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SCUTTLEBUTT 3561 - Tuesday, April 3, 2012Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: North Sails, Atlantis WeatherGear, and J Boats. FUTURE OF SAILING By Bruce Kirby Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future. When discussing the Future of Yachting the question immediately arises "The future for whom?" More than ever before the sport is a strange mixture of dissimilar parts. We have the pure professionals tearing around the world in the Volvo 70s with square-topped mainsails, bowsprits, double rudders and twin dagger boards - sailing boats that are structurally so close to the point of disintegration that five of the six that started have already had to pause for repairs. There's the really high priced help in the America's Cup; and don't forget the pros who stand behind their owners and instruct them on every move - I think they're called tacticians. Then there are the much less stressed PHRF groups in their 25-year-old comfortable fiberglass 30 to 50 footers. And there are any number of measurement rules and we know they will change any minute now - and we have a thousand one-designs, and sailors who don't race at all but have just as much fun as the rest of us. You pays your money and you takes your choice. There is obviously a significant age factor here as well as the ever-present leisure time problem which we share with a hundred different pastimes I began serious racing in International 14s in my teens during World War II, and kept at it until moving from Canada to the U.S. in my mid 30s. (eh?) The 14 was the hottest class back then, and because it is a development class it has remained at or near the top of the extra high performance classes. In the 40s and 50s we had no trapeze and set small symmetrical spinnakers. In about 1965, one trapeze was allowed - and then a few years later a second trapeze. And then bowsprits and masthead asymmetrical spinnakers. The non-trapeze 14s with only hiking straps to aid the crews, could be - and were - raced by crews as old as 65 or 70. It would be the rare senior dude who could steer a present day 14 in any kind of breeze - hooking on and off his trapeze, jibing the huge asymmetrical spinnaker, and crossing the boat with his 6-foot long tiller extension. I use the 14 as an example because it is a development class and has gone from what was extreme in the 1930s to what is definitely extreme today - moving in small increments over a period of 70 years. When new hot one designs are introduced, the 14 is already at about the same technology level. These little thoroughbreds do not sell in big numbers because they are virtually custom designed and built so the price of a top of the line 14 today is about $65,000 and it might well be out-designed next year. The class will remain relevant into the future because it continues to keep abreast of everything new, whereas a true one-design is fixed in time, and unless it is an extraordinary boat it will soon be left behind - very few of them will remain relevant into their second decade. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13530 PERFORMANCE BREAKTHROUGH FOR CRUISING SAILORS North Sails' Marathon and Performance Series 200 sails are made using North's revolutionary NorDac Radian warp-oriented polyester sailcloth. Radian uses a unique, patented process to combine low-stretch radial performance with the durability, soft handling and mildew resistance of non-laminated woven polyester. Radian delivers lower stretch and higher performance than any other non-laminated sailcloth. If you're looking for more from a woven sail... this is big! http://www.na.northsails.com/tabid/21949/Default.aspx NOT HEALTHY (April 2, 2012; Day 16) - After going head to head for more than 6,000 nautical miles there's still nothing between PUMA and Groupama today and PUMA skipper Ken Read reckons Leg 5 won't be decided until the final day. "All this drag racing is fun but the race is most likely going to be won and lost in the last 250 miles where it is notoriously fluky," he said. "We have to get round the top of another high forming in front of us, which means getting offshore a little bit, heading away from the mark. But if we can get around it we'll cruise up to the last 300 miles or so, probably park up and start the race all over again." Read, the 'old man' of the race at age 50, joked that while the tight racing was great for fans, it wasn't so good for his health. "If you said to me when we were leaving Auckland that we'd cross the Southern Ocean through storm after storm, round Cape Horn, cruise halfway up the coast of South America and be within 200 metres of another boat, battling it out for first place, I would have told you that you are absolutely insane," he added. "It's great for sailing and for the fans, but terrible for my ulcer!" While Camper is bound for Puerto Montt in Chile to repair bow damage before continuing to Itajai, Abu Dhabi's game plan is less clear. Despite 'MacGyvering' a patch for their delaminated hull, they are uncertain what it can sustain. "Our next weather report should give us an idea as to what we could expect if we should decide to turn and burn towards the horn," explained media crew Nick Dana. "If it looks as heinous as it was forecasted a few days ago, it is likely that we will seek an alternative option to getting to Itajai." -- Event media Leg 5 - Auckland, NZL to Itajai, Brazil (6,705 nm) Standings as of Monday, 02 April 2012, 22:01:49 UTC 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 970.0 nm Distance to Finish 2. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 970.7 nm Distance to Lead 3. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 1157.7 nm DTL 4. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 2704.7 nm DTL 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 1826.3 DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), Retired Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com SUCCESSFUL RESCUE Oakland, Calif. (April 2, 2012) - A brutal low pressure system off the coast of California became the final hurdle for the ten teams seeking to complete the 6,000 mile stage from China to the U.S. in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race. For two crew members from the yacht Geraldton Western Australia, this storm led to injuries that required their rescue. The following extracts from the US Coast Guard statement from the operation explains the rescue procedure: "The successful rescue of the two people now safely aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf follows two days of intensive search and rescue operations. "In today's operations, a San Diego-based Coast Guard MH-60T crew, operating from the deck of the Bertholf, had planned on airlifting but once on scene the aviators determined that the boat's rigging and mast presented too great a hazard. Instead, one of the Bertholf's two rescue boats, a National Security Cutter equipped with a stern-launch system for effective launch and recovery of small boats, successfully transferred the injured crew to the cutter. Once on board, they were evaluated by the cutter's medical specialists. "Bertholf's commanding officer, in consultation with medical experts ashore, decided the best course of action was to head back to shore with the injured yacht crew. "In addition to the rescue helicopter and Bertholf, a long-range Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules aircraft based at Air Station Sacramento also were involved in the rescue operation. On Saturday, one of these aircraft flew a California Air National Guard pararescue team to the scene of the stricken sailboat in hopes of delivering the highly trained medical and rescue personnel directly to the sailboat. That team could not parachute down to the damaged sailboat due to rough weather, however, was able to drop medical supplies to the yacht. A second Coast Guard C-130 assigned to the rescue today provided communications support and safety backup for the helicopter flight operations. The two crew who have been transferred are: Jane Hitchens, 50, a doctor, has suspected broken ribs and is being treated with oxygen; Nik Brbora, 29, a software engineer who lives in London who has a suspected pelvic strain. Full report: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index.php/race-news?item=596 BACKGROUND: The Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race started on July 31st from Southampton on the UK's south coast and will return to the Solent in July 2012 after 40,000 miles of ocean racing - the world's longest ocean race. Over 500 people representing more than 40 nations plan to compete among the 10 equally matched 68-foot long masthead cutters designed by Ed Dubois. They can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more of eight legs. http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/ WILL NEW U.S. FUEL STANDARDS MEAN BIGGER VEHICLES? As an industry dependent on selling products that are towed behind cars, SUVs and light trucks, we've long been concerned about increasing CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards and the likely result that vehicles will be made lighter with reduced safe towing capacity. Those concerns were escalated when the Obama administration announced doubling the current 27.3 mpg CAFE standard by 5 percent per year to a shocking 54.5 mpg by 2025. A guaranteed prescription for much lighter vehicles ahead, right? Perhaps not. In fact, vehicles may get bigger because of two things: consumer demand and an unheralded twist in the rules. That's the unique conclusion of a study reported by the University of Michigan's News Service for its College of Engineering. CAFE will likely lead to bigger vehicles, more light trucks and SUVs! The study examined market surveys of what vehicle buyers want and determined drivers prefer larger vehicles for the room, comfort and safety. Recognizing auto makers will build what buyers want, the study combined an examination of the formula used to establish target mpg and bingo - there is the loophole. -- Soundings Trade Only, read on: http://blog.tradeonlytoday.com/dealer_outlook/?p=1042 DISCOVER: THE SANDBOX THAT SAILS When Tim Fetsch and Ben Poucher were looking for a boat last year, they found one that had been on the beach - literally. The race to get the Classe 40 Icarus to the start line for the Atlantic Cup last spring started with the removal of a couple of buckets of sand, and Icarus became affectionately known as "the sandbox". After a year of hard work on the boat, sails and budget, Team Icarus is in top form for this year's edition, and here at Atlantis, we are stoked to provide them with the gear they need to stay warm and dry. Check out Icarus Racing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Icarus-Racing/210601732295704. Discover life on the water. Discover your Atlantis. http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com TEN THINGS YOU CAN AFFORD TO GET WET We've all been there. That last wobbly step from the dock to your boat, legs splayed, arms laden with all the accoutrements for a day on the boat, when a small wake causes you to stagger, and ... kerplunk, you hear that fateful splash. Inevitably the item you've just dropped in the drink is the most expensive/useful/irreplaceable one - that new GPS, the iPad you were looking forward to reading your charts on, your favorite sunglasses. But all may not be lost. We've compiled a list of useful items that were never destined to become interesting playthings for fish. They'll float, flicker, or just plain refuse to get water-damaged. -- BoatUS magazine, read on: http://www.boatusmagazine.com/boatus/20120405#pg76 SAILING SHORTS * Palma, Spain (April 2, 2012) - Sunshine and light breeze provided for gentle but technical sailing for all classes engaged in the 43rd Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofa MAPFRE, the third of seven ISAF Sailing World Cup Regattas. Leading performances for North America on day one included Charlie Buckingham (USA) and Tania Elias Calles Wolf (MEX), who stand fourth and fifth in the Laser and Laser Radial respectively. Competition concludes on April 7. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/38118.php * Twenty three nations have qualified to sail at the London 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition in Weymouth and Portland from 1-5 September 2012. Host nation Great Britain, along with Australia, Canada, Italy and the USA, has filled their quota with sailors in all three of the Paralympic events - 2.4mR, SKUD18 and Sonar. Nations qualified for the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition are: http://www.sailing.org/38115.php * (April 2, 2012) - Strong winds have led to casualties among the 18 yachts which started the 800nm Corona del Mar to Cabo San Lucas International Yacht Race. Two yachts are now retired, with Medicine Man (Andrews 63) breaking their boom and Rapid Transit (Andrim 49) unable to overcome steering issues. James McDowell's SC70 Grand Illusion is the current overall elapsed and ORC B leader. -- http://cdmtocabo.com/ * Tortola, British Virgin Islands (April 1, 2012) - A southeasterly breeze of about 12-15 knots emanating from Dead Chest Island, provided shifty conditions for a tense last day of racing at the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. Today all classes raced in the Sir Francis Drake Channel outside Nanny Cay and there was a lot of traffic to contend with. Probably the most important factor was staying in clear air and spotting the shifts as they whipped over and around the chain of islands on the south side of the Channel. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/BVI-040212 ADVERTISING. FREE ADVERTISING The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. For free. As a bonus, each week the Scuttlebutt newsletter includes some of the recent classified ad postings. View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads J/111 ACTION IN 2012 The J/111 has been lighting up the sailing world over the past twelve months. This 36' easy-to-sail speedster has brought the fun back into sailing larger keelboats. Even better, enough are sailing (70+ in 8 countries) for class racing in some of the world's greatest venues. See the J/111 next at Strictly Sail Pacific April 12-15. http://www.jboats.com/j111 GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Brian Hancock: How does Chris Caswell get it so right so often? His piece (in Scuttlebutt 3560) about savoring the moment was pure poetry. Life's little gifts come so rarely, or so it seems. So when they do take some to enjoy them. It is after all the juice of life... * From Skip Lissiman: I am pleased to read Russell Coutts (in Scuttlebutt 3560) has finally come around and publicly supported the single biggest issue facing the America Cup now to get a broad base fan base... Nationality! I will admit, I come from the "Flintstone" generation of AC crew (Australia -1980, Australia II -1983 and Australia IV -1987), but at least we had a huge fan base (well beyond sailing and sport in general) from Australia when all the crew were nationals of the challenging (and defending) country. To start with a 50% national crew for the next AC and boost to a minimum of 75% national over another AC cycle will greatly boost the support base from the challenging country from both the media and the public. By mandating AC teams to have nationals aboard will also leave a legacy within the challenging/defending country with programs to develop future AC talent - which is good for the sport in general. COMMENTS: I have chirped about this since day one, and contend that a 30% nationality rule would have been sufficient for the 34th America's Cup, allowing future editions to increase the percentage. If a challenger doesn't have at least three people in their country that could sail in the America's Cup, then maybe they are entering for the wrong reasons. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt * From George Morris: Plotting the relatively slow progress of Camper and Abu Dhabi across the Pacific, and allowing at least a week for a new bow, it seems to me that neither are likely to make the start of the next leg. And then Telefonica's patch is going to need some attention, and how much of Groupama's repair in Auckland will need re-doing before the most destructive leg of the course which has always been the North Atlantic? I see Camper and AD arriving in Miami via the Panama Canal - probably on a ship and I reckon the other two would gladly skip the next leg. * From Stephanie Marston: Regarding your Curmudgeon's Observation in Scuttlebutt 3560, the other name for the tiller extension is the hiking stick. But as you said, they are both related to something else. It's funny to think about it as I never had. Mast, keel, boom, tiller, rudder... they all have their own unique names. However, there is one other boat part that is suffering an identity crisis: the winch handle. * From Scott Boye, Friday Harbor: Back in the day, the tiller extension on my boat was referred to as 'the swizzle stick'. But that lead to other forms of miscommunication. Now I race on a boat with a wheel - problem solved! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Any woman can have the body of a 21-year-old... as long as she buys him a few drinks first." - Maxine SPONSORS THIS WEEK APS - IYRS - North Sails - Atlantis WeatherGear - J Boats - Gowrie Group Dieball Sailing - Ullman Sails - Summit Yachts - The Pirates Lair Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
