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SCUTTLEBUTT #292 - March 18, 1999TRANSPAC24 boats have entered this summer's 40th biennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, with the smaller boats commanding interest. Ten entries in the 30- and 40-foot range prompted organizers to establish a separate starting day for them on Friday, July 2. Previously, all monohulls except those in the Cruising class were scheduled to start off Point Fermin on Saturday, July 3. With the additional starting day, the Transpac board of directors hopes to avoid a starting line congested with boats of disparate size and performance, and also to compress the finish in Honolulu., "It was a difficult decision, coming so late in the planning process," said TPYC Commodore L.J. Edgcomb. Other starting dates remain the same. The Cruising class for classic displacement-type boats will start June 29. The largest monohulls will start July 3, as originally scheduled, three days before the multihull fleet. - Rich Roberts DIVISION I (starts July 3, 1 p.m.)
DIVISION II (starts July 3, 1 p.m.)
DIVISION III (starts July 3, 1 p.m.)
DIVISION IV (starts July 2, 1 p.m.)
*--Double-handed. CRUISING DIVISION (starts June 29)
Event website: http://www.transpacificyc.org SNIPE BACARDI CUP - Report by Alex Pline 3/17/99 - The first regatta on the last stop of the Midwinter Circuit, in Sunny and warm Nassau, Bahamas. George Szabo sailing with local Peter Bruce Wassitch won both races today. 1st Race - light (less than10 knots), little chop, 5 leg W/L course 2nd Race - 10-12 knots, 5 leg W/L course Current Standings: 1.George Szabo (San Diego, CA)/Peter Bruce Wassitch (Nassau, Bahamas) 2.Robert Dunkley/Ted Smith (Nassau, Bahamas) 3.Birger Jansen/Liv Ulveie (Norway) 4.Jim Richter (Indianapolis, IN)?Watt Duffy (New Orleans, LA) 5.Gonzo Diaz (Miami, FL)/Sherry Eldridge (Towson, MD) Complete results: http://www.snipe.org/regattas/results/1999/Midwinters99/ CONGRESSIONAL CUP "It's my new favorite top," enthusiastically declared Whitbread veteran Joan Touchette as she talked about her breathable Douglas Gill Dinghy Smock at last week's Congressional Cup Regatta. "It's so breathable that no matter how hard you're working, you never get cooked." Check it out and learn why the soft, stretchy PU seals never irritates the neck, and why the neoprene waistband simply refuses to ride up: http://www.douglasgill.com AUCKLAND UPDATE (The following are excerpts from DEFENCE 2000, which is available from John@roake.gen.nz -- US $48 per year.) * The Road to the America's Cup regatta was anything but spectacular. New Zealand won by the barest of margins - one second. Delays, breakages and disputes all added up to making it a non event. The spectator fleet for the finals (only three races) was conspicuous by its absence, so it turned out to be just a big yawn. The two identical America's Cup boats have long since passed their use-by date, and the series saw many delays whilst repairs were effected or replacements sort. The America True crew were almost all Kiwis, a matter that had to be resolved in the disputes room. Kiwis John Cutler, Kelvin Harrap and David Barnes headed the crew - theirs was not a spectacular effort. What did come out of the regatta was the major improvement in the Prada Team. Their performance was impressive, and in the end after one race apiece against Team New Zealand, the local boys won by one second in race three. Coutts comments after the third race: "It would be a gross exaggeration to say we were a well oiled unit today. I'm disappointed that we weren't better than that." Coutts was unhappy with the attitude of some of this crew. "We'll have to work on that " he said. So here endith the Road to the America's Cup regattas - less than inspirational! * The Team New Zealand yachts are now expected to be completed and in the water by late June. Team management is to build a mock deck layout which will be used in training, prior to the launching of their boats. And talking about the design of their boat, Team New Zealand's tactician, Brad Butterworth, is on record as saying "Our boat will need to be a good all-rounder, handy in the light, but able to race in twenty five knots. It's a big ask for the designers. In San Diego, we designed for nine knots. In Perth twenty and twenty one. But we sailed their Louis Vuitton in twenty five plus each day. It wrecked our chances. Dennis Conner pitched for fifteen knots and he was faster above twenty one. We learnt from that." And Butterworth rates the New Zealand effort as significantly stronger than it was at the same stage during the '95 campaign, but expects the Italians to be the major threat, followed by Cayard's AmericaOne and the New York Yacht Club's Young America. * The behind-the-scenes spats between the challengers is just as active in 1999 as it was in 1899. Nothing has changed. Many thought that by having the series in New Zealand, there would be a more modest approach by the more aggressive, and we just might see a somewhat more subdued America's Cup scene. But consider this: (a) Two challengers have already signed an agreement circulating amongst challengers that they would not race Team New Zealand between the end of the Louis Vuitton and the start of the Cup match in February. Poor little New Zealand - ganged up on by the nasty challengers! (b) Other syndicates have signed an agreement that would see the challenger series racing stopped if the wind got above 23 knots. (c) New Zealand as Cup defenders have the rights to use a testing tank in Britain to fine-tune their prototypes. As a common courtesy, they allow challengers to test their designs in the tank as well. But Team New Zealand has said a big bold NO to the American challenger's request to use the tank. The Americans have declared they do not have the advanced technology in the USA which is a major and embarrassing admission on their part. (d) But the final coup de grace on this tit for tat scene comes again from Butterworth. He was recently pressed by a reporter on how he saw Conner's chances of taking home the big prize - was he a major threat? Butterworth's reply: "He's a threat to our T-shirt trade." All this and we are still 12 months away for the first Cup race. LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON We read all of your e-mail, but simply can't publish every submission. Letters that are published are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. -- From Chip Evaul, Charter Manager, Long Beach Sailing Foundation -- To be accurate, the Long Beach Sailing Foundation (not LBYC) purchased the jibs for all eleven Catalina 37s from Ullman Sails. We have been very satisfied with their fit, finish and performance. Best of all, Ullman Sails stands behind LBSF by providing week-in, week-out repairs from its Long Beach service loft; so important to the success of this well-used fleet. We look forward to working with our friends from Ullman Sails in the years to come. -- From Loren Appel -- US SAILING's Directory lists current Officers, Directors, Committee Members, Judges, Race Officers, Regional Training Coordinators, Instructor Trainers and Certified Measurers only. A full list of members is downloadable from their web site. Curmudgeon's comment - What a fun feature. I checked it out and found six Lewecks listed (including my son's dog, Bailey), and Peter Huston. -- From Tom Priest -- I'm frightened, mortified, and otherwise scared to wits-end. WHY??? I find myself agreeing with Craig Fletcher! Truly the end is near! --From Mike Guccione [re Raymond Wulff's comments -- " I'm tired of continued whining about what US Sailing needs to do for us. This is what we're doing about it in our YRA. Currently CBYRA (Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association) is hosting a crew training seminar open to any individual interested."] -- This is a great idea! It is so refreshing to hear someone stop complaining long enough to actually do something about the perceived problems. Hope this becomes a trend. -- From Ralph Silverman -- Raymond Wulff is spot on. To wait for US Sailing to change our sport is like waiting for the Chargers to win the Superbowl. Every community must take a grass roots effort to improve their own sailing scene. Our Lake Tahoe Monday night Laser fleet has grown from four boats to over 30 boats in just three years. We did this by publishing results in our local paper with a photo from each weeks races. We also meet each evening after racing for a raffle, awards and drinks. Laser sailing is now "cool" in Tahoe. People who have never sailed are constantly asking how they can get involved. We get people involved by finding old boats and getting them to race in a "B" fleet which the "A" fleet is constantly helping. This year we will add a junior camp "SAIL TAHOE!" and start racing Vanguard 15's on Wednesday nights. The possibilities are endless but you have to get involved. -- From Peter Johnstone -- Enough bashing of US SAILING! I think most racing sailors are content with the job done by US SAILING. As an organization it serves the racing community well. Having sponsored the organization for years with Sunfish/Laser, Inc., I can vouch for the hard work, good intentions, and dedication of the volunteers and the staff. One has to remember that the staff is guided by the volunteers. Any one of us can volunteer. So, if you have a beef, how about getting active? You'd be amazed how much one squeaky wheel can get greased at one meeting. Any one of you can make a huge positive difference in our sport's direction. If you choose to not contribute in a positive manner, then please stop the damaging habit of whining about every pet peeve. Nobody, and no organization, is perfect. Curmudgeon's Comment: I agree. This thread is now officially dead! MULTIHULL NEWS Performance Race Week West will be hosted by one of small-boat sailing preeminent racing clubs, Alamitos Bay YC, in Long Beach, California, July17-23. The infamous Long Beach seabreeze should be in full dress during the event. The first two days of racing (July 17-18) will comprise the California State Championships, with the Performance Catamaran Nationals following on July 20-23 (National Championship event for Prindle 19 and Nacra 5.8na). Event organizers are planning for 7 to 8 races during the Cal States and up to 16 races for the Nationals. Lease boats will be available from Chris Herman at Sailing Solutions, Inc. (714-903-3280, e-mail DINGHYRACE@aol.com). Performance Race Week East (North American Championships for the Nacra 6.0na, 5.5uni, 5.5sl, Inter 18 adn 20) will be held September 18-24th (sailing days are Sept. 21-24) at one of multihull sailing's most venerated locales--Roton Point in Rowayton, Connecticut--and hosted by the non-profit Roton Point Sailing Association and North East Nacra Sailing Assoc., Division 12. Using the facilities at Roton Point, the RPSA hosted and successfully defended the C-Class catamaran championships, the Little America's Cup, from 1977-1985, and has continued to host major championships including the A Class and Hobie 21 Nationals and the Contender Worlds in 1996. Roton Point is a private swimming, sailing, and tennis association set on 12.8 acres overlooking Long Island Sound. Facilities include an Olympic-size swimming pool, five tennis courts, a sailboat storage and launching area, a swimming beach with Victorian bathhouse and a picnic grove with a Victorian clubhouse. Rowayton is located between Norwalk and Stamford, 40 miles north of New York City. Event website: www.freeyellow.com/members2/nensa DUBAI REGATTA MATCH RACE Andy Beadsworth (GBR) won the semi-finals wiping out Staffan Lindberg (FIN) with 3-0 today in a best of five series and placed himself in the final together with Morten Henriksen (DEN) who beat Jesper Bank (DEN) three to one. The races today were even more exciting and challenging as they were sailed inside the harbour of the Dubai International Marine Club. The finals will be held in the harbour on short courses using three laps as well. For the full story: http://www.sailing.org/today/whatsnew.html VIRTUAL RACE Quokka Sports Virtual Race opens for the last leg of the Around Alone TODAY, March 18. With a few weeks until Leg 4 begins, you'll have plenty of time to check the weather, currents, and properly prepare for the "ride" up the Atlantic. -- Elissa Schreck, Quokka Sports To register: http://www.aroundalone.com:3081/virtualrace/index/set_virtualrace.fasp OUTTA HERE The curmudgeon is off to San Diego to sail in the NOOD Regatta with Kelly Vince on his shiny new J/120, Simply Red. The plan is to send out 'Butt from San Diego tomorrow morning, but you never know THE CURMUDGEON'S OXYMORONS Weather Expert |
