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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 887 - August 24, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
ENFORCED DISCOMFORT - a guest editorial by Roger Vaughan We all know it can be brutal out there. The teams all have nutritionists who figure out ways to provide enough calories for crews burning up as much as triathletes every day. And studies have been done about the negative, long-term effects of eating freeze-dried food and enduring prolonged sleep deprivation. And yet crew conditions get worse. Fuzz Spanhake said after the last round the world race that if dogs were living in the same conditions as Whitbread sailors, the ASPCA would be called. Wouldn't it make sense for the ruling body of the Volvo to add some basic requirements that have to be met by all boats--and that would be checked (enforced) at each port of call? Like an enclosed head that actually works; and adjustable pipe berths; and at least two books and one photo of the family pet per crewmember? And an extra toothbrush? Whatever. If every boat had to meet these requirements the level of racing would be maintained, and living conditions and crew health would advance a blessed click. Wouldn't everyone involved like that? Or is there some kind of prideful self-abuse going on here that I can't fathom.
AMERICA'S CUP JUBILEE The ACC protest concerned a pre-start incident when GBR-41, under pressure from Luna Rossa to leeward, tried to luff America3 to weather. There was contact between the two boats, and the Jury concluded that America3 should be disqualified for the final race, putting GBR-41 into the semi-finals. Prada's Luna Rossa, the winner of the fleet racing regatta, and last year's Louis Vuitton Cup, earned the right to choose its opposition, and selected the fourth place finisher GBR-41. Although skipper Andy Beadsworth looked strong in the pre-start, and led off the line, GBR 41, a 1995 generation boat, couldn't keep pace with the Italian silver bullet and trailed at the finish. In the other match-up, the GBR Challenge flagship, GBR-52 lined up against the 'Mighty-32', with Team New Zealand. At the second weather mark In generally light and shifty conditions, with a strong current churning up the Solent,, the swirling currents pushed GBR Challenge helmsman Andy Green down onto the mark. The anchor line for the mark became badly entangled on the keel, and the crew eventually had to cut the line. By that time the slick New Zealand crew had sped off down the track, and finished the race over one minute to the good. In the Grand Prix Class of the Prada International 12-Metre Championships the Swiss Kiwi Russell Coutts continued to dominate. Sailing in light winds and lackluster conditions, Coutts and his teammates from the Swiss Alinghi Challenge for the America's Cup racked up another first place aboard South Australia. A first place today gave South Australia a record of three firsts and a second for a total of five points. The downunder rivals Australia II, sailed by John Bertrand and Kiwi Magic, skippered by Cameron Appleton, are tied for second place with 13 points after Australia II finished second today and Kiwi Magic finished fifth. - Keith Taylor, Peter Rusch There's a whole lot more: http://www.americascupjubilee.com
VALUABLE DECK REAL ESTATE
TEAM RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Provisional Results, Top 10, after 151 Heats:
AMERICA'S CUP * COWES - At a breakfast press conference, Team New Zealand head Tom Schnackenberg and skipper and sailing manager Dean Barker expressed confidence that the 2003 defence campaign was in top form and that the America's Cup, looking resplendent on the table nearby, would remain in New Zealand. "We've had a very good summer," Barker said. "We're at the point where we're sailing the boats as well, or better than we did in the last America's Cup." "We're pushing forward on all fronts design-wise," Schnackenberg added. "We figure that all the components, the rig, the sails, the appendages and the hull are all equal contributors to speed. That being said, sailing skills are huge - they're very hard to develop at this level and we think there are rewards there too. "We need to produce a boat that has a lot of speed over a wide variety of conditions. The problem we face is that often you can't accurately predict the weather over more than a half hour ahead of time. So you need a boat that's fast in all conditions." - America's Cup Jubilee website. Full story: www.americascupjubilee.com
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Mike O'Sullivan, Ottawa Ontario: Light air conditions unfortunately prevailed at a recent major dinghy regatta at our yacht club. The participating classes numbered about 200 boats and included windsurfers, Optimists and the various types of Lasers. The members of the on-the-water jury were subjected to the most unbelievable display of illegal kinetics imaginable, i.e. rocking, ooching, roll tacks every few seconds with no other purpose than accelerate out of the tack. When called by the jury, the kinetics employed during the 720 penalty meant that very little, if anything, was lost. The infractions were so widespread that the jury could have called practically every competitor out there. What was most alarming was to see the wee guys and gals in the Optimists employing this kind of tactics. Where are they learning this and how do we put a stop to it? There are those who suggest that the only way to deal with this is to remove all restrictions on kinetics as the competitors are becoming masters at disguising illegal body movements through minute sail adjustments etc. thus making enforcement difficult. Others, and I favor this approach, urge rigid enforcement by increasing the number of well-trained on-the-water juries. Racing coaches at the various clubs should be promoting ethics on the racecourse and move away from the goal of "win at any cost." * From Bob Tillett: A report from Cowes suggested that the New Zealand 1995 Americas Cup winner NZL 32 might end up in a theme park in Wellington, N.Z. after her appearances at the Cup Jubilee festivities. This would be a sad end for such a famous vessel, as there is a perfectly placed National Maritime Museum in Auckland adjacent to the Hauraki Gulf, close to the syndicate bases on Auckland Harbour. In Fremantle, Western Australia, a new maritme museum is currently under construction to house the 1983 Cup winner, Australia II. Surely Auckland is the rightful repository for such an important icon of NZ Yachting history? All yachtsmen, especially kiwis, should challenge the Wellington proposal. * From Greg Scott (In response to Keith Kilpatrick & Todd Willsie): I must concur with Todd. Last year I was in Newport for the IMS Worlds. Parked beside us a few slips up was Merit Cup. I noticed that the runner tales crossed sides after the lead blocks. After a few minutes of trying to figure why you would do this (looking for that competitive edge) I broke down and asked. I was told it was to save the weight of one winch. I asked was it worth it; the reply "have you ever heard of a Chinese fire drill" (no cultural offense meant - literal recount of expression) and went on to say it was a stupid idea and that the next boat will not take the same approach. In conjunction with the berth description, all I can say is we aren't out there, if these guys want to sail this way it's not our call. Let's just hope the inshore - offshore boats don't pursue the same folly and that weight saving is restricted to carbon fibre toothbrush holders and wine racks. * From Bruce Parsons, Newfoundland: It is not always true that putting your sails on the floor does not increase the righting moment. It may come as a surprise but most yachts have their center of gravity approximately on the waterplane, and so on the floor the sails do lower the center of gravity ever so slightly. Also, all the emphasis on righting arm seems to gloss over the fact that stability is directly proportional to weight, every pound on the boat adds stability. Of course where you put it does matter, on the mast head does not increase righting moment, but at or below the center of gravity does. * From Rhidian Bridge: With reference to Mike Ingham's concerns on Piracy. Incidents of crime at sea and piracy are relatively rare, but make good headlines. Unfortunately in international waters and territorial waters of littoral states with little or no law enforcement the yachtsman is very much on his own. A sound rule to keep you out of trouble is not seek it. There are however, several areas where yachtsmen are vulnerable: including the gulf of Aden and much of the South China Sea where weather and current speed can force yachts inshore and within the reaches of opportunist and organized criminals. For statistics on reported incidents go to: The International Maritime Bureau's Weekly Piracy report, www.iccwbo.org/ccs/imb_piracy/. For sensible precautions to take see the MCAs Marine Guidance notes on Piracy and Armed Robbery - http://www.mcga.gov.uk/mgn/index.htm These mainly apply to commercial vessels but have useful pointers for the yachtsman. I have worked in the Maritime Risk Management business for some time those interested in advice on piracy and minimising the risks are welcome to get on touch with me at info@argoprojects.com. * From: Chuck Carmichael: I've been engaged in the commercial shipping industry for nearly twenty five years and I can tell you that piracy and armed robbery at sea has been around since people started going to sea. It's a big problem worldwide and it's getting bigger all the time. Here's a sample from today's watch: "Extra caution is advised at all ports in Indonesia, Gelasa Str, Bangka Str, Berhala Str, Sunda Str, Malacca Straits, Singapore Str, Phillip Channel, Vung Tau, Chittagong Roads, Mongla Anchorage, Chennai anchorage, Cochin anchorage, Kandla, Southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, the Somali coast, Conakry, Nigerian ports and Rio Haina in the Dominican Republic. Ships are advised to maintain anti-piracy watches and report all piratical attacks and suspicious movements of craft to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia." * From Stacie Straw: At the not-so-old age of 55, my father has undergone invasive treatments for basal and squamous cell carcinoma in the past year. After many years of having spots burned off and chunks cut out, he underwent micrographic surgery last fall to remove skin cancer from his head. This entailed cutting skin and tissue all the way down to the bone, leaving a large chunk out of the top of his head. During the follow-up visit, the doctor determined that he had not removed all the cancer, and my dad had to undergo a second surgery. The resulting wound was very painful and took quite a while to heal, not to mention really gross looking. This type of surgery has a 95% effectiveness rate, but my father was in that other 5%. By this January, the cancer had spread into his salivary gland and some lymph nodes. He had surgery to remove all of the lymph nodes on the right side of his neck and part of his salivary gland. After that, he looked like Frankenstein with a jagged line of staples down one side of his face and neck. Next, he had to undergo radiation treatment for an extended period of time, which left him exhausted and aggravated the tender skin on his head that was still healing. He is healthy now, but he's had to give up sailing. I'm sure many 'Buttheads know people with similar stories, but for those who don't... please heed this lesson and cover up. * From Douglas Messer (edited to our 250-word limit): The premise that two production boats are the same and by measuring one you can predict the performance of a sistership is flawed. Any boat builder will tell you that even in one-design classes it is impossible to create two identical boats and when no concerted effort is made the speed difference from weight or shape variations can be substantial. Just look at the Mumm 36 fleet. Incredible amounts of money and effort were spent to make these boats identical yet within five years of their introduction. In Sailing World's "From the Experts" collumn, the writer advised those desiring to win in the class should select a mast from the hull series xx and mate it with a hull from hull series yy. If this is the case when engineering, design and construction are focused on making boats identical, what do you think is the case when the main issue is "get the boat done"? PHRF is the only system that has the potential to make sail racing a true contest of sailing skill. However as long as the PHRF committees maintain the fantasy that all sisterships sail at the same speed, there will be inequities in the system. With today's computers, maintaining a database of performance and changing a vessels rating on a weekly basis as more performance data becomes available is childs play yet the entrenched old guard won't go for it because they couldn't spend their way to victory.
OBSERVATIONS FROM COWES On opening night it was the waterside Jubilee Village that received His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh (a.k.a. Queen Elizabeth's husband) and members of the Royal Yacht Squadron and the New York Yacht Club for a champagne reception topped off by an aerobatic performance by the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows. His Royal Highness bestowed medals of honor on nine winning America's Cup skippers who are participating in the Jubilee (Olin Stephens, Ted Hood, Bill Ficker, Dennis Conner, John Bertrand, Bill Koch, Buddy Melges, Russell Coutts, Dean Barker). "This is the last chance to see the greatest sailors in the world standing together," said Gary Jobson, who emceed the ceremonies. While legendary sailors are in abundance here at Cowes, so are the royal and famous, with which I haven't yet shared a cup of tea. King Juan Carlos of Spain and Prince Henrik of Denmark are racing their own yachts, while the Agha Khan is spectating aboard his superyacht Shergar. From the fashion world, Giorgio Armani has made an appearance as has Patrizio Bertelli, head of the Prada fashion empire. And while I wouldn't recognize Ernesto Bertarelli, the pharmaceuticals billionaire, or Hasso Plattner, the German industrialist, I can make a guess at the identity of Fiat's Giovanni Agnelli, who is having a blast blasting around on Stealth (winner of yesterday's historic race around the island). - Barby MacGowan, Scuttlebutt's official Jubilee correspondent in Cowes.
EDS ATLANTIC CHALLENGE If this were a horse race we would be talking nose-lengths between the three leading yachts. With nearly the entire Atlantic Ocean now behind them only two miles separates the three leaders. In fourth Sill Plein Fruit continues to pour on the steam and has now closed to within nearly 30 miles of the leader. Skipper Roland Jourdain has sailed a conservative leg since having his yacht's mast repaired following a catastrophic dismasting at the start Leg 4. - Meaghan Van Liew & Stephen Pizzo
STANDINGS, 24 August 2001 01:45:25 GMT:
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