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Issue #1490 - Weekend Edition 19-20 April
Brought to you by Yachtworld.com Europe and boats.com Europe, 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
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Editorials, Opinions And The Rumour Mill
One Race To Win A Gold Medal...
The Notice of Race, the primary document, has been published for this summer's Olympic regatta in Qingdao.
And yes, catastrophe is contemplated as one - yes, only one - race will be sufficient to constitute a series.
The programme contemplates the normal format for the Olympic classes, a total of 11 races including the double-points Medal Race finale. Or in the exception of the 49er, 16 races.
For those inside the Olympic sailing bubble the radical one race provision is no surprise. The Notice for last summer's Test Event included this rule, tacit admission that the wind in this part of the Yellow Sea is not the best... Qingdao is highly unlikely to produce a great sailing event. Light winds and a couple of knots of current sluicing along the coast will see to that. August is not the optimum time for this stretch of coast apparently and neither is Qingdao the best place on China's gigantic coastline for sailing.
So let's be hopeful that 2008 runs with comparable satisfaction as the last two years. And accept that the one race provision in the Notice of Race contemplates something so awful only because it's someone's job to provide for the worst that could happen. -- Tim Jeffery in his Telegraph blog, full article at blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/timjeffery/
The Endless Wrangling
The America's Cup has been the theater of countless battles since 1851 and every single Defender's mission has been to defend the "Auld Mug" with all his might against the repetitive assaults of various Challengers. On or off the water!
Over the past few months we have seen several of those legal 'battles' from both sides and as painful as it might be for the millions of America's Cup's fans, one should not blame the Defender for using every single tools the US legal system has on offer to protect the trophy in an all out war against BMWOracle.
Larry Ellison has previously seemed graceful in defeat. Indeed, the sailing world has come to accept and respect him as a true sportsman and a great yachtsman. Why is he then campaigning in a courtroom rather than on the water? Larry Ellison has legally eliminated the competition and won the right to be the sole challenger for this edition of the America's Cup. One of the consequences of this action is that virtually thousands of people have been put out of their jobs. He might not mind them, but why does he now push for a match in 2008 when he knows that the Defender won't be race ready?
To protect their rights as the Defender, Alinghi has fired another round of ammunition this week and successfully gained an expedited appeal. Justice Andrias from the Supreme Court of NY also decided that Alinghi's request for a stay should be referred for consideration by a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division and the briefing on the stay motion will be completed by 25 April 2008, all briefing to be completed by 15 May 2008 and oral arguments will then be heard during the June term hopefully followed by a prompt decision.
With apparently no legal "tolling" in place, the dates of the match were originally set in GGYC's challenge for July 4, 6 and if necessary July 8 2008. This is only just over a couple of months away and, at some point, there may be such short notice before July 4th that BMWO may not have enough time to get their boat to the site, get her measured and be ready to race. Maybe at that point, when they have their back against the wall, will BMWO come to the table to negotiate date, venue, boat's certificate and race's documentations?
Instead of going down that path, wouldn't it be better to just get back to basics; a competition contested between true gentlemen who have allegiance to both their challenging club and their team? Otherwise the legal war will not end anytime soon as both teams have plenty of legal ammunition in stock.
It might be a good time to reflect on the words of the New York Court of Appeals ruling in Mercury Bay BC vs. San Diego YC twenty years ago: "This case has little or no significance for the law, but it has caught the public eye like few cases in this court's history. Much of the reason for this attention, apparently, is the supposition that here at stake are grand principles - sportsmanship and tradition." -- Sebastien Destremau, www.adonnante.com
Cut To The Chase
Even for those of us who follow the AC fandango quite closely, the legalisms are daunting. Doing a superb job of fog cutting is attorney Cory Friedman, writing his part 21 (!) to the saga in our sister publication Scuttlebutt. Note that the elipses below cover a full eight more paragraphs. A must read at www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/
Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) went to the Appellate Division, First Department, of the Supreme Court of the State of New York on April 15, 2008, seeking a stay of Justice Cahn's March 17, 2008 Orders pending resolution of its appeal of those Orders. SNG went away empty handed. It did succeed in getting an expedited appeal, but that was something Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) wanted just as much as SNG did and immediately agreed to. Thus, as it now stands, the Deed of Gift (DoG) Match will go forward on the date to be set by Justice Cahn when he enters an order on the summary judgment motions decided on November 27, 2007. SNG does get a second shot at a stay in a formal motion, but is likely that that motion will not be decided until the main appeal is decided in June - unless the appeal is dismissed, which is entirely possible. This is a game changing event. If SNG does not prepare for the DoG Match, it does so at its peril...
If the whole gale/storm and mountainous seas SNG encountered were not enough, GGYC's lawyer announced that GGYC will move to dismiss the appeal, because the March 17, 2008 Order denying reargument is not an appealable order and the March 17, 2008 Order denying disqualification of GGYC is really the same non-appealable order. For pretty abstruse reasons you do not want to know about unless you regularly practice in New York State Courts, that is probably correct. Thus, SNG's appeal could be sunk by GGYC's motion before SNG even gets to starting line of the appeal. Indeed, the merits panel could sink the appeal on its own motion. Any attempt to get a stay or toll from the Appellate Division would go down with the ship...
If SNG does get to a merits panel in June, it may have an even bigger blow to weather. GGYC's lawyer will almost certainly be in a position to announce that GGYC's boat is complete and ready to hit the water and that, if SNG is not ready, it is only because it chose not to be ready. He could argue that, in essence, SNG is holding its breath until it gets the delay it wants. The Appellate Division may decide to let SNG turn blue if that is what SNG wants to do.
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Thierry Bielak
An unmissable character from the windsurf world, specially where that concerns speed sailing, 3 times world speed record holder and Speedsailing Hall of Fame member Thierry Bielak is saying his farewells after years of appearing on the runs and roads for the RRD brand... New horizons, new projects ahead, he takes time out to talk to us about his long career as a speedboard addict
Windsurfjournal.com : From 1991 to 2004, you've been the boss of speed windsurfing, with those 3 consecutive world speed records, what's your retrospective view of this decade of domination?
Thierry Bielak : I started windsurfing in 1980 aged 24 and did my first speed competition in Brest in 1984. But it took me another 5 years to win my first speed world championships in St-Maries-de-la-Mer in 1989. It took me a lot of tenacity and observation to properly understand how it all worked because in truth I wasn't really destined for windsurfing or for competitions.
I think I was the master of the equipment that was available at the time. I'd like to thank people like Nautix (20 years of support) and ITV who made me some truly excellent sails for the time. I managed to set 3 absolute all-category world speed records, and I'm the only person to have beaten his own record twice : 43.06 knots on 7th March 2001, 44.66 knots 18th April 2001, 45.34 knots 24th April 2003, and I was 36 by the time I set the third one. I think quite a few people found that I'd set the bar pretty high, then lots of the major manufacturers lost interest in speed sailing, the new trend was for freeride with sails with no cambers and much easier boards.
WJ : Some of the "younger" riders have picked up the baton since 2005, Finian Maynard and Albeau Albeau recently, what do you think about the new 49.09 knot record ?
TB : Finian Maynard had the will, like me before him, to push the record , and he succeeded seeing as he managed to set 2 new speed sailing records. As for Albeau, I had already said in an interview with Wind magazine ten years ago that he was the most promising candidate for the title.
WJ : After Finian Maynard's record in November 2004 (46.82 knots), you effectively retired from competition, why ?
TB : Age was the master, at 48 physical strength had already started to decline, despite the fact that I'd stepped up my physical training. Finian Maynard is 22 years younger than me...
WJ : It seems that pressure is part and parcel of the speed sailing package, how did you manage to deal with that ?
TB : Exactly, when I did the speed attempt with Finian on the canal, I put so much pressure on myself that it actually held me back, it wasn't right, it stopped everything. I can see that Finian had the same thing with his 46 knots despite Albeau hitting 49.09 knots. Finian's not going any slower than 2 years ago. But he's lost 3 knots to the risers...
WJ : With your experience and perspective that you have on speed sailing, who do you see as closest to the 50 knot mark : windsurfers, kitesurfers or the Hydroptère ?
TB : Windsurfing rigs are still among the best and could easily go on to break the barrier. Kitesurf looks the most likely to develop quickly and it's easier for them to find spots suitable for speed sailing. Boats also have enormous potential but I think their industry isn't really committed to researching it apart from the odd attempt here and there.
Full interview at www.windsurfjournal.com
Sceptre and Velsheda Enter the Race
Raymarine Yachtsman of the Year Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is a keen supporter of the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. This year he will be the skipper aboard the 12M former America's Cup yacht Sceptre. No stranger to the event, Sir Robin has competed previously in Suhaili, the 32 foot ketch he built himself and in which he became the first solo, non-stop round the world sailor in 1968/9. As a contrast, last year he opted to race in a state-of-the-art Open 60.
Sceptre was built in 1958 to mount the first challenge for the America's Cup after the war. Due to the general austerity of the time, the rules were changed to allow boats in the International 12 Metre Class to compete. There was little opportunity to tune Sceptre for the event and she suffered from inferior sail technology at the time. Meeting the USA defender Columbia, she was well beaten. Returning to the UK Sceptre's mast was moved aft to improve her balance and this transformed her performance. In the early 1960s, she was the boat to beat, sometimes with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the helm. Sceptre is now owned by Sceptre Preservation LLP, whose key objective is to safeguard this fine piece of yachting history for future generations. In this, her Golden Jubilee Year, Sceptre will be racing in the Classic Racing Yachts class.
In the 1930s the America's Cup was the domain of the huge J Class boats. Ten were completed of which only three now remain. Velsheda, although not built as an AC contender, cut a dash at many events in the 1930s, including taking the King's Cup at Cowes. She has participated in the Round the Island Race on several occasions. - joining the CHS class in 1989 and 1990 and transferring to the Classic Racing Yachts class when it was formed in 1991. She then reappeared in 2001, the America's Cup Jubilee Year, after an extensive refit. The Island Sailing Club is delighted to welcome her back to the event this year when she will join the IRC class. Velsheda has been lovingly restored and in a way which makes her transition from cruising to racing yacht a straight-forward matter. This includes the addition of guardrails, which were certainly not available to her original racing crew.
Up to 1,800 boats are expected out on the water for this year's JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. The standard entry fee closes on 7th June and late entries on 21st June 2008.
www.roundtheisland.org.uk
Launchings
* Down in Auckland's Viaduct Basin, all heads are turning to look at the new Juan Kouyoumdjian, designed 100ft maxi, Speedboat, which was launched in Auckland's Viaduct Basin on Monday. The product of Cookson Boatbuilders and Southern Spars, the supermaxi represents the latest in sailing technology and innovation and is a must see, before she heads for the USA.
The rapidity of her arrival at the Viaduact Basin, placement on her canting keel, fitting of rudders and appendages, installing the rig and launching, is all very impressive and speaks volumes about the professionalism and precision engineering of Cookson Boats and Southern Spars. It was amazing to see the huge and complex components being put together on the wharf, literally out of the box.
The whole process took about two days from arrival on the wharf to launching, and to compound the situation was conducted mostly in pouring rain.
On Speedboat this morning the crew were going through various gear checks and start up process in a very matter of fact sort of way, on what is a very complex piece of superbly engineering piece sailing kit. -- Richard Gladwell, www.sail-world.com
Photo of Speedboat by Richard Gladwell.
More photos of Speedboat at oceanphotography.co.nz
* DSK3 is in the final stage of production at Nautor's state of the art facilities in Finland. The fifth Swan 90 to be built, DSK3 will be launched in mid July 2008. Following on from a month of testing and finishing, she will head straight for the Mediterranean.
This Swan 90 has been optimised to race in the most important international offshore regattas, as well as is cruise in idyllic destinations around the world.
A great deal of time has been dedicated to the design and configuration of DSK3. The decision to build the hull in carbon instead of fibreglass, with PBO rigging and an optimised deck plan, meant weight savings were possible. The mast has been made by Hall Spars in high modulus carbon. DSK3 also has two booms, one for racing and a Hall V boom for easy sail handling while cruising. North Sails Italy is also developing a sail programme for DSK3, while Mani Frers has designed a custom removable bowsprit to give this Swan 90 a further advantage under IRC.
DSK3 will be a highly competitive, super yacht with a full racing programme. However, she can also be sailed with a small number of crew ensuring the owner and guests' full comfort and safety when cruising. -- www.dsksailing.com/pages/swan90 (See photo album below)
* With the launch this Wednesday of his monohull FONCIA in Port la Foret, Michel Desjoyeaux is beginning a new season, the highlight of which will be the event, which thirty skippers are in the process of preparing and training for: the Vendee Globe 2008-2009. A gruelling schedule lies ahead for the winner of the 2000-2001 edition.
Four months were barely enough to get the 60-foot monohull, Foncia back in shape following the Transat Ecover BtoB. Damaged, when she collided with a fishing vessel a few dozen miles from the finish in Port-la-Foret, Michel Desjoyeaux's yacht entered the yard as soon as she finished in mid-December. "We haven't fine-tuned her or carried out any modifications, apart from the repair work, with the exception of a new pulley system in the cockpit to make sail changes easier. We haven't adopted the idea of fitting her with strakes, sticking out of the hull between the bow and the mast 50 cm above the waterline, which other Farr designs have laminated to the sides. I'm waiting to see in the Artemis Transat, if the device is a good idea... " explained Michel Desjoyeaux at the launch of his monohull. The launch went without hitch and her mast was stepped immediately afterwards, before Foncia was moored in the new area specially built for the IMOCA monohulls in the Port-la-Foret marina. -- www.vendeeglobe.org
* February 25, 2008, was a big day at Brooklin Boat Yard as BEQUIA's hull was slid out of the main shop, very carefully rolled over into a upright position and then repositioned in the main shop to allow (with the hull now complete) the production crews to begin construction of her interior and installation of her complicated ships systems.
This 90' world-cruising yawl, designed by Robert Stephens and Paul Waring of Brooklin Boat Yard Design Associates, represents the largest project the yard has yet taken on, in both the design and the construction phases.
Work began on the design more than two years before construction commenced in the spring of 2007. The most demanding task has been the integration of the yacht's systems into the traditional deck layout and interior joinery. In addition to the systems to provide creature comforts, such as air conditioning, refrigeration, and an ice maker, the yacht will also feature fully automated sail-handling systems, with a hydraulic system running some 27 different functions, from sail furling to sheet winches, to an anchor deployment system. The hydraulics can be powered by one or both of the two 15kW generators, or, if silent operation is desired, the can be run through a DC electric system. Extensive three-dimensional computer modeling has allowed the designers to minimize the intrusion of the systems on the accommodations.
Within the varnished teak charthouse is an elevated saloon, providing great views through large windows, and a spacious chart table and electronics panel. Below, the owners' restrained tastes will result in a decor they call "casual cottage", featuring soothing white paneling with an ebony-stained cabin sole. Custom-made couches and a gas fireplace will grace the main saloon. Forward, a spacious double stateroom provides accommodation for their two teenage daughters, while under the aft cabin trunk is a roomy suite for the owners. Crew's quarters accommodating two or three is located to port, off the large galley, while in the passageway to starboard is a shower, laundry, and a pair of bunks for additional offshore crew. In total, the arrangement is simple and roomy.
Carbon spars and state-of-the-art sails will ensure sparkling performance, while a relatively long, shallow keel and spade rudder promise good maneuverability and access to the thin water of some prime cruising grounds. Construction is of cold-molded wood, proven to be a lightweight, cost-effective, and low-maintenance material for custom boats in this size range. An added benefit is the natural beauty of the varnished structure of the hull, left exposed in the saloon and staterooms, and highlighted by natural light admitted through elliptical hull ports.
* Fano, Italy - The largest Wally sailing yacht built so far, the 45-meter Wally 148, left WallyEurope shipyard late at night to avoid any interference with the traffic: the exceptional convoy was a stunning sight for everybody!
The new mega yacht was taken to the port of Fano for the technical launch, scheduled two days later.
The Wally 148 Saudade is a blue-water yet high performance super yacht developed from the hull lines of the breakthrough Wally 143, and features the lines of Tripp Design, with the interiors and styling of Eidsgaard Design, and the project management of Jens Cornelsen.
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Photo Galleries
Click on the image for the photo gallery.
From left to right:
The Last Word
At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
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