday afternoon, BMW Oracle Racing confirmed that they will ship their 90-foot multihull yacht from Anacortes, WA, to San Diego, CA at the conclusion of the initial test session later this month. "With light breeze and flat water, Anacortes has been the ideal place to sea trial our new boat," said team helmsman James Spithill when confirming the ongoing testing plans. "We will move the team to San Diego for two months to extend the sailing season in the warmer climate of Southern California." San Diego was the home of the America's Cup during the San Diego Yacht Club's reign as Defender from 1987-1995. The team will base its operations from the Fifth Avenue Landing downtown, near the former Rowing Club/ Chart House restaurant (now Joe's Crab Shack) where Team Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes was located when the America's Cup was in San Diego. The boat is expected to arrive by barge in San Diego by the end of September. The yacht is a key element of the team's preparation for the next America's Cup, representing San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club. -- http://bmworacleracing.com/ PARALYMPIC SAILING - DAY TWO Qingdao, China -- In a story posted on the Sail-World.com website, Brian Todd of the Canadian Sailing Team reports that Day 2 of the 2008 Paralympics was, " . . . another long day on the water - three races in 4 to 6kts. There were pressure bands that worked for some, but the current in the first two races was not as much of a factor as in the last one. Who said there was no wind in Qingdao - sometimes not much, but enough to sail, race and train for sure. Qingdao is definitely challenging place to sail so the winners here will certainly be well deserved." It was a mostly successful day for Team USA, with two teams each winning two out of their three races. Nick Scandone (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) are enjoying the view from the top in the 11-boat SKUD-18 class, after grabbing two bullets and a third place finish. After also winning two races, John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) now sits in second place in the 2.4 mR -- one point shy of Canada's Paul Tingley. Scandone and McKinnon-Tucker first started racing together a year ago, when Scandone switched from the 2.4 mR to the double-handed SKUD-18. Ever since, they have been an unstoppable force in this competitive fleet, winning the 2007 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials and US Sailing's 2008 Rolex Miami OCR by wide margins. McKinnon-Tucker credits their teamwork with their success: "Nick and I just really gel, and we work well together as a team," she said. "There isn't a lot of chatter on the boat," she said. "We manage to know what each other is feeling without words. It's different than any other team I have sailed with." Wednesday is a lay day at the Paralympics, with two races planned for Thursday. Standings after five of 11 races: One-person keelboat (2.4MR - 16 boats) 1. CAN, Paul Tingley ,1-1-5-2-(9), 9pts 2. USA, John Ruf, 2-6-1-(9)-1, 10pts 3. GER, Heiko Kroger, 3-2(11)-6-4, 15pts Two-Person Keelboat (SKUD18 - 11 boats) 1. USA, Nick Scandone/ Maureen McKinnon Tucker, 2-1-1-1-(3), 5pts 2. AUS, Daniel Fitzbibbon/ Rachael Cox, (4)-2-2-2-2, 8pts 3. CAN John Scott McRoberts/ Stacie Louttit, (3)-3-3-3-1, 10pts Three-Person Keelboat (Sonar - 14 boats) 1. FRA, Jourdren/ Larhant/ Vimont-Vicary, 4-1-1-2-(8), 8pts 2. AUS, Harrison/ Boaden/ Martin, (8) 4-2-3-3, 12pts 3. GER, Kroker/ Prem/ Mainka, 5-(6)-3-1-4, 13pts 8. USA, Rick Doerr/ Tim Angle/ Bill Donohue, 1-9-10-7-(12), 27pts 13. CAN, Ken Kelly, Don Terlson/ Marc Shaw, 10-12-(14)-11-10, 42pts Complete results: http://www.sailing.org/24859.php US Sailing Paralympics reports: http://olympics.ussailing.org/Olympics.htm Betsy Alison posted a blog about a day in the life of a Paralympic sailing coach: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/blog/paralympic/index.asp DISCOVER: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC The activity level in the boatyard here in Marblehead is picking up. As we put the finishing touches on another great summer of sailing, we're looking forward to fall. Whether you're trying to remember where your warm jacket is, or just getting to the point where it's cool enough to turn off the AC, we've got you covered with great gear for both on and off the water. If you're in Newport this week, stop by the Team One Newport booth to see us. If not, visit us online to find a dealer near you. Discover: Your Atlantis -- http://www.atlantisweathergear.com => Curmudgeon's Comment: The folks at Atlantis are fielding their annual survey on the sailing gear market, and they'd like your input. If you can spare 3 minutes to complete the online questionnaire, they'll enter you in a drawing to win one of three $350 Aegis jackets they're giving away. Click on this link to take the survey: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2cviy42fksqb9q5/start VOLVO OCEAN RACE * Ireland looks set to have two entries in the Volvo Ocean Race. Property developer Ger O'Rourke, well known for having campaigned his Cookson 50 Chieftain across the globe, including a win in the last Rolex Fastnet Race, earlier this year acquired the former ABN AMRO One 2005-6 race winner from Ericsson Racing Team, which had been using it as their training boat. O'Rourke has been playing his cards closely to his chest since then as he has attempted to round up sponsorship to enable him to get his team around the world. And so on Wednesday this week we are expecting to confirmation of his team's sponsorship from Dutch insurance company Delta Lloyd. Meanwhile the team's VO70, where it is believed former Brasil 1 crewman New Zealander Stu Wilson holds a major role, is now on its way to Alicante having left the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland yesterday. This follows the boat being in refit in Limerick to make her comply with the modifications to the Volvo Open 70 rule for this Volvo Ocean Race. - Excerpt from a posting on The Daily Sail subscription website. - www.thedailysail.com * After nearly a year of training and preparation in the Canary Islands, the two crews of the Ericsson Racing Team have left their Lanzarote base for an estimated five-day sail to Alicante, Spain for the start of the 10th Volvo Ocean Race. There are just 25 days until the Alicante inshore race. Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race is scheduled to begin one week later, Oct. 11. This is Ericsson's second foray in the Volvo Ocean Race. Video images will be available in Ericsson's Broadcast Room -- www.thenewsmarket.com/ericsson * Kosatka, Team Russia's challenger for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, has left Portland, UK, bound for the start port of Alicante. Skipper Andreas Hanakamp and his crew have been preparing Kosatka for this moment, fighting the terrible weather in the UK over the last week. A series of low-pressure systems brought torrential floods and gale force winds preventing the shore team from reattaching the keel and stepping its new mast. With a break in the weather on Monday, it was all hands on deck to reassemble the boat after a major refit, upgrades and refinements. Kosatka is expected to arrive in Spain by the weekend. - www.teamrussia.org COMMITMENT The Essex (UK) parents of a 2012 Olympic hopeful are remortgaging their home to help their son fulfill his dream. The revelation comes as a new report shows parents are forking out thousands of pounds a year to help realize their children's Olympic aspirations. The true cost of getting youngsters to perform at top-level sports was published today. It is thought the average parent in East Anglia spends £535 (US$974) a year on kit, competitions and transport. Expenses increase dramatically for high achievers and there are fears that is holding future champions back. Nic Evans, of West Mersea, told the Gazette he was remortgaging his house to fund his son Martin's sailing career. The 16-year-old is tipped as one of the hopefuls for London 2012 and is about to enter the Laser Standard Class - the men's Olympic Laser category. It has cost his parents about £10,000 (US$ 18,208) this year. The Gazette, full story: http://xrl.us/oouqc QUOTE / UNQUOTE "The top sailors should also be the ambassadors of the sport, but they are not always good at it. They often want to take, not give. They have a huge responsibility." - Gary Jobson, http://worldyachtracingforum.com ROTARY-SAIL TECHNOLOGY A fleet of 1,500 unmanned sailing ships may become the new weapon in the fight against global warming, by creating wakes that whiten clouds to reflect the heat of the Sun better. According to a report in the Times, the concept was put forward by a scientist at the University of Edinburgh. The concept involves vessels powered by a radical rotary-sail technology that could patrol selected areas of ocean, spraying tiny droplets of seawater into existing clouds. The droplets increase the surface area and so whiten the cloud, bouncing more radiation back into space and offsetting the warming caused by burning fossil fuels. "The beauty of the system is that it runs on wind and seawater," said Stephen Salter, author of a paper published in the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions. "You can apply the effect locally, to cool down the Arctic or the seas around coral reefs. It would give us complete control. We could even take ourselves back to a little ice age. The effects can be turned up or down, or shut off completely if something unexpected happens," he added. -- Full story: http://xrl.us/oo3kg "BIGHT ME" WINS RHODES 19 NATIONALS Congratulations to Charlie Pendleton and Jim Raisides and crew on "Bight Me" for winning the 2008 Rhodes 19 Nationals held at the New Bedford Yacht Club. "Bight Me", powered by an all Doyle inventory, also won the Don Quixote Trophy and the Novice Trophy. When you want to put in a winning performance, contact your local Doyle loft at 800-94-DOYLE. For more details on all Doyle One Design Classes visit http://www.doylesails.com/onedesign.htm * A report from the Rhodes 19 Nationals is posted in the Sailing Events section on the Scuttlebutt Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6300 SAILING SHORTS * As Hurricane Ike marches towards the Gulf coast, Peter Davidson, the Marina Superintendent in Corpus Christi, Texas has provided two weather websites for marina tenants in its path: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ and http://www.stormpulse.com/. Davidson has also recommended a URL with information for securing a vessel in heavy weather: http://www.boatus.com/Hurricanes/ * While fundamentally a fun rally for cruising yachts, the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) does have a more serious Racing Division, which is run under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). Of the 225 boats sailing in this year's ARC, 34 of them have entered that Racing Division, where they are not permitted to use their engines for propulsion (unlike the cruisers), although use of autopilots is allowed. The entire ARC fleet departs from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on November 23rd on a 2,700 nm passage to Rodney Bay in St. Lucia. -- www.worldcruising.com/arc * The first day of racing at the Hobie 16 Open North American Championship, on Clear Lake, Iowa was tight, with only six points separating the top five boats in the 55-boat fleet. 1. Mark Modderman/ Gladice Romero, 1-3, 4pts; 2. Armando Noriega Jr./ Marta Noriega, 5-1, 6pts; 3. Mike Montague/ Kathy Ward, 6-4, 10pts; 4. Jim Sohn/ Rebecca Krause, 4-6 10pts; 5. Patrick Porter/ Darci Porter, 2-9, 11pts. - Complete standings: http://www.hobiecatdivision7.org/Hobie16NAC2008/results/Hobie16Day1.htm * It was just 20 years ago in San Diego - September 9, 1988 - that Dennis Conner completed his 2-0 sweep over the Kiwi 'Big Boat' to win the America's Cup with his catamaran, 'Stars & Stripes.' * Racing at 15th edition of the biennial Rolex Swan Cup started on Tuesday for 100 Swan yachts at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Conditions for a first day were described as 'gentle,' with winds that peaked in the early-teens in the channel, but stayed below ten knots elsewhere on the various courses. The leaders at the end of Day One are Hendrik Brandis' Earlybird (FIN) for the Swan 45s, Enrico Scerni's Kora 4 (ITA) for the Club Swan 42s, Roel Pieper's Favonius (BVI) among the Maxis and John Bainbridge's Zen (GBR) in the Classic division. - Full report: www.yccsswancup.com & www.regattanews.com * Visitors at Strictly Sail boat show this coming December in St. Petersburg, Florida will be in for a bit of a surprise. In addition to the 50 new sailboats expected to be on display, there will also be 200+ powerboats. There's been a merger, which reportedly makes the newly expanded "St. Petersburg Boat Show and Strictly SailT" the Gulf Coast's largest boat show. The event will be staged December 4-7, at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts Mahaffey Theater Yacht Basin and Albert Whitted Park. It features significantly bigger waterfront and land displays, along with new show additions. -- http://xrl.us/nof4f * With protests still pending after Day One at the J24 NAs hosted by the Wayzata Yacht Club on Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, Will Welles, with a 3-1 in the 33-boat fleet, has a five point lead over John Mollicone. However both Bill Fastiggi and Chad Olness are just one point further back with 10 points each. - Complete results: http://www.j24northamericans.com/pages/day1.html * BoatU.S. is seeking nominees for its national Recreational Boating Access Award. The award will honor an individual, group, government body, business or non-profit organization that has succeeded in preserving or improving public waterway access. Judges will look at four criteria: First, the challenges faced in retaining or increasing access in an area; Second, the direct impact or measurable results of the solution; Third, the level of success in increasing awareness of the issue in a community and; Fourth, "repeatability," or the ability to take the successful approach and adopt it in other areas. The entry deadline is October 1. -- http://www.BoatUS.com/gov/AccessAward * The Ellen MacArthur Sailing Trust has doubled the number of children on its summer residential trip thanks to car manufacturer Rolls-Royce. The trust, which takes young people in recovery from cancer and leukaemia on sailing trips, was named as Rolls-Royce's official charity of the year. Its support has allowed the trust to double the number of youngsters on its two- week trip to Bradwell Outdoors Centre in Essex from 20 to 40. Trust patron Dame Ellen MacArthur, pictured, said: "I didn't think we could beat the fun we had last year but we have managed it. -- http://xrl.us/ooyyv 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 Rob Overton, Cartagena, Colombia: In the Letters section of Scuttlebutt 2636, John Sweeney raises a question about Terry Hutchinson and rule 18.3. The interesting issue to me is not John's question, but Terry's answer: Effectively, Terry claims nobody broke any rules, even though the photos John referenced appear to show that that Terry tacked inside the zone and Paul Cayard had to sail above close-hauled to avoid him. Terry doesn't contend those issues; his defense is that Paul tacked right in front of him and forced him to crash tack, so he (Terry) had no options. But that defense doesn't work unless he claims Paul broke a rule and thus compelled him to break rule 18.3. It seems to me that if Paul completed his tack outside the zone and then had to sail above close-hauled to avoid Terry, Terry broke rule 18.3 and the only way he could have avoided a penalty if protested would be to claim that Paul tacked too close (i.e., broke rule 13). But Terry says "[Paul] tacked very close to us but clear and left us an avenue to tack underneath and lay the mark." This seems to give away the rule-13 counterattack. So, Terry, it looks as if Paul did give you a break, there. => Curmudgeon's Comment: I think we've beaten this issue to death, but readers who want to continue this rules discussion should feel free to go at it in the Scuttlebutt Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM If Zippo lighters merged with Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining would they be known as ZipAudiDoDa? Special thanks to Atlantis WeatherGear and Doyle Sailmakers. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
