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SCUTTLEBUTT 2430 - September 12, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. WHY IT HAPPENED The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) examines and investigates marine accidents to or on board UK ships worldwide, and other ships in UK territorial waters. Here is the synopsis of their report on the investigation of the keel failure, capsize, and loss of one crew member from the Max Fun 35 yacht Hooligan V 10 on February 3, 2007: “During the late evening of 2 February 2007, the owner and four crew of the Max Fun 35 yacht Hooligan V sailed from Plymouth towards Southampton following out of season repair and maintenance. At about 0320 (UTC) on 3 February, the boat’s keel became detached and the boat capsized, causing the loss of life of one crew member. “Hooligan V was the first of 10 yachts in a class developed by the Dutch yacht designer Maarten Voogd, for use in Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) Category B waters. The yacht was apparently designed following the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) standards. It was built by Breehorn BV in Woudsend in The Netherlands and marketed by Max Fun Boats BV. Unbeknown to the designer, the builder sub-contracted construction of the hollow keel to a steel fabricator who had no marine experience. The fabricator changed the design of the keel to ease manufacture and to reduce costs but without adequately assessing the stresses to which the keel would be subjected in service. “In 2005, the owner of Hooligan V contracted a UK yacht designer to optimise the yacht for IRM and IRC1 racing. This involved adding a further 160kg to the keel bulb. At the end of a successful 2006 racing season, the yacht was delivered to Queen Anne’s Battery in Plymouth for repairs and maintenance. When the boat was taken out of the water, a considerable amount of detachment of the keel’s epoxy filler and anti-fouling was found. There was also evidence of the likelihood of fine cracking in the steel adjacent to the fillet weld, but this went undetected. At the end of January 2007, the boat was put back into the water for the delivery voyage from Plymouth to Southampton.” -- Read on: http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources/Hooligan_V-synopsis.pdf -- Related info: http://tinyurl.com/2c8wsc ADVANTAGE ARTEMIS Hyeres, France (September 11, 2007) In what promises to be an engaging duel for the overall 2007 Breitling MedCup title, it was Russell Coutts and the crew of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis which seized the upper hand after the first two races of the Hyères Trophy. Tied with Vicente Tirado's Caixa Galicia going into this regatta, Coutts and his crew eased four points clear of the John Kostecki-led team thanks to their first and second places from today's two races on the Bay of Hyères. A long wait for the breeze to fill in and settle was finally rewarded with 7-10 knots of SE'ly wind which saw the first race start at just after 1600hrs and the second windward-leeward contest at 1735hrs. "So far, so good," was Coutts' assessment. "It was a bit of a one sided track but we managed to get off the start line well in both races and that made all the difference. We certainly have great boat speed and that also helps in these conditions.” Tactician John Kostecki of the Botin & Carkeek designed Caixa Galicia's concurred, "I think most people acknowledge that the Judel Vrolijk designs are a little quicker upwind. If you ask Vasco Vascotto or anyone, I think they would agree and that applies not just to Artemis, but to Bribon, to Stay Calm, Siemens, all the Vrolijk boats." Tactician Vince Brun onboard Siemens' helped his team to a 9-1 scoreline to currently sit in third. -- Complete report: http://2007.medcup.org/news/?idioma=2&id=3315 Standings after two races: 1. Artemis (T Tornqvist SWE-Judel Vrolijk 2007) 3pts 2. Caixa Galicia (V Tirado-ESP Botin & Carkeek 2007) 7pts 3. Siemens (A Roemmers, ARG-Judel Vrolijk 2007) 10pts 4. Stay Calm (S Robinson, GBR-Judel Vrolijk 2007) 10pts 5. Mean Machine (P de Ridder, MON-Judel Vrolijk 2006) 11pts Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/2euhgf ULTIMATE SAILING YACHT FOR DEDICATED J FOLLOWERS The flagship of J Boats J/65 "Brand New Day" will be displayed and will be available for showings at the Newport Brokerage Boat Show September 13th-16th. "Brand New Day" displays exceptional performance under non-overlapping headsails, double-handed ease of operation, minimum on-deck maintenance, luxurious accommodations, and stunning aesthetics. To set up an appointment to view the J/65, call Jeff Brown at 619.709.0697. To take a virtual tour of the boat and to get more information on the show, click on the following link: http://www.jk3yachts.com POSTCARDS FROM NEWPORT: LIFE ON THIRD BEACH The Olympic Trials for US sailors will begin in October, hosted either in Southern California or in Newport, RI. Here is a report from Andrew Campbell as he settles into the site for his Laser Trials: “After arriving in Newport, RI during Labor Day weekend everything seems on a trend towards tranquility. The beach crowds have thinned and the traffic in the parking lots have eased even though the $10 charge has disappeared. The lifeguard stands have been hauled off the beach and the channel markers off of the Third Beach launching ramp have been dragged out of the way. Three of the six public porta-potties have been removed from the grounds and the wind now whips sand instead of beach umbrellas through the boat yard. “A crowd of Laser sailors has arrived to replace the summer swimmers and sunbathers. Ten Lasers and Radials sit along the far side of the empty parking lot that we enjoy for our Olympic Trials facility. The railing lined with bushes bordering the Sachuest Nature Preserve provides marginal cover for our boats as they hunker down each evening after training. “Laser sailing, I suppose, is used to these sorts of spots. The sailing area is close to the beach. Ten minutes after pushing off the beach and you are in the racing area. The southwesterlies and southerly seabreezes produce three to five foot waves and plenty of breeze. The cold northerlies that will be here as autumn sets in will also give us wind with less exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, but good sailing conditions.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/yvxgex WINTER IS FOR FOOTBALL Sailing in really cold weather isn’t much fun, and usually is good reason to put one’s passion on hold until the forecast improves. This happens each winter, and we thought this was what made many parts of the US, not least of all the mid-Atlantic region, such thriving areas during the warmer months. You know, lots of demand, but due to the cruddy weather, minimal supply. However, with the grace of a sailor’s memory, and perhaps a boost from global warming, the IRC East Coast Championship returns again to Annapolis, MD November 2-4 to hopefully get a break from the pending doom of winter. Last year’s event was dealt decent winds on only one of the three days, and endured temperatures that never rose above 50 degrees. That is the fate of this region, which has average November temperatures of 56.0° F (high) and 36.0° F (low). Anyone who has ever attended Annapolis’ famous US Sailboat Show in early October can attest to the fact that fall weather can be, and often is, wet and cold. Maybe folks that race in areas that have “real” winters are just tougher than those who don’t. -- Scuttleblog, read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2007/09/winter-is-for-football.html SHIPYARD BRANCHES OUT INTO 'GREEN' INDUSTRY Knight & Carver had a long-standing business building and repairing yachts and other vessels, when it got a cold call in 1997 with a curious request: Could the San Diego shipyard repair a broken wind turbine blade? The question was raised because Knight & Carver has long built and repaired boats made from fiberglass, the same material used to construct wind turbine blades. So Knight & Carver opted to give blade repair a try. From that attempt the company has grown what it describes as a burgeoning business repairing wind turbine blades. And now, Knight & Carver believes it is on track to developing a breakthrough wind turbine blade. The new Sweep Twist Adaptive Rotor, also called the Star blade, is designed to produce more electricity from a given wind turbine, without increasing wear and tear on the machine. It can produce electricity from wind blowing one to three miles per hour slower than conventional blades. “If you can go down just a few miles per hour on the speed of wind needed to drive a turbine,” said Gary Kanaby, who heads Knight & Carver's wind division, “the amount of land available for wind energy development goes up dramatically.” -- Read on, where further into the story it reveals the inventor of the Star blade is none other than past Tornado North American champ Mike Zuteck of Houston, TX: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070907-9999-1b7tech.html HARKEN WALL CALENDAR FOR '08 The 2008 Harken Ultimate Sailing Calendar by Sharon Green has hit the Harken Store! Get yours FREE with any purchase of over $100. Enjoy 365 days of pure sailing pleasure. Sail around The Needles in England's Round the Island Race, skim across the water on a foiling Moth, and jump onboard with the kids of Morning Light. It's perfect for logging your favorite weekend regattas and must-see races like the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, Sydney-Hobart, Key West, and the 2008 Olympic Games. http://www.harkenstore.com Curmudgeon’s Comment: Sharon has put together another masterpiece for 2008, and in addition to her own great work, has incorporated images from many of the outstanding shooters frequently profiled in Scuttlebutt, including Carlo Borlenghi, Gilles Martin-Raget, and Thierry Martinez. MR. SEPTEMBER For nearly two weeks now, ‘buttheads around the world have been getting eyeballed by a Farr 40 helmsman pounding his way up a weather leg at Acura Key West Race Week. That is, if you have Sharon Green’s 2007 Ultimate Sailing calendar hanging nearby, and that you flipped the page to September. But what is the name of the boat, who is driving it, and for that matter, who is on the rail doing the gut-wrenching lifeline hike? If you have any of these details, or can name the trailing boat, please post your info here: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5291#5291 SAILING SHORTS * Buffalo, NY -- The 2007 Beneteau 36.7 North American Championship wrapped up last weekend, and after four days of sailing it was Richard Reid and his crew aboard Zingara beating out Gary Tisdale’s First Today team by a scant two points to take the title. Critical, skippered by Claudio Martin, finished in third. Forty-seven boats competed in the event, hosted by Buffalo Yacht Club. -- Results: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm * Leixões, Portugal (September 11, 2007) -- The wind failed to sufficiently show at the first day of races at the TMN Snipe Class World Championship, where 61 optimistic crews from a total of 18 countries had hopes of beginning the event. The Race Committee still tried a starting sequence but a 40-degree leap in the wind direction forced the Committee to abandon the race. Three races are scheduled for Wednesday, however, the weather forecast remains unfavorable. -- http://www.worldsnipe2007.org/swc.htm * A 3-year sailing partnership has been announced today in Paris. BT Team Ellen will bring together world-class sailors Ellen MacArthur (GBR), Sébastien Josse (FRA), who will compete in the 2008 solo Vendée Globe, and Nick Moloney (AUS) alongside other sailing talent dedicated to success on the water across a number of disciplines, including the IMOCA Ocean Racing World Championships and the Extreme 40 catamaran series. -- http://btteamellen.com/default.asp?section=3&sid=8751 * Galesvile, MD - The United States Albacore Association has announced that WaveRate Communications Corp. is its title sponsor for their 2007 International Albacore Sailing Championship on October 6-12. WaveRate Communications Corp. designs and implements communication systems used by the public and private sector. -- http://www.albacore.org/usa/internationals07 * In a follow-up to the announcement in Issue 2428 of the passing of Timothy “Tiny” Miller, a memorial service will be held for Tim in conjunction with the Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race on January 14, 2008 at the Ft. Lauderdale Yacht Club. For additional information, and to post comments, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5292 * BFA Marine has initiated a safety recall as they have identified some overpressure valves failures on life rafts in use, which may lead to a complete deflation of the compartment when broken. The models affected are the Atlantic, Pacific, Baltic, and XM/BFA Offshore life rafts. As a preventive measure, BFA marine urges its owners to bring back, without delay, their life raft to the nearest BFA approved service station, in order to check and potentially replace those overpressure valves. For more details see the BFA Marine website at http://www.bfa-marine.com * September 11, 2007 -- US Sailing and the United States Power Squadrons (USPS) have signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines how the two organizations can share educational resources, including instructional programs and course materials. The move allows each organization - each of which is a leader in the field of recreational boating education - to tap into the other organization's particular expertise; this type of collaboration is highly encouraged by the United States Coast Guard, in the hope of ensuring a higher level of competency and safety amongst boaters in the United States. -- Complete report: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2007/powerboating.asp GET THE AUTHORIZED GEAR You sail the boats every weekend. You need to have the gear. Get your hands on authentic Vanguard, Sunfish, and Laser gear. From regatta bags, to belts, to vests, we have got it all emblazoned with Vanguard, Sunfish, and Laser logos. For more information, go to http://www.teamvanguard.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Jonathan Nye: Don't think I can agree with Will Toulette (re: letter in #2429 about Morning Glory vs. Loki in the last race of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup). It is one thing for the leading of two equally matched boats (420s, Etchells Farr 40s) to drive another boat deep in the standing to secure a series victory. At least the boat being targeted has a chance to escape through better tactics and/ or boat speed. But to match an 87-footer against a 60-footer is no contest. Presumably, Morning Glory did not even need to match race off the line. She could wait until her inherent speed advantage took over before squatting on the smaller boat. Not saying they did anything legally wrong; just suggesting they don't need a whole lot of credit. * From Paul Kamen, Naval Architect: So there will finally be a Zero-Handed TransAtlantic race (as reported in Issue 2429)! We were working on this 20 years ago. See http://www.well.com/user/pk/ZHTA.html for some early background on another zero-handed transatlantic project. Our group never advanced to the hardware stage, although we did spend many pleasant evenings at Berkeley Yacht Club working out the technical details and formulating rules for international competition. We drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of pizza. Note that our boat of choice was something along the lines of a decked-over Yngling. We wanted it to have that classic model boat look in the photos, especially when there would be no scale reference. Also, 20 years ago the components were a bit more power-hungry, and the solar panels not as efficient, so we calculated that we needed more deck area for panels than a smaller boat would provide. For the International Zero-Handed TransAtlantic competition, we settled on a maximum total weight rule. This is in sharp contrast to most sailboat classes that have a minimum weight, and it's an interesting thought experiment to consider what kind of boat (and how many hulls) would be most competitive on a transatlantic (or round-the world) route if maximum all-up weight, including water ballast, could not exceed, for example, 500 kilos. Zero-handed racers worldwide are invited to keep in touch with the ZHTA organization, c/o pk@well.com * From David Rogers: The new Protocol only allows one boat and the defender racing in the challenger series, all for the purpose of "reducing cost." But the next thing out of their mouth is that the new boats will be "... large, visually impressive state-of-the- arts boats ,,, to return the America’s Cup to the romantic era of J-Class size yachts, albeit updated with the very latest technology." Am I the only one who does not see this as a change to save cost? Are they working to save cost or not? * From Robert Johnston: Cory Friedman's coverage of the AC court maneuvers in New York is clear, concise and snappy to read. Sailing commentators take note! We need a lot more like that on the water. * From Donald T. Rave, Jr: Many thanks to Cory Friedman Esq. for his incisive reporting of the AC litigation before Justice Cahn. All Scuttlebutt readers should take note of the fact that Cory's unique blend of sailing knowledge and experience in NY Supreme Court's Commercial Part spares us from the misinformation and disinformation that usually finds its way into press accounts. * From Doran Cushing, St. Petersburg, FL: So you don't like the coverage of AC games on Scuttlebutt...why not ask for a refund? Oops! It's FREE. Still don't like the AC legal battles and politics? Use the scroll down function on the mouse until you get what you like. Still don't like that you have to "fiddle" with scrolling for content? Forward the latest Scuttlebutt to several sailing friends, telling them how much you detest the free information. Don't like a TV or cable show...you change channels. Unlikely you will make the effort to boycott or contact advertisers about your complaint. Bottom line - if you don't like it...move on and let those of us who do appreciate the effort of Scuttlebutt to collect and distribute the sailing information. Curmudgeon’s Comment: Since its inception, Scuttlebutt has been compared to a long and bountiful buffet table, allowing the ‘buttheads to read those particular items that interest them, and to skip over those that don’t. If you don’t want any slices from the roast beef at the end of the table, don’t go there, but don’t leave the table either. While we would prefer to keep the America’s Cup on the water, we now are forced to follow the trail, wherever it leads. Our goal is to provide ACUP details that are relevant, to keep it all together so that it’s easy to find, and to hopefully keep it interesting. We purposely did not publish the press releases from SNG and GGYC following Monday’s hearing (as many media did), as they were more of a demonstration of ‘wordsmanship’ than news. Hang in there, and if ACUP info isn’t your cup of tea, aim us toward the news that is. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. Special thanks to JK3 Yacht Sales and Service, Harken Yacht Equipment, and Vanguard Sailboats. |
