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SCUTTLEBUTT 2126 - June 29, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.CASTING CALL Crew applications for Roy E. Disney's Morning Light film project have closed with 538 young sailors, including about 50 from foreign countries, hoping for a position on the team that will sail a Transpac 52 in the 2007 Transpacific Yacht Race. Candidates for "the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac" are already being pared down to the 30 who will participate in selection trials on Catalina 37s in Long Beach Aug. 5-13, all expenses paid by Pacific High Productions. The final team of 15 will be announced at the end of those trials and will undergo four months of training on Morning Light in Hawaii starting Jan. 1. They'll race the boat from Los Angeles to Hawaii on their own in July. "We really must have touched a nerve out there," Disney said. "It's going to be really hard to pick the best of a really outstanding group of people. There wasn't a turkey in the lot.” Aside from being the youngest, it probably will be the most diverse crew ever to sail Transpac. Sailing team manager Robbie Haines said, "We're looking for diversity, a crew totally inclusive concerning race and gender." The aim is to have a crew younger than the seven young men who sailed on Jon Andron's victorious Cal 40, Argonaut, in the 1969 Transpac that averaged 22.57 years of age. Two of those crew members were 17, but the minimum age for Morning Light will be 18. All applicants will be notified of their current status on or before July 4. Disney recently purchased Morning Light, the Transpac 52 formerly named Pegasus, from software developer Philippe Kahn. The film, scheduled to be released in 2008, will chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of the crew through the race in 2007. None will be actors. There will be no script and no preconceived outcome. -- http://www.pacifichighproductions.com/ CARBON COMMENTS (Below is an excerpt from an interview by BYM News with Gilles Ollier of Multiplast, a world leader in composite multihull design and construction) BYM News: We have been told the big drawback of carbon fibre is that it does not flex? Gilles Ollier: That isn’t true. In the early 90s, when the first all carbon hulls were made, many people said it is too rigid, it will split! They were wrong. Yesterday, in Lorient, I saw the first carbon fibre boat that we designed and built; it has never had a hull failure and is still sailing today. The thing that a composite structure cannot take is a big shock, like hitting a container, for example. The fact is that there are no bad materials, just bad applications of a material. Carbon, properly used, is just as good as any other material for monohulls and multihulls. All the America’s Cup boats are carbon, all the Vendée Globe boats are carbon, all the Volvo Ocean Race boats are carbon. The problems that have occurred with the Volvo boats have nothing to do with the material, they are down to the workmanship. When Russel Bowler talks of problems of delamination with age, he is both right and wrong. He is just a designer, what he lacks is the practical every day experience in the workshop. That is the difference, the strong point of Multiplast; I don’t know all the composite yards, but I think it is the only one with this combination of naval architecture and hands on practical experience. When Yann Penfornis was supervising the build of Groupama he would be in the workshop at least once every hour. It is only in boats that you often have this division; I was a big Formula One fan and there you do not have an engineer sitting in Switzerland with a car being built in the UK and, in important building construction, the architect will spend a lot of time with the craftsmen. With boats, you lose a lot when you have the naval architect in one place and the construction in another. Bowler is, however, correct about problems due to aging; old composites, which have been worked, do not have the same mechanical properties as new ones. All materials fatigue and carbon is no exception. With the right safety factor, a carbon hull will be good for 2 or 3 world tours; in the first one there should be no failures, next year there will be a risk of minor failure and, third time round, a risk of some major failure. - Find the complete interview at http://www.bymnews.com/multiplast ONE MORE TIME? The Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 is over and all eyes are on the next edition. For the Ericsson Racing Team, the 32,000 nautical mile journey around the world started on 5 November in Sanxenxo, Spain, with a victory in the first in-port race. However, a series of technical problems followed, which affected the team's progress and results throughout the event. The Ericsson Racing Team will now take a well-deserved break. The Ericsson yacht will be used throughout the summer with a smaller team. She will race in the famous Gotland Runt (SWE) on 2 July before being used for corporate sailing throughout the summer. "We are very excited by the prospect of a new race and applaud the race organization for enhancing the race further and adding new, commercially interesting territories to the course while maintaining the integrity of the yacht race,” explains Bert Nordberg, Ericsson's Executive Vice-President and Head of Sales and Marketing. Of course, formal decisions need to be taken but as Head of Sales and Marketing at Ericsson, I will definitely work to ensure that we do this again." In order to support a possible future campaign, Atlant Ocean Racing has already started working on the next edition of the event; laying the foundations for a successful sporting campaign. Nordberg continues: "Based on the commercial success of our current campaign, I think it is very hard to find a better and more efficient platform for meeting and spending quality time with our customers in an exciting environment. Our participation in this race has contributed to growing our business and we look very positively on giving it another shot." -- http://www.ericssonracingteam.com ULLMAN SAILS CUSTOMERS "SCORE!" With 168 boats spread over 17 classes on 3 racecourses at this year's Long Beach Race Week, Ullman Sails customers sailed away with 60% of the hardware. In three days of racing in varied conditions, Ullman customers captured 9 class victories and a total of 44 individual 1st place finishes. When speed, reliability, and performance count to beat the competition, then one sailmaker stands above the rest. For the "Fastest Sails on the Planet" contact your local Ullman Sails loft or visit online at: http://www.ullmansails.com RANDOM NOTES (The following notes are a sampling that came from Don Finkle, who publishes a weekly eNewsletter on behalf of the RCR Yachts brokerage offices along Lake Erie and Ontario.) Here are some thoughts that you may or may not agree with, but I feel the need to air them…in no particular order: * You should never quit a race without good reason (safety is always a good reason), and especially not because you aren't doing well. How would you like it if you were winning and all the boats behind you dropped out? * On-Line posting of entries prior to an event is a double-edged sword. It is obviously useful to know who you are going to be competing against, but lately it seems to be having a negative effect. I know of boats that cancelled plans to attend a regatta because they looked on-line and saw that their class did not have many pre-registered boats in it. So they don't register, making fewer entrees, and then other boats do the same. Since so often boats make decisions to enter at the last minute, the fact that there are not that many boats signed up early should not discourage you. Support your fleet, sign up and attend. In the long run you will only hurt yourself. If you don't see some of your competitors registered, call them and talk them into coming too. * I think we have turned the corner and things are looking up. I am referring to the local racing scene, which was in decline in recent years due to a number of factors, not the least of which included population exodus and a rust-belt economy. Last weekend there were at least four major events going on at the same time in the region: Cleveland Race Week, the Buffalo Canoe Club One Design Championship, the Lake Erie Interclub Cruise and the Toronto NOOD. Weeknight racing seems to be strong all over. We have a number of top-flight sailors who call this area home, and junior sailing programs seem to be growing too. The only area that appears to be weak is weekend club racing, which is down all over. The strength of racing now is shared between weeknight less-serious competition and regattas. - Look for the complete newsletter to be posted soon at http://www.rcryachts.com KIWIS PROVE TO BE UNSTOPPABLE Emirates Team New Zealand knocked off Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing to run a perfect record in the round robin portion of Louis Vuitton Act 12. This earns the Kiwis the right to choose their opponent for the next stage of the competition. To complete its perfect run, Emirates Team New Zealand had to navigate its way through treacherous conditions on a difficult day of shifting winds and variable pressure on the waters off Valencia. The team made bold decisions in both races and were rewarded with handy leads. The racing on Wednesday was important up and down the table as it determined the three divisions that would proceed into the semifinals. The top four boats are now in Division 1, where round robin winning skipper Dean Barker, of Emirates Team New Zealand, announced his team would choose to race BMW Oracle Racing in its semi-final. That leaves Alinghi and Luna Rossa to race in the other pair in the top division. Leading Division 2, Desafío Español skipper Karol Jablonski elected to race against Shosholoza, leaving Victory Challenge to face Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team. Finally, the top ranked team of Division 3, Areva Challenge, saw skipper Thierry Peponnet select China Team for its opponent, with United Internet Team Germany and +39 Challenge making up the final pair. The results and pairings remain provisional on Wednesday evening. The +39 Challenge has lodged a Request for Redress with the Jury, claiming that the tie-breaking mechanism the Race Committee employed to break the three way tie between Shosholoza, Areva Challenge and +39 Challenge was incorrect. The Request for Redress will be heard by the Jury at 10:00 on Thursday morning. Racing in the semi-finals is scheduled to begin on Friday afternoon. Each series will be won by the first team to earn two points. -- http://www.americascup.com Flight Ten Victory Challenge beat Areva Challenge - 1:33 Desafío Español 2007 beat China Team - 00:45 +39 Challenge beat United Internet Team Germany - 00:21 BMW Oracle Racing beat Mascalzone Latino Capitalia - 1:12 Luna Rossa Challenge beat Shosholoza - 1:57 Emirates Team New Zealand beat Alinghi - 1:12 Flight Eleven Mascalzone Latino Capitalia beat Shosholoza - 00:04 Emirates Team New Zealand beat BMW Oracle Racing - 1:14 Luna Rossa Challenge beat Alinghi - 1:13 Desafío Español 2007 beat Victory Challenge - 00:59 Areva Challenge beat +39 Challenge - 1:25 United Internet Team Germany beat China Team - 1:20 Final Standings - Act 12 Round Robin: 1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL84) 11-0 2. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA86) 10-1 3. Alinghi (SUI75) 8-3 4. BMW Oracle Racing (USA87) 8-3 5. Desafío Español 2007 (ESP88) 7-4 6. Mascalzone Latino Capitalia (ITA77) 6-5 7. Victory Challenge (SWE63) 6-5 8. Team Shosholoza (RSA83) 3-8 9. Areva Challenge (FRA60) 3-8 10. +39 Challenge (ITA59) 3-8 11. United Internet Germany (GER72) 1-10 12. China Team (CHN79) 0-11 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar UPDATED OLYMPIC CLASS RANKINGS Rock solid displays from the Brits throughout the European season see them back as the top performing nation in the Rankings, as Spain loses all but one of its leaders. Paul Goodison’s (GBR) Laser class win at the ISAF Grade 1 Kiel Week in Germany, Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark’s (GBR) consistency in the Women’s 470 and Draper and Hiscocks’ 49er World triumph ensure Britain maintains three Rankings’ leaders. Meanwhile Maksym Oberemko (UKR) and Olga Maslivets (UKR) repeat the feat they achieved in the Mistral Rankings last year by giving the Ukraine two top spots, an achievement equaled by the USA thanks to Laser Radial World Champion Paige Railey (USA) and Star team George Szabo and Eric Monroe (USA). North American sailors in the top 15 of their respective Olympic classes include: * Finn: 10. Chris Cook (CAN); 15. Zack Railey (USA) * Laser: 9. Michael Leigh (CAN); 13. Bernard Luttmer (CAN) * RS:X (Men): 15. Zachary Plavsic (CAN) * 49er: 9. Dalton Bergan/ Zack Maxam (USA) * 470 Men: 10. Michael Anderson-Mitterling/ David Hughes (USA) * 470 Women: 4. Jennifer Provan/ Carol Luttmer (CAN); 7. Amanda Clark/ Sara Mergenthaler (USA) * Yngling: 8. Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Debbie Cappozzi (USA); 14. Hannah Swett/ Melissa Purdy/ Liz Merrifield (USA) * Tornado: 7. Oskar Johansson/ Kevin Stittle (CAN); 10. John Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree (USA) * Laser Radial: 1. Paige Railey (USA); 2. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA); 5. Lisa Ross (CAN); 11. Jen Spalding (CAN); 13. Victoria Crowder (CAN); 14. Tania Elias-Calles (MEX) * Star: 1. George Szabo/ Eric Monroe (USA); 4. Mark Reynolds/ Hal Haenel (USA); 9. Andy MacDonald/ Brian Fatih (USA); 11= Brian Cramer/ Tyler Bjorn (CAN); 11= Mark Mendelblatt/ Mark Strube (USA); 13. John Dane/ Austin Sperry (USA) Following the conclusion of the last of the European ISAF Grade 1 all Olympic Classes regattas for 2006, the focus now switches to the World and Continental Championships. -- Complete rankings: http://www.sailing.org/rankings RED, WHITE AND BLUE PERFORMANCE We’re celebrating the 4th this year with gear from Blue Performance. These premium quality yet affordable covers, awnings/ sunshades, bulkhead combi-bags, bunk nets, cockpit bags, spinnaker turtles, winch covers, travel bags, and much more will keep your boat protected from harmful UV rays year around. You can spend more but you can’t buy better covers or bag systems than Blue Performance. Order by July 4, 2006 and get free shipping. Sailing Pro Shop: From SPF 50+ Dryshirts, PermawiK & rashguards to Blue Performance canvas products… “We’ve got you covered.” Toll Free 800-354-7245, International 562-594-8749, or http://www.sailingproshop.com IRISH TEAMS WIDEN POINTS GAP (June 28, 2006) In stark contrast to Monday's wintry conditions, today's sailing at the Rolex Commodores' Cup was how a late June race day on the Solent should be with a scorching sun and a solid 15 knots, piping up to 18 knots late morning before it died off in the afternoon. The 39 boats set sail in a mass start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line for today’s short passage/coastal race. The fleet headed east from Cowes down to the Solent to the Nab Tower around several marks of the eastern end of the Isle of Wight and back - a race of 9-12 hours duration. Those initially heading across to the Solent's north shore gained a considerable advantage here from the tide and stronger breeze, with race winner Colm Barrington's Ker 50 Magic Glove leading the charge. Despite their win today, Barrington's Ireland Orange team remains in second place behind Ireland Green, although they have closed the gap to 5 points in the overall standings with her fellow team mates, Anthony O'Leary's Antix posting a third, while their small boat, Conor and Denise Phelan new Ker 37 Jump Juice, was fourth in her class. Standings after five races: 1. Ireland Green, 24.5 pts; 2. Ireland Orange, 28.5 pts; 3. Ireland White, 36.75 pts; 4. GBR White, 58 pts; 5. GBR Red, 65.25 pts; 6. GBR Black, 66.25 pts; 7. France White, 67.5 pts; 8. France Blue, 73 pts; 9. France Red, 73.5 pts; 10. Russia, 74.25 pts; 11. Holland, 80 pts; 12. Belgium, 84.5 pts; 13. GBR Scotland, 93 pts. -- http://rorc.org/comcup/results/ccovos.html 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. 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. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thought at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From David Brayshaw: The just-completed Newport-Bermuda Race saw almost all of the "A" list (big, professionally crewed and/or navigated) of yachts go well east of the rhumbline and come up way short of the (mostly) amateurs who went of the rhumbline. I have applied the wind and current data to do routing/ tactical analysis, illustrated by the track of Bella Mente, first-to-finish. From this perspective, the result wasn't all that surprising. Your readership may be interested in analysis and graphics found at http://www.goflow.com/nb06race.htm * From Craig Fletcher: In reading the story of BMW vs. Luna Rosa I was struck by "The American team tacked...", "The Italian team...". These two teams are no more American or Italian than the man on the moon. Chris and Larry do not represent America-- they represent Chris, Larry and the corporations. Let's call a spade a spade -- there is no patriotism left in the cup. * From Enrico Ferrari: My vote is with Coutts ... Who thinks Alinghi can lose 5 out of 9? A good poll but it would be lopsided in favor of the Swiss. It could be a mistake to think their next boat could be faster than the one they are winning with as the design parameters from every team might be circling the ideal hull, deck layout, appendage design, sail building in a spiral. The question is, which team will optimize their experience the best? There are many good teams in this event with the best (most of the best) sailors in the world but past performance is our only measure of success. Alinghi seems to be pretty tight knit and tough to beat using a proven product. Is Oracle sandbagging their speed on the new boat to give everyone the wrong idea? Coutts declaring for Luna Rossa seems a big deal to me. They are now to be targeted by the media and their competition as a stand out favorite. This attention might take them to the top if they take the pressure as they will be under the microscope. It is all great fun to watch. * From Barry Ault: The Etchells Class left the one design high ground well astern several years ago when they allowed builders to significantly move and effectively lengthen the keel. This action rendered several hundred boats obsolete in all but the lightest conditions. I doubt that banning a tiller made of unobtainium is going preserve equity in the class. That having been said, the Etchells new or old is still the best bang for the buck in sailing. * From Aaron Housten: Peter Williams may have claimed that he 'had a look at the Etchells published rules' but apparently not very carefully. If he had, he would have noted Class rule 2.1 Note (2) which, in part, states "...when considering anything in connection with the yacht or its sails or equipment [including use of exotic materials for any item] which is not clearly covered by the plans, specifications and/or rules, it must be assumed illegal unless prior approval has been obtained from ISAF through the IECA." So, in fact the International Etchells Class has already addressed his concern about ambiguity since it is quite clear that if you have not received permission from ISAF through IECA for a Carbon tiller, it is illegal. * From Pete Ingram: I think the discussion about the Etchells carbon tiller has two angles. The first being that carbon tillers are illegal in the class. The other more serious matter is that Childerly and Team had been told, some time ago, by the measurer that it was illegal. Rather than change the offending tiller back to a legal one, they disguised (the fact) that it was illegal by painting it! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATIONS “Winning has always meant much to me, but winning friends has meant the most." -- Babe Didrikson Zaharias, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Sailing Pro Shop. |
