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SCUTTLEBUTT 1933 -- September 28, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.ON A WING AND A PRAYER (Phil Sharp recounts his sleep-deprived voyage, sail damaged voyage the Mini Transat's first leg in a story now posted on thedailysail subscription website. Here's a very brief excerpt.) Sharp reckons he got around 1 hour of sleep per day on average for this seven day leg. He slept during the night, because this felt more natural and also it was harder to steer and trim the sails efficiently at night. Otherwise when he could sleep was entirely conditions-related. With the big kite up there had to be less than 12 knots for him to leave the helm. "Other than that I just kept sailing until I dropped and then I changed kite. One time I went bare headed for about an hour because by the time I'd put the fractional up, taken it down and put the big kite up again, you wouldn't really lose that much time over just going on a dead run under full main." Having endured this regime for six days, come the final night at sea Sharp was a wreck. "I was completely screwed - just totally out of it. I didn't know what direction I was going in. It would crash gybe and I would wake up on the leeward side of the boat in the water and then would have to get the boat going again. It was definitely not fast. It is quite amazing when you are properly rested how you can sail a hell of a lot quicker and make up the time, but it is very difficult to realise that and put it into action." His sleep deprivation reached danger levels when he started hallucinating. -- www.thedailysail.com ABOARD THE BLACK PEARL -- Paul Cayard At 2000 local time the Black Pearl eased out of Sanxenxo on her way to Holland. The trip should take about 3 days. We are currently sailing hard on the wind out into the Atlantic, on starboard tack in 15 knots of wind from 325. The sea is fairly smooth. We are expecting to be on the wind most of tomorrow and then a front approaching from the west should give us some south west going westerly winds fairly strong Wednesday and Thursday. The shore team has worked hard in the past 6 days since the 2000 miler to get the Pearl to an improved state. Many of the sailors took a few days off to see their family. Freddy of course was bringing his wife Maja and their new son home. Dirk was home visiting his two week old. I went to California, Juggy and Jerry went to Rhode Island. The main purpose of this trip is to get out second mast in the boat. Our Spars are made by Hall Spars in Holland. The first was has been excellent and we have made the second one just a bit better we think. We did not have much time to give input to the first one where as we have been able to put some thoughts into the second one. We should be back in Sanxenxo by next Tuesday having made the swap. We have 11 people onboard for this trip. Jules Salter; Navigator, Freddy Loof, Dirk De Ridder, Craig Satterthwaite, Nigel King, Jerry Kirby, Justin Ferris, Justin Clougher, Gavin Brady, Jerry Sicilliano (shore team) and myself. Jerry is working on our ca nard system so we thought it would be good for him to see how it works at sea. The wind is dropping off a bit and the guys are easing the runner. Very loud sounds. The carbon boat is a drum. Better get up there. SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP The 2005 racing season for the 32nd America's Cup concludes with the Trapani Louis Vuitton Acts 8 & 9; racing is scheduled to begin on Thursday. The 12 America's Cup teams have been training on the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean off the western tip of Sicily for over a week already, and many took part in the official practice race day in light winds on Tuesday afternoon. The racing in Trapani will determine the 2005 Louis Vuitton ACC Season Championship. Going into the racing, the Defender, Alinghi, has a commanding six point lead over its closest rival, BMW ORACLE Racing. But the American team is just one point clear of Emirates Team New Zealand, and the top Italian team Luna Rossa. There are close battles up and down the points table, with many of the teams separated by just one or two points. Luna Rossa will share the spotlight here with the two other Italian teams, +39 Challenge and Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team. All three are competing on home waters for the first time in the history of the America's Cup. "Sicily hasn't really been considered a hotbed of top class sailors in Italy, but this shows that we have arrived. People even recognize us when we leave the dock. It's very gratifying and motivating for us and the entire team," said Giuseppe Leonardi, one of five Sicilians on the +39 team. "This is an important moment for us because it will allow many Italians to enjoy first-hand the unique atmosphere of the America's Cup," concluded Vincenzo Onorato, the leader of Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team. The opening press conference with each of the 12 skippers will take place on Wednesday morning at 10:30 in Trapani (GMT +2). Audio from the press conference will be streamed live at the America's Cup webist. You can follow all of the action in Trapani online with live audio commentary of the racing, photos, news and features. Animation race coverage on 'Virtual TV' and mobile phone is also available through the official website: www.americascup.com FREE RACEBOAT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE UK-Halsey has teamed up with 1bigthink on SailTeam Builder, a spiffy way to manage crew contact information, better control your crew roster and position assignments, pull together logistical details for each event, assign and track crew responsibilities, and better manage your sailing schedule. Because we're sailmakers, we've included tools to help you manage your sail inventory in great detail (without any fuss). It's web-based (with reliable security) so you can get at your data from home, office, on the road, or onboard. Neat software at a neat price: Free. Just one more reason to visit UK-Halsey's website: http://www.ukhalsey.com TIGER SCORES A federal court in Miami has ruled that golfer Tiger Woods' lawsuit against Christensen Shipyards, Ltd. will proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and that an order enjoining Christensen from the unauthorized use of Woods' name or photographs of his boat will remain in place. Mr. Woods filed his rights-of-publicity suit against Christensen last October in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The suit alleges that the luxury yacht manufacturer, based in Vancouver, improperly used Mr. Woods' name, his wife's name, and photographs of a yacht built for Woods in connection with the advertising and marketing of Christensen's products. Mr. Woods also seeks injunctive relief from Christensen. The Woods' attorney, J. Douglas Baldridge of Washington, D.C.-based Venable LLP, stated: "We firmly believe that the evidence will show Christensen violated and exploited the Woods' valuable rights for the company's own commercial gain. We are pleased with today's well-reasoned ruling and look forward to presenting the merits of this case in Florida where the Woods reside." The case will remain in Florida and the preliminary injunction against Christensen remains intact. -- BYM News, full story: http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/17911/57/ TEAM RACING After several days with a strong southwesterly blowing the tide into Narragansett Bay, Tuesday morning's brisk northerly against a strong incoming current made for very rough seas. While allowing conditions to settle, the NYYC Race Committee for the Grey Goose ISAF Team Racing World Championship decided to forgo running the remainder of the round-robin races in round one, and instead proceeded to split the 16 teams into gold and silver fleets to get right to the heart of the matter. This allows more time for the completion of three rounds each for both the gold and silver fleets, giving the teams ample opportunities to move up -- or down -- in the standings before being seeded into the quarterfinals. With 15-18 knots and puffs over 20, 56 races were sailed as the breeze fell off slightly through the afternoon. At the end of the day the standings for the gold fleet saw both teams from the USA with 6 wins and 1 loss; GBR 2 and NZL 1 (4-3); IRL 1 and GBR 1 (3-4); and IRL 2 and NZL 2 (1-6). The silver fleet standings: AUS 2 (6-1); ISV, ITA and AUS 1 (5-2); CZE (3-4); JPN 1 and JPN 2 (2-5); and CAN (0-7). Racing continues through Saturday, October 1. -- Media Pro Int'l, Complete results and photos: www.nyyc.org SO WHAT HAPPENED? Yesterday we reported that Dom Mee, maritime explorer, has been rescued after 39 days at sea in the Flemish Cap area, 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, while attempting to become the first person to cross an ocean on a kite vessel. So what happened? Here's a posting from the Kite Quest 200 website: "A broken conversation with Dom has revealed that a strong point of the sea anchor severed from 'Little Murka' in 55kts of wind leading to nine capsizes unfortunately on the ninth capsize 'Little Murka' didn't right. I understand the cabin flooded at this point Dom escaped the water by exiting through the hatch. He was forced to clutch to the keel of the boat for some five hours. Later a huge wave righted 'LittleMurka' but she was completely flooded. Dom had to keep the boat afloat for a further 24 hrs before being successfully rescued this morning." http://kitequest.typepad.com/mission_updates/2005/09/so_what_happene.html WHO PAYS THE BILL? Dom Mee's EPIRB signal set off a chain of events that involved the resources of Falmouth Coast Guard, which sent out a rescue helicopter, plane, and vessel, along with the support of the bulk container ship Berge Nord. Fortunately, Dom is safe. He is an experienced adventurer, but his mission to sail from St John's Newfoundland to Exmouth, England failed, and his rescue involved great risk and expense. So the question is, should government resources be a complimentary service for such adventurers, or should those taking the risks pay the bill? Click on the link to place your vote, with results posted in the Thursday issue of Scuttlebutt: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/05/0927 DISCOUNT DAY Whether you're college sailing, campaigning maxis or just cruising the deep blue, we have the gear to make those rare perfect moments on the water even more enjoyable. From drysuits, gloves, sunglasses, and foulies, we have the brand names known worldwide for quality and dependability. Take 20% off everything we sell today when you order it online and use the coupon code "Scuttlebutt" when you check out! No sales tax outside California. Outfit your crew for Key West or gear-up an entire team and save even more with Institutional Pricing. Call 800-354-7245 (in US) or 562-594-8749 (outside US). http://www.sailingproshop.com SONAR WORLDS Cowes, UK -- The Solent smiled on the Sonar World Championship fleet Tuesday with sunshine and a south-westerly between 15 and 20 knots. American Dave Franzel from Boston, chalked up another win in the first race of the day after winning race 1 on Monday. He followed that with a fourth in the second race then wobbled slightly in the third race as he posted a seventh. Nevertheless, Franzel ended the day leading overall with 13 points -- one less than American Peter Galloway. The top British boat, Paul Bowen's Billy, is in third place with 17 points. The six visiting American teams are showing their skills, occupying four of the top six places but there are still five more races left. Although Franzel is looking strong, so too is current World Champion Steve Shepstone whose record of a first, second, and third is spoilt only by the OCS he picked up in the first race on Monday. Once the discard comes into play in race 6, he could become a major contender for the lead. -- http://sonar2005.result.vg/perl/series?class=2;series=2 LUCKY NUMBER EIGHT Robert Scheidt (BRA) scored his eighth race win at the Laser Worlds in Brazil to all but give him his record eighth World title in this class, as he breaks 25 points clear of his nearest rival. With winds dropping from 22 to 18 knots, a number of competitors worked hard to recover lost positions - even Robert Scheidt (BRA) faced a hard time in the first race, in which he finished third. Soon the difficulties were over and after Race 12, the second race of the afternoon; the brilliant Brazilian scored his eighth victory. -- Excerpt from a story on the Sail-World website, http://www.sail-world.com/ World Laser Seniors Standings after 12 races with 2 discardes: 1. Robert Scheidt, BRA, 12 points 2. Diego Romero, ARG, 37 3. Jeremie Steyaert, FRA, 51 4. Vasilij Zbogar, SLO, 51 5. Andrew Murdoch, NZL, 60 NEWS BRIEFS * The 245 Optimist sailors who ascended upon the Town of Oyster Bay's Harry Tappen Beach, Glenwood Landing, NY for the United States Dinghy Association (USODA) Atlantic Coast Championship, sailed in rapidly changing and trying conditions. Nonetheless, Matthew Wefer sailed consistently to score 2-1-1-(9)-1 and only 5 points to take first overall, while George Kutschenreuter was only 5 points behind with a score of 1-1-2-(6)-6. Cameron Pimental had 11 points in third place with a 2-(5)-2-5-2. Pearson Potts from New Orleans, LA was the best in the Blue Fleet (11 & 12 year olds) and fourth overall with 13 points. -- www.seacliffyc.org/usodaaccs.htm * Jobson Sailing, Inc. has made a documentary of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, which will be aired on the Outdoor Life Network on Wednesday, September 28 at 9:00 pm EDT (6:00 pm PDT) and again at midnight (9:00 pm PDT on September 28). The documentary is entitled "Chasing Charlie Barr's Record: the 2005 Transatlantic Challenge," and is sponsored by Rolex. Times and links to OLN at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/shows/ * Tim Hogan has been elected as President of the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA). Larry White, who has held the position for the past 16 years, retired after taking ISSA from 50 schools in 1989 to its current roster of 400 schools and 3,000 sailors. Hogan most recently led the Pacific Coast District and has been Vice President of ISSA for several years. ISSA fosters school sailing and the introduction of thousands of youth sailors to the sport of sailing through its various regattas culminating in the Championship series of the Cressy (singlehanded), Mallory (doublehanded) and Baker (team racing) Championships. -- www.highschoolsailingusa.org * On October 6, Cruising World and Sailing World magazines will name their 2006 Boat of the Year Nominees. Judges scrutinized the latest boats at the Newport Boat Show, and during the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis. They considered design, construction, seaworthiness, performance, purpose of the boat, fitness for the use intended and cost. Independent judging panels will evaluate and test boats for the respective magazines. The Cruising World awards focus on production boats laid out and equipped for coastal and offshore cruising and voyaging. The Sailing World judges concentrate on boats designed and built with racing in mind. BEST DEAL ON SPORT BOAT SAILING! You will improve at all positions on the boat every time you sail. Loaded with all the standard features you need to race, train, or just have fun blasting around the bay. Check out the new free features video on-line today. http://www.sailabongo.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is neither a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Steve Old, Sydney, Australia: In today's story headed "For the Record" "No female has managed to finish this challenge before and only four male skippers have successfully completed the task" You appear to have overlooked Jon Sanders. From the "Guiness Book of Records" Website: "Australian Jon Sanders completed a series of three non-stop singlehanded circumnavigations in the 44 ft sloop "Parry Endeavour" in 657 days from 25 May 1986 to 13 March 1988. Starting and finishing in Fremantle, Western Australia, he made one circumnavigation Westabout and two Eastabout." * From Manfred C. Schreiber, Germany: Reading with interest about the circumnavigators who did it against the wind. To put the record straight there is at least one more solo sailor who did it. Wilfried Erdmann, from Germany did it in 343 days, solo and nonstop. Anyone interested should have a look at his route. I think it was never supposed to be a record, it was just man against the sea. Fair winds to Debra Searle. -- : http://www.wilfried-erdmann.de/spezial/nonstop_fr.htm * From Jesse Falsone: I found it curious that in Scuttlebutt 1930, the Curmudgeon makes this comment regarding Sally Barkow's recent RIWKR win: "I suspect this removes any question as to who will be the USA's 2005 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year." While Barkow and her crew have made great results this year in the Yngling and in match racing, there's another young American woman who is turning heads all around the world with her skill - Paige Railey. In fact, it is Railey who has been nominated for the ISAF World Female Sailor of the Year award. Both Barkow and Railey are deserving of Rolex nominations, however, while the Curmudgeon may already have his vote decided, is it right for him to lobby on such a public forum as Scuttlebutt? Curmudgeon's Comment: I certainly agree that both Barkow and Railey deserve Rolex nominations. But as you pointed out, Scuttlebutt is a public forum, and it's hard for me to understand why I should be the only person on the planet who is not allowed to express an opinion on that forum. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what? |
