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SCUTTLEBUTT 3409 - Friday, August 19, 2011Scuttlebutt 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: The Pirates Lair and JK3 Nautical Enterprises. VOLVO OCEAN RACE REDRAWS ROUTE DUE TO PIRACY CONCERNS The escalating piracy problem in the Indian Ocean has forced organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 to redraw the routes for the second and third legs. The boats were due to have sailed through an East African corridor in the Indian Ocean on the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi and again in the third leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya in China but after taking advice from marine safety experts and the sport's governing body, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the routes have been changed. The boats will now race from Cape Town to an undisclosed 'safe haven' port, be transported closer to Abu Dhabi, and then complete the leg from there. The process will be reversed for the third leg before the race continues on to Sanya. "This has been an incredibly difficult decision," said Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive Knut Frostad. "We have consulted leading naval and commercial intelligence experts and their advice could not have been clearer: 'Do not risk it.' "The solution we have found means our boats will still be racing into Abu Dhabi and competing in the in-port race there. Abu Dhabi is a very important part of our plans, a real highlight being the race's first-ever stopover in the Middle East, and we will now have a really exciting sprint finish to the emirate over the New Year period as well." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-081611 Q&A ON THE COURSE CHANGE DECISION * The race starts in less than 80 days. Why leave this decision so late? The situation in the Indian Ocean is dynamic and this decision has in fact been taken very early. We will not know until the SW Monsoon abates and the NE Monsoon becomes established in late October/early November how the piracy situation will develop this season so while this decision appears logistically late it is in fact tactically early. * How will you be transporting the boats to Abu Dhabi? The boats will be shipped on a specialised boat transport ship. The boats and the crews will be transported separately. * Where will the 'safe haven' be? We understand there is lots of speculation about this but in the interests of operational security, these details will be released at a later date when it is appropriate. * Where will the race start again? This will not be decided until the tactical situation at the time has been fully assessed but contingencies will be in place to provide logistical support to different options. * How can you guarantee the safety of the boats in the transport ship which is carrying them? Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/11/0818/ Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuOX0-NiO_I LETHAL FORCE: Germany may soon authorize shipping companies to hire private armed guards to defend vessels from Somali pirates. Currently one third of German ships are estimated to be sailing in the western Indian Ocean with guards on board, but the practice is only semi-legal. If a pirate were to be killed in self-defense, the guard can be punished under German laws. -- Full report: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15325923,00.html COMMENT: Ever since the route from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi was announced in early 2010, Scuttlebutt had voiced concern given the extent of piracy dangers at the time. The problem in the Indian Ocean was real then and has only gotten worse. I applaud the VOR organizers for their decision that lives are more important than the significant media exposure this route was to provide. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt editor GOT A STORE? START PLANNING FOR CHRISTMAS! Call The Pirates Lair today to start planning for your Christmas gear list. Mount Gay Rum Goodies, Yacht Club SWAG and custom tech tees for your crew. Contact us at ken@pirateslair.com or log on to http://www.pirateslair.com/SFNT.html for shopping. THREE TIPS FOR SURVIVAL AT SEA By Lenny Rudow, Boats.com Becoming stranded on the water is every mariner's worst nightmare -but with a little extra knowledge, you can survive at sea for extended periods of time. So before you shove off on a long-distance cruise or head out to the canyons for a fishing trip, commit these at-sea survival tips to memory. 1. How to "make" freshwater, while afloat in the ocean. Fresh water is the most important item in the world when you're stranded at sea, and luckily, with a piece of plastic, vinyl, or canvas, you can make your own. First, roll the material into a cone shape, making it as large and wide as possible. Then, insert the end of the cone into some sort of container; an empty bottle, jar, can, or cup will do the trick. Let your cone-shaped contraption sit out overnight, and at dawn, the inside of the cone will be covered in dew. Shake or tap the cone so the dew droplets run down the sides and into the container, and you have a life-giving freshwater drink ready to keep you sustained. Bonus freshwater tip: when short on freshwater, if you can catch a fish eat the eyes first - they're over 90-percent water! 2. Live off of seaweed. Hey, this might not be the most appetizing meal in the world, but it'll fill the empty void in your stomach when nothing else is available. Leafy green seaweeds are edible, and even sargassum can be eaten. Seaweed is, however, very hard to digest and will do more harm than good if eaten without sufficient drinking water and/or if it's not thoroughly chewed. If you have a way to boil it first, this also helps greatly with digestion. 3. Survive a shark attack.... read on: http://tinyurl.com/Boats-com-081611 YOUTH STARS OF TODAY (August 18, 2011) - Thursday was the final of four days of racing on Narragansett Bay at the 2011 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship in Newport, R.I. This US SAILING National Championship regatta consists of top young sailors from around the country in four classes, including the Club 420, Laser, Laser Radial and 29er. The four leading skippers after Wednesday held on to their respective leads to win this elite championship. Lily Katz (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Fiona Walsh (Rye, N.Y.) won the 36-team Club 420 fleet; Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), a member of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, won the 23-boat Laser Radial fleet; Olin Paine (San Diego, Calif.) won the 18-boat Laser fleet; and Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Conner Kelter (Newport Beach, Calif.) took the 10-team 29er fleet. Final report: http://tinyurl.com/media-ussailng-081811 Results: http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/US_Youth_Champs.htm SAILING SHORTS * China Team, the Chinese challenger for the 34th America's Cup, has decided to part ways with its skipper two-time Olympic medalist Mitch Booth after the first AC World Series in Cascais, Portugal, last week. Booth, who holds 11 multihull world titles, and was involved in the launch of the Extreme Sailing Series, had been instrumental in helping launch the late starting team. China Team is in the process of finalizing the recruitment of another skipper to be announced shortly. -- http://www.americascup.com/en/Teams/China-Team/Latest/ * The entry deadline for the US SAILING Championship of Champions will close on August 21. This event, which brings together current one design class National, North American or World Champions, will be hosted by Corinthian Sailing Club in Dallas, TX on October 19-22. Teams will compete in Flying Scots. Current applicants include Ethan Bixby, Matt Fisher, Michael Kiss, Chris Raab, and Dick Tillman. Details at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/CofC.htm * (August 18, 2011) - For the first time in more than 50 years, the Rolex Fastnet Race has a back-to-back handicap winner. Following on from her victory under IRC in 2009, Niklas Zennstrom's Judel-Vrolijk designed 72ft Ran (GBR) is once again the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race and the prestigious Fastnet Challenge Cup. Under IRC, Ran's time corrected out to beat ICAP Leopard (GBR) by 4 hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds, and Mike Slade's 100 foot supermaxi in turn a massive 10 hours, 40 minutes ahead of third placed Vanquish (USA), the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team's STP65. -- Full story: http://fastnet.rorc.org/news-2011/press-releases-2011/ran-first-back-to-bac k-victory-in-50-years.html * Marstrand, Sweden (August 18, 2011) - The 16 teams at the RC44 Sweden Cup began the fleet racing portion of the event on the sidelines waiting for breeze, which stayed long enough to complete one race and it was Team Ceeref - led by tactician Michele Ivaldi (ITA) and helmsman Igor Lah (SLO) - who continued their great form to take the only race win of the day. Friday is expected to be a very different sailing day in Marstrand, with winds due to increase throughout the day, which should make for some exciting racing and great viewing for the expected crowds. -- Full story: http://www.rc44.com/news/view/snakes_and_ladders * The annual Puddle Duck Racer World Championship race is right around the corner, this year it is being hosted at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma, USA on October 8, 2011. Many puddle duckers have already signed up for the race with over 40 hulls scheduled to compete in the main race. The Puddle Duck Racer is a fast growing sailboat club where members build their own boat and then compete with them in fun and goofy ways, and sometimes in very serious conventional buoy racing. The Puddle Duck Racer is the easiest boat in the world to build. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12387 * Global sports production and distribution company USP Content has been appointed as official radio provider to the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, which starts on 29 October in Alicante, Spain. USP will provide live and pre-recorded audio coverage for the entirety of the race directly from Race Headquarters in Alicante, ports of call en route and from on board the boats themselves. Hundreds of radio stations across the continents are being accredited to update millions of listeners on the latest news, conditions and race standings - in multiple languages reflecting the diversity of nationalities taking part in the Race. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/home.html * Abandoned vessels may have become an unofficial indicator of the tough economy. While no exact national figures exist, authorities in most states with a coast or large body of water have reported increasing numbers of boat owners abandoning ship in recent years. South Carolina is among dozens of state and local governments that have recently increased penalties against owners of abandoned vessels. Removal fees range from $3,000 to $20,000, depending on the size of the boat. -- Read more: http://tinyurl.com/42qjg73 * Australian Bruce Arms has claimed to have established a new world-record for sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted around Australia. The two-time winner of the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Race completed his journey 79 hours and 27 minutes ahead of the existing record of 42 days 5 hours 33 minutes. The yacht - Big Wave Rider - was built by Bruce, and is also the first multi-hull vessel of its kind to complete the non-stop voyage. His attempt is yet to be ratified by race officials; current record holder is Ian Thomson of England. -- Full story: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/08/18/3296660.htm INDUSTRY REPORT FROM JK3 National brokerage yacht sales are up substantially, reaching a four year high this past June! Not only are there more boats being sold, but the average value of the boats sold is the highest it's been since 2007. Here at JK3, we've been seeing a dramatic increase in both new and brokerage sales, and sales have more than doubled since last year!. JK3 is looking for quality brokerage listings to keep up with the demand. If you have a boat you'd like to sell, give us a call in San Diego (619-224-6200), Newport Beach (949-675-8053), or San Francisco (619-709-0697). http://www.jk3yachts.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include polarization, big, recruitment, summer fun, trifocal, bamm, pink (ugh!), and cheating the nursing home. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0819/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK With 25 knots registering on the committee boat, the historic the Heavy Weather Laser Slalom returned to San Francisco for the wildest ride on the Bay. The talent-stacked fleet included international competitors from 16 years old to 70-something, with anything from 40 years Laser sailing experience to six years. With no room for error in this double elimination regatta, spectacular - and frequent - crashes throughout the fleet made for tense moments on and off the course. Click here for this week's video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/11/0819/ BONUS: For the first time, Chicago Match Race Center brought its world-class match racing operation to downtown Chicago, showing off the skills of the world's top ranked sailors to the public at the end of Navy Pier alongside the Tall Ships. Sun, storms and lots of wind made this year's show all the more dramatic: http://youtu.be/o3ZtDxSCvp4 BONUS: Tim Mangus posted this clip of Sailing Log Canoes on the Scuttlebutt Facebook page, which shows that we love when people post videos on the Facebook page, love the canoes, or love videos mixed with pirated U2 songs: http://blip.tv/mangotv/sailing-log-canoes-oxford-8-13-2011-races-5472701 BONUS: With the Extreme Sailing Series being the first to establish a stadium sailing circuit for 40 foot catamarans, it seemed rude that the inaugural America's Cup World Series event was scheduled at the same time as the ESS stop in Cowes, UK. But then again, the America's Cup has not always been known for good manners. ESS boss Mark Turner provides an update: http://www.yachtracing.biz/blog/2011/08/mark-turner-extreme-sailing-video/ BONUS: This week's "World on Water" Weekly Global Sailing Video News Report covers the RNLI rescue of the 21 crew from Rambler 100 after its capsize in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race, England, the results of the Americas Cup World Series in Cascais, Portugal, The 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race England, Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series Cowes England, the start of Leg two of the Clipper Round the World Race Madeira, Portugal, the last of Cowes Week England, and much more. This week's show is uploaded to www.boatson.tv approx. 1200 BST Friday Aug 19. SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com 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 Chuck Driscoll, Chairman, 2011 Etchells World Championship: In Scuttlebutt 3408, there was a guest commentary about towing fees for the 2011 Etchells Worlds. It should be pointed out that San Diego Yacht Club provided towing free of charge, and that any towing fees paid were by sailors that had arranged their own private tows. The RC boat Corinthian and a volunteer member's boat Keet both were set up with tow lines. It should also be noted that four out of the top eleven finishers in the Worlds were registered in the Corinthian fleet. * From Ed Vitrano: While I have enjoyed the internet coverage and upgraded graphics provided for the AC World Series, this week's coverage on Versus, particularly the first 30 minutes, was so chopped that it was difficult to watch. Perhaps it was intended for those who enjoy televised rock concerts where one's ability to view an angle for more than a nano-second is challenged. Enough of the computer geek who likes to "enhance" the shot. Too much of the "Facebook Generation?" Watching the 45's rocket through the water reminds me of watching a Formula 1 race car built for optimum efficiency. Sweet! * From Mal Emerson: I would have to agree with Manfred in Scuttlebutt 3408 - the helicopters are environmentally unfriendly in respect to the fuel consumed and the noise. They are annoying to the internet audience and so must be downright maddening to the competitors. Though I really liked the superimposed lines on the live shot, Virtual Eye is getting so good, it almost suffices. Virtual Eye complimented with on the water shots skillfully blended by a sailing savvy producer would be nearly as good when the choppers couldn't fly. A single quiet fixed wing with a stabilized lens would get the wide view as well as a swarm of noisy choppers. All sorts of other camera innovations could be tried from stabilized cameras on boats with towers following the action to tethered balloons to remotely piloted vehicles. The tech is certainly there to eliminate the helicopters. The individual boat shots from directly above are OK but really just gratuitous eye candy and undoubtedly the most intrusive of the camera angles. At the minimum, they would provide much less interference by flying in only fixed positions/orbits well away from the sailing. At the maximum I believe they could be eliminated all together. COMMENT: I will continue to pound my position that the aerial angles are vital for viewer perspective. Perhaps drones would suffice, as they should be cleaner, quieter, and able to fly in overcast skies when the helicopters are grounded. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt editor * From Andrew Troup, New Zealand: Regarding Rambler 100 losing its keel, I'm averse to fingerpointing, especially when it's premature, but I have to register my disappointment and perplexity at the failure of yet another canting keel. Most such failures up to the present date appear to have been due to lateral loads. My comments will be pertinent only if this latest failure was due to such loads -- as opposed to grounding or collision loads, faulty manufacture, or incorrect assembly, say. I think it can be safely assumed that the problem in this instance was not budgetary in origin... A canting keel is perhaps the only major component of a sailing yacht whose sideways loads can be confidently quantified, and (given appropriate hydraulic design) rigorously limited. I won't restate my reasons for making this claim. I've previously sketched them out both here and on the Dock Talk forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6829 Fore-and-aft loads are a different matter, but the relative proportions are so much in favour of the stresses in that plane that the loads arising from sailing, even in the worst case, should not ever reach a threshold which could initiate fatigue cracking. * From Brent Boyd: I am sure it has crossed his mind, but I think Mr. David (Rambler owner) should write a check to cover the million pounds needed to rehab the RNLI life saving station. That would be making a statement, expressing gratitude, and honoring the RNLI which is 100% volunteer and not government funded. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Regular naps prevent old age, especially if you take them while driving. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Harken - Kaenon Polarized - Team One Newport - North Sails LaserPerformance - Doyle Sails - Atlantis WeatherGear - Lewmar Summit Yachts - Ullman Sails - The Pirates Lair - JK3 Nautical Enterprises Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
