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| Scuttlebutt Europe #1099 - 13 November 2006 |
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Brought to you by boats.com Europe with the support of OC Events, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
ISAF ANNUAL CONFERENCE Looking towards 2008, the Council approved Submission 064 (as amended by the Windsurfing Committee) to introduce a new media friendly Medal Race course with a slalom finish for the two windsurfer events. Submission 079 to delete Regulation 16.1.6, which currently limits the classes from which ISAF can choose the equipment for the Olympic Games and Regional Games, was deferred. This followed the recommendation of the Events Committee, who felt the proposed removal of the regulation would have undesirable affects of the Regional Games. One of the key topics was several applications for ISAF Class status. Two new classes were approved for ISAF Recognized status - the Musto Performance Skiff and the X-35 Keelboat. Both the RS:X and the RS Feva were approved for ISAF International Class status. Submission 117 to introduce a form of performance reporting for ISAF Race Officials was approved with some amendments. This will provide a system to make positive reports on Race Officials, and also give a system for a formal reporting process on conduct and competence in respect of officials. In supporting the submission, Race Officials Chair John Doerr (GBR) pointed out that this will bring sailing into line with the common practice across the vast majority of other sports federations. The Council also approved the recommendations for the 2008 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship to be hosted in Auckland, New Zealand and the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship to be hosted by Perth, Australia. On the final day of ISAF Council meetings at the ISAF Annual Conference in Helsinki, Finland this year's hot topic, an ISAF World Cup for the Olympic Classes was given the go ahead. After lengthy discussions on the World Cup series yesterday, it was clear that a consensus around the Council table was strongly in favour that this was the way forward for sailing. After lengthy debate including representations from the classes, event organizers and the MNAs, ISAF Vice-President David Kellett (AUS) presented the Executive Committee proposal on the World Cup to Council which was approved by a large majority. The proposal passed by Council is summarized below: ISAF will establish an ISAF World Cup series for the Olympic Classes using the following events:
- Sail Melbourne The intention is to commence the ISAF World Cup as soon as possible, and no later than 2008. ISAF will work with the event organizers through 2007, in order to promote the 2008 ISAF World Cup, and to consider the inclusion of the Olympic Class World Championships and a Grand Final event. The Executive Committee will report on progress and report to the Council at the Mid-Year Meeting in May 2007 with a more detailed outline of the ISAF World Cup.
ROUTE DU RHUM Jourdain completed the 3,542 nm in 12 days, 11 hours and 58 minutes at an average speed of 11.81 knots - a new record for the IMOCAs. For the 40 foot monohulls there are now less 1,000 miles to the finish for the front runners, who sailed yesterday in the north northwest with 20-25 knots and a manageable sea. 'That is two legs length of the Figaro Race' said Gildas Morvan (FRA), after having spent an wonderful night at the helm in a two metre swell under a sparkling sky. More to the south, Dominic Vittet (FRA) finally found the winds his colleagues in the north went through one day earlier. He compared his boat to a rodeo horse that wanted to get rid of him with each wave. He also mentioned that the big low pressure system they were supposed to meet today was like the frog who wanted to become an ox. Phil Sharp (GBR) on philsharpracing.com has a 78.9 nm lead over Morvan. All but one of the ORMA multis have finished.
Finishing order, ORMA Class:
Still sailing at press time (931 nm to go): Madinina, Gilles Lamire
IMOCA
Still sailing: Roxy (Anne Liardet), Safran (Marc Guillemot), Maisonneuve Basse Normandie (JB Dejeanty), Adriana Karembeu Paris (Philippe Fiston).
Class 2 Multihulls: All others in Class 2 and 3 Multihulls still sailing, with abandonments by Jean Stavalen (Pascal Quintin) and Le Bon Marche-Rive Gauche (Anne Caseneuve) in Class 2, Ideal Stelrad (Ross Hobson) and Swith. fr (Charlie Capelle) in Class 3. Leading the Class 2 monohulls is Kip Stonee in Artforms, with 562 nm to the finish. AOI Solicarite Dentaire INternationale (Denis Douillez) has abandoned. Classe 3 Monohulls is led by Roaring Forty (Michel Kleinjans), with abandonments by A Fond Contre la Spondylarthrite (Didier Le Villain), Charter Regis Guillemot Martinique (Regis Guillemot), and La Promesse (Jankees Lampe). Fully 23 of the 25 Classe 40s that started are still in the race, with abandonments by Kenmore Homes (Nick Bubb) and TMI Technologies (Joe Seeten). Leading the fleet is philsharpracing.com (Phil Sharp) with 567 nm to the finish. The gap between Phil Sharp (philsharpracing.com) and Gildas Morvan (Oyster Funds) has gone "Yo-Yo" since yesterday: 101 miles of lead for Phil at 8 AM in regards to the 70/80 miles yesterday and back to 80 miles at noon). As it is the time for the front runner to make his lead comfortable before the weak winds predicted at the arrival, the reception of the polling on board might generate a few shots of adrenaline. For now the front leaders are sailing in the same low pressure system after their crossing of the front. On both boats the reduction or the extension of the gap means it is time to push one step harder which is generally synonymous to driving the boat rather than leaving it to the pilot...and get tired. And, after the loss of his gennaker, Phil has now to deal with another problem onboard...his waking up alarm is not working anymore. What could seem as a detail for us on land is quite tricky for a solo sailor who needs to manage his sleeping time very carefully. The usual scheme is 1h30 - 2h in 30-40 minutes snatches to be on deck for the manoeuver and push the boat as hard as possible. Phil had a lot more than 5 hours! Nevertheless, so far it did not seem to handicap him too much, as he increased his advantage after his good night's sleep. www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com
RACING PARADISE - KEY WEST IN JANUARY For invited classes, current entries, online entry and helpful planning details visit: www.Premiere-Racing.com
LISSIMAN WINS SLAM ETCHELLS 2007 AUSTRALIAN TITLES This was the final regatta before next weeks 2006 Audi Etchells Worlds, an eight race series which runs from 18th to 25th of November. This will certainly be one of the strongest international fleets for many years Skip Lissiman with crew Ben Durham and Kane Williamson won from Mark Bulka, Stewart Nichols and Steve Young from the Melbourne fleet. Britain's Andy Beadsworth sailing with James McHugh and Simon Fry were third. Fourth were the Kiwi crew of Alastair Gair, David Ridley, Carl Peters and Derek Scott. Lissiman is a member of the World's organising committee and like many of the Swan River fleet sailors, has been 'a little short of time' on the water. 'Our crew time had been a little short. Ben Durham in the middle, who sailed with James Spithill on the Young Australia team and is now with the Luna Rossi America's Cup program, had never set an Etchells spinnaker until we rounded the first mark. We still have plenty of work to do before the Worlds. The final race in the series was won by John Bertrand. He finished sixth overall and his second yesterday and win today showed he will be a force in the Worlds.
1. Bandwagon, Skip Lissiman/ Ben Durham/Kane Williamson, AUS, 29
WHEN WILL THE DOOR CLOSE? Ahead of him, tantalisingly close, are a band of favourable northwesterly winds that could project him at speed directly down towards the strong winds of the Southern Ocean. If he can only make it through to them it could once again put him into a situation every bit as race winning as when in the first few days of this leg he continued in the storm force winds when most of the other skippers were forced into port with gear damage. Timing is crucial as the forecast has this band of northwesterlies set to recede away from him. The outcome Stamm wants is for him to find this favourable wind, which then moves away with him before Mike Golding can reach them. This would see him launched south at speed, leaving those in his wake to wallow, the weather window closed in their face. Unfortunately at present all is not going according to plan. As Stamm wrote earlier this morning, as he was making just six knots in five knots of wind: "I'm stopped again. I'm sailing in a very light southerly wind. I hope it will not do the same as in the Doldrums. The system is still not in place. We'll see but it is frustrating." While Stamm has been pulling his hair out in the light conditions, those behind still enjoying the northeasterly trade winds have been happily making significant in-roads into his lead. Over the last 24 hours second placed Mike Golding on Ecover has recovered 55 miles, now 281 miles away from the race leader, while on Spirit of Yukoh, Japan's Kojiro Shiraishi has pulled back 19 miles and Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss 53 miles. Astern of Sir Robin, Graham Dalton and Unai Basurko are at present passing the Cape Verde islands off the west coast of Africa. Dalton is taking a route to the west of this archipelago while Basurko is to their east. Both are making good progress in the northeasterly trades. 10:20 UTC 12 November Race positions:
1. Cheminees Poujoulat, Bernard Stamm, 6762 nm to leg 1 finish
SMOOTH FASTLEADS DEVELOPED FROM THE RACE COURSE Developed initially for TP52 race yachts, FastLeads can be used as high load rope tidys around the deck. FastLeads will not chafe control lines or halyards. Produced from precision CNC machined aircraft grade aluminium and with a highly polished PTFE impregnated finish, they have smooth surfaces in all directions. FastLeads are available in three versions, in three sizes, for ropes from 4mm to 18 mm diameter
44TH TRANSPACIFIC YACHT RACE Entries may be submitted after clicking "On Line Login" on the left side of the home page. Significant changes for this race include the addition of the STP 65, a "box" rule class, and a reduction in the minimum length of monohulls from 30 to 26 feet, plus satellite tracking by Flagship. One assured entry is Roger Sturgeon's new STP 65, Rosebud, currently under construction as a successor to Sturgeon's Transpac 52 of the same name that in 2005 won the Governor of Hawaii Canoe and King Kalakaua Perpetual Trophy for first place overall on corrected handicap time. The Storm Trysail Club, based in Larchmont, N.Y., partnered with Transpacific Yacht Club to refine the Storm Trysail 65 box rule, which was introduced last summer and modified to become the Storm Trysail Transpac 65 (STP65) Rule. The STP65 is a high-performance 65-footer with all the modern racing amenities and a standard underwater package, meaning no canting keel, just a "lifting" keel and standard rudder configuration. Bill Lee, Transpac race entry chairman and a leader in ultralight design, said, "The boat should begin planing slightly earlier than the TP52, yet have very similar upwind stability numbers." Lee participated with a consortium of designers in streamlining the original Storm Trysail 65 Rule. The NOR also notes the early entry deadline of March 9 for discounted fees and contains a schedule of key events leading up to the race in July, starting with the Orange Coast College Safety at Sea Seminar Jan. 13. The Transpacific Yacht Race's adaptation to satellite tracking of boats follows the recent passing of Grant Baldwin, the "radio voice of Transpac," but his tradition will live on. Baldwin died in July a year after serving as communications officer for his 14th Transpac over 26 years. In 2007 he will be replaced by David Lee aboard the sailing vessel Alaska Eagle that accompanies the fleet, but the job description will be updated by the advance of technology in Transpac's second century. Now that Transpac has signed an agreement with FIS Tracking LLC for its Flagship race tracking services, instead of the communications officer recording each boat's reported position by hand in daily morning roll calls, positions will be marked every four hours by satellite reception from transponders mounted on each boat. However, Lee will continue to perform the usual morning roll calls to exchange other pertinent information, such as weather updates. The information will be integrated into fleet standings automatically computed by an upgraded scoring program. The tracking reports will be publicly available worldwide on the Internet. Boats without Internet capability may receive the reports by radio at the morning roll call. -- Rich Roberts
THERE'S ANOTHER PIECE OUT THERE... The Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) said on Friday at 0300GMT deadline for the individual to surrender a piece of the world's oldest sporting trophy had expired. "We are doing what is needed to recover the piece. Legal steps are being taken," Alec Tournier, SNG secretary general, told Reuters. "We have a legal obligation as trustee of the America's Cup so pieces are not scattered across the world." SNG said in a statement that some pieces had been stolen from the London-based firm Garrard, which crafted the original trophy in 1848, while it underwent extensive repairs. "SNG has been advised by Garrard that replaced pieces of the original America's Cup were unlawfully removed from the silversmith," it said. Garrard were unavailable for comment on Friday. The pieces were subsequently bought by a New Zealand charitable trust and a private individual in Auckland. It only came to light when Auckland-based The Spirit of Aventure Trust said it was selling off its piece to raise funds. The Spirit of Adventure Trust had now surrendered the piece which was expected back in Geneva in a few weeks but legal proceedings against the other individual had become unavoidable, Tournier said. "We have our suspicions. We think we know who has it," Tournier said, declining to identify the holder. "The remnants of the Cup should've never left Garrard," said the squadron's commodore, John Crawford. "Whoever is holding it, it's not their property in my book." From Reuters, complete article at today.reuters.com
MORE VOR KIT ON AUCTION So, do you fancy yourself in Torben Grael's offshore sailing gear complete with southern ocean salt stains? Or...do you want to parade around the race course in high performance foullies worn by the Pirates of the Caribbean? These can be all yours, along with money-can't buy items available on eBay right now. Items starting on November 10 (and following days) on Ebay:
- A Musto HPX Ocean Dry Suit worth GBP820.00!! Worn by Brasil 1's Joao Signorini Keep checking over the coming days and weeks as we have plenty more sailing gear and memorabilia to auction in memory of Hans. search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZtheQ5fvolvoQ5foceanQ5frace
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -
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* From JP Chomette: This is an answer to the Guest editorial by Mike Sharpe in SE1094: Events have a way to rub-it-in sometimes... As Mike Sharpe' s puzzling editorial appeared in SE1094 about "one-man repairs" and "event falling apart from the perspective of public interest", Bilou Jourdain revealed that he had broken the boom of Sill-Veolia in the Azores (not even half-way through what will be, in a few hours, his record monohull victory in the Route du Rhum) and repaired it in a handfull of hours, ALONE! I think that Bilou's sponsors are loughing all the way to the bank...
THE LAST WORD
OC Events, organisers of two major IMOCA 60 oceanic events, the new double-handed Barcelona World Race 2007, and the original solo transocean race, The Transat 2008 (ex-OSTAR) www.ocevents.org Over 80,000 boats for sale on www.boats.com
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