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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...
Qingdao and Television
By Bruno De Wannemaeker, ITO team Alfa
After the Qingdao event I have some second thoughts about the live television coverage of sailing on the Olympics.
The nicest televised images we all have ever seen of sailing are the ones produced after the formula 40 cat races (15 years ago !), after the America's cup and the yearly PWA and Formula event summaries.
These movies use all possible features and explain in normal language and accurate drawings and GPS info what is happening.
The most interesting moments of sailing on TV are: starts, mark roundings, finishes and... crashes. For the rest Sailing on TV is mostly boring except if the commentary is very good and able to explain what to look for. This is very similar to rally-car racing: Exiting are the starts, the turns and the crashes. All the rest is boring. Not interesting for live television but very exciting if correctly presented.
The live coverage in Qingdao had helicopters, boats, GPS info, animation tools, camera on boats and still was not able to produce exciting live television.
I believe that the main reason for this is the lack of sailing experience of the end-producers. With a similar amount of camera time a specialised sport producer can make exiting live television for F1, Moto GP or rally.
A clear example is the way mark roundings were shown on screen in Qingdao. Instead of showing the virtual position at the end of the medal race calculating the last mark rounding we saw on screen only the mark rounding order. We needed a piece of paper with the ranking before the medal race to calculate ourselves who was in first, second position. Talking about live scoring...
There are 2 solutions for this:
- find and train the end-producers to make better live coverage
or
- forget live coverage and prepare an exciting amount of images to be distributed 30 minutes to 2 hours after the race wherein a 1 minute, 5 minute and 15 minute program the race with all its exciting moments is captured. Interviews could be used in the 15 minute version but we need flashing, exciting production to make our sport attractive to the viewers.
As I read in a separate comment: "The only way is to have a 5 minutes summary for each class at the end of the day, like in Barcelona '92 games. And very important with the help of a virtual spectator, like in the AC. Start, first meters, mark roundings, important moments, with a good commentary and the virtual spectator help. Forget about the live coverage of a full race. There are too many chances of having the race postponed anyway."
Ending the idea that live coverage is absolutely necessary would also reduce the pressure on the race committee and give them some breathing space to wait for conditions that actually showcase our sport. Too many medal races where held in the wrong conditions.
Bouwe Bekking Analyses The Fleet And The Immediate Tasks Ahead
On board Telefonica Blue, skipper Bouwe Bekking had anything but an easy sail during Leg 1. The Spanish boat completed the course in 22 days, 23 hours, 18 minutes and 37 seconds, securing 5th place to stay 4th on the scoreboard. The best reward for Bekking at the arrival was "hugging and kissing my girls", as he says, followed by the champagne spraying, a good shower and shave, and the first proper meal in over three weeks.
Bekking offers his thoughts about the rest of the fleet, one by one:
Ericsson 4
"Ericsson 4 have shown the benefit lots of sailing and training in a lot of breeze. The boat performs very well in those strong breeze conditions; they broke the 24-hour distance record after all! But she is a heavier boat compared to ours. We've gained on them in the lighter conditions. So, overall, I think Ericsson 4 is a little bit more tiptop in the higher wind ranges than us. And, of course, he must be a fantastic good boat; it is the one that won the first leg!"
Puma
"Puma had a great leg too. She was all over Ericsson 4 and up front for much of the course. She seems to be goo d in the medium to heavy and a little weaker in the light. They have a fantastic crew as well, so it's no real surprise how well are they going."
Green Dragon
"Green Dragon was always a little bit of the dark horse going into the race. They sailed the leg tactically very well, and scored top points at the scoring gate. After that they were not fantastic once the wind built up, but we've seen what happened to their keel. They have a good bunch of guys as well, so I think she is just one of these boats that you don't know."
Ericsson 3
"Ericsson 3 has been surprising in some conditions. They have similar design to Ericsson 4, but I think Ericsson 3 still has some really strong points compared to her teammate. In some parts of the race, she was probably the fastest boat on the water. The crew is young and less experiences, but they are smart guys that will learn and, for sure, will be a strong contender. Now they have received their new keel it will be very interestin g to see how they perform."
Team Russia
"As for Team Russia, it's been really surprising how quick they are going downwind. It is probably just a matter of the whole hull shape and a very small keel bulb. What we've seen is that she doesn't seem to be very quick upwind or reaching. That is a consequence of the bulb being really, really light."
Delta Lloyd
"Delta Lloyd has got a very solid boat, the winner of last edition. Even though she's a generation behind she was at the head of the first generation, so she is still a boat with very strong points, such as high stability. I think they'll come up with some surprises before the end of the race."
Telefonica Black
"Telefonica Black is just the same as Telefonica Blue. They've shown they are quick in the light, quick in the medium, fast in reaching conditions. Up to now they have struggled a little bit in the heavier downwind running, but like us she is one of the boats that is overall a very, very strong c ontender because she is good over the range."
www.bouwebekking.com
The Yngling Is Ready
Next week the ISAF Annual Conference will decide which equipment will be used at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The Yngling is a contestant for the Women Keelboat (match) Event. The Yngling Class is ready.
The Yngling Class is an established ISAF International and Olympic Class. Around 4000 Ynglings have been built and 800 boatowners are active paying members of the International Yngling Association. The Class has 6 independent ISAF licensed builders on three continents. Statistic has shown that all Yngling are very equal regardless of age and builder.
A strong Class Association and ERS standard Class Rules ensure stability, safety and cost efficiency. The Class has the organisational and logistical experience to supply boats to regatta organisers.
The Yngling has proven itself a boat that can stand up to the demands of Olympic campaigning and its solid construction gives the boats a long competitive life. In many different events the Yngling has proven suitable for Match Racing, Fleet Racing and Team Racing.
Quotes from Sailors
Sofia Bekatorou (GRE) "I think it [the Yngling] is a good solution for the forthcoming Olympics if you take into consideration that is has already been tested as equipment for 2 Olympics and also its performance depends more on the crew work and not so much on the speed. It is a very tactical boat..."
Ekaterina Skudina (RUS) "I am sure Yngling is a good boat for Match racing because it is easy handled and not overpowered with sails and rigging. It has very similar speed in the fleet so only tactics and quick decisions are important. It is more fair play and not a technical trick."
Sarah Ayton (GBR) "I think the Yngling will make a good match racing boat"
Ulrike Schuemann (GER) "I am totally positive, that the Yngling and the combined match racing and fleet racing format will be the most effective program" ..."I like that idea because it gives everybody the same chance and we should not think about the prospective of 8 pro teams."
Find full interviews with sailors at yngling.org
RORC 600 Charter Opportunity with Fair Do's VII
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Tel +44 1983 200901 ext 1.
www.mainsail.co.uk
Joyon Breaks Discovery Route Record
Photo by JM Liot/DPPI/Idec. Click on image to enlarge.
Francis Joyon sailed the maxi trimaran IDEC across the finishing line off San Salvador at 02:06 UTC on Friday to break the solo Discovery Route record by 15 hours and 15 minutes, subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
Francis Joyon (FRA) had left Cadiz, Spain at 05:30:57 seconds UTC on Tuesday 28 October, before crossing the finishing line in San Salvador, the Bahamas to complete the 3,885nm Discovery Route, named after the historical track taken by Christopher Columbus, at an average speed of 16.4 knots. With a running time of 9 days, 20 hours and 35 minutes, he betters the current record, set by Thomas Coville (FRA) onboard the 60-foot trimaran Sodebo in 2005 at 10 days, 11 hours, 50 minutes and 46 seconds, by 15 hours and 15 minutes.
It is another record in an incredible year for Joyon, who smashed the singlehanded round the world record in January, a feat which has seen him nominated for the 2008 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards. The male and female winners of the 2008 Award will be announced in Madrid, Spain next Tuesday 11 November.
As when Coville set his record, it was night and following a relatively easy circumvention of San Salvador that Joyon crossed the finish line of the Discovery Route. A small boat was waiting in the Caribbean, with Clifford Fernandes, a delegate from the World Speed Sailing Record Council onboard, firing the gun to signal the completed passage of the giant multihull.
Joyon and IDEC got off to a flying start on their record attempt, passing through the Canary Islands little over 24 hours after starting the record attempt in Cadiz. However from that point on the route proved much more complex, with the French skipper having to take a very northerly course. In the end, he actually covered a distance of 4,304 nautical miles, at an average speed of 17.7 knots. -- from the ISAF, sailing.org
Joyon's site: www.trimaran-idec.com
The Final Countdown
One day to go until the start of the sixth Vendee Globe and the big unanswered question which still prevails, public, media and skipper alike, is predicting who will win the biggest and most wide open round the world race ever? Will experience win over sheer drive and determination?
Look to experience of the race itself and it is the first time that two winners have competed against each other: Michel Desjoyeaux (2000) and Vincent Riou (2004), but there are many skippers who are back for more, some of whom have made multiple circumnavigations. Switzerland's Dominic Wavre has made seven circumnavigations including four crewed, three solo and this will be his third Vendee Globe (5th in 2000 and 4th in 2004) including a two handed circumnavigation in his Temenos II last winter. Loic Peyron is back with Gitana 80 after finishing second in the first race in 1989, Jean Le Cam was second in 2004, Marc Thiercelin was second in 1996 and fourth in 2001, Roland Jourdain third in 2001, Mike Golding in ECOVER 3 heads into his third after finishing seventh in 2000 and third in 2004 and is the only British skipper to finish the race twice. Seb Josse finished fifth in 2004 ahead of Jean Pierre Dick in sixth, Raphael Dinelli returns this time after finishing 12th in the last race.
Add in those who have sailed part of the course before, Alex Thomson, Bernard Stamm and Norbert Sedlacek Then there are those who have experienced the Southern Ocean, Marc Guillemot, Brian Thompson, Jonny Malbon, Dee Caffari, Yann Elies, Rich Wilson, Sam Davies, Derek Hatfield and Unai Basurko.
And then there are the first timers, the rookies who have neither circumnavigations nor Southern Ocean experience Jean Baptiste Dejeanty, Arnaud Boissieres, Yannick Bestaven, Kito de Pavant, Armel Le Cleac'h, Jeremie Beyou, Steve White, but then Vincent Riou was a Southern Ocean rookie who went on to win last time.
* The Bay of Biscay will be the warm-up for this Vendee Globe. It is a zone renowned for its severity since it is a breeding ground for W and SW'ly winds generated by the lows which relish making their presence felt as they close on the Atlantic coast. And though the wind may be problematic as it will be on the nose for those dipping south to round the horn of Iberia, it's the seas which become a real issue as the waves gain height with the funnelling effect of Biscay. Headwinds, powerful waves which can break over them at any point, the heaviness of the boats which set off laden to the hilt... Suffice to say that the very start of this course isn't the easiest stage in this circumnavigation of the globe. From the outset, the boats will be subject to a powerful showdown and Michel Desjoyeaux on his 60 foot monohull FONCIA, like his fellow sailors, will have to control the power of the boat, the severity of the elements and the optimising of his course.
"We're going to set off in a 15/20 knot SW'ly, filling during the course of the evening and overnight... it could reach 25 to 30 knots locally at the leading edge of a cold front which is labouring along in the Bay of Biscay, says Michel, eyeing the meteorological spaghetti of the isobaric charts. We'd certainly all prefer to set off in the same conditions as four years ago... That would have been simpler for all concerned, especially as the start is always risky. We're already going to have to make sure we are careful with each other given the number of boats at the start and we shouldn't underestimate the considerable fleet of spectator boats, which are always keen to get as close as possible to us... Following that we're going to have to put in some westing until Monday evening in my view... Once we've hit the NW'ly behind the front, we'll make the most of it to make headway towards Cape Finisterre. Though the weather situation is fairly clear, the strategy isn't totally in hand. I think a few subtleties will creep in with the wind potentially oscillating in direction..."
www.vendeeglobe.org
Nexus Wishes Fair Winds To Vendee Globe Fleet
Our warmest good wishes go to all the competitors setting off on the Vendee Globe. We pray for fair winds and a safe passage for everyone in the race.
This event's ethos combined with the determination and commitment shown by its competitors reflects so much of what Nexus is all about.
We combine adventure with green technology, we work hard at global representation, we show tenacity in bringing our products to market and we love a challenge. We're with you in spirit.
www.nexusmarine.se
For The Record
The WSSR Council announces the ratification of 2 new world records.
Record: D Class World Record
Yacht: Hydroptere
Name: Alain Thebault and a crew of 10
Dates: 29th October 2008
Start time: 10:51:15.7
Finish time: 10:51:36.8
Elapsed time: 21.1 seconds
Distance: 501.3 metres metres
Average speed corrected: 46.15 knots
Venue: Port St Louis. France
Previous record: 2007 Hydroptere, Alain Thebault FRA 44.81 kts
Record: Outright Nautical Mile World Record.
Yacht: Hydroptere
Name: Alain Thebault and a crew of 10
Dates: 29th October 2008
Start time: 10:50:53.4
Finish time: 10:52:16.9
Elapsed time: 1minute 23.5 seconds (83.5 seconds)
Distance: 1853.5 metres
Average speed corrected: 43.09 knots
Venue: Port St Louis. France
Previous record: 2007, Hydroptere, Alain Thebault 41.69 kts
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
A Newcomer In The World Yacht Racing Scene: Oman Sail
Oman Sail has confirmed that it will be exhibiting at the World Yacht Racing Forum in December as an opportunity to meet interested media and potential business partners as well as showcase a project that is trying to take sailing to a country where, despite a rich maritime heritage, the sport currently does not exist.
Oman Sail is a new initiative that was set up in the middle of 2008 to help create a new generation of role models using one of Oman's greatest assets: the sea. One of the principle objectives of the project is to promote the Sultanate of Oman as a tourist destination and increase inward investment by participating in international events and competitions.
The Oman Sail project has a fleet of training boats for beginners as well as a 75 foot trimaran Musandam, formally B&Q, sailed around the world by Ellen Macarthur. Having undergone a minor refit to enable a crew - all probably slightly taller than Dame Ellen - to live on board and sail her, a team of three international sailors and three Omanis have recently sailed her back to Muscat from the UK.
An international crew has also spent the summer competing in the iShares Cup on the team's boat Masirah, gaining a respectable fourth place overall.
The next stage of the project is an official launch on 2 December in Muscat.
Further information on the project can be found at www.omansail.com
worldyachtracingforum.com
Holmatro Launches New Website!
Following its new corporate identity, Holmatro has launched her new Website.
Holmatro Marine Equipment B.V. marketing manager Saskia Samama says: "Our new corporate identity and website indicates Holmatro's growth and innovative spirit. A fresh look and feel was needed to reflect the changes we are making."
We keep improving our ability to meet the evolving needs of our customers by continuous product development, necessitated by investments in internal processes, systems infrastructure and human capital.
The revitalized corporate identity confirms how Holmatro is moving to a new era of change. We know this will help us become the leading brand in marine hydraulics.
www.holmatro.com
Desafio Trophy - Day 1: Alinghi and Tam Origin Tied in First Place
Ben Ainsle Helms TeamOrigin's boat with Iain Percy and Mike Sanderson. Photo by Ian Roman. Click on image to enlarge.
Regardless of what one might opine about the CNEV, it was great to see the 4 America's Cup boats racing this afternoon off the Malvarosa beach in Valencia. Not only did we get the chance to see some nice sailing, unfortunately in light winter conditions, we watched Team Origin maker its fist official appearance as well as the return of a new Luna Rossa with Peter Holmberg at the helm.
Two races were sailed, the first one was won by Team Origin and the second one by Alinghi. Both teams are tied at 4 points after having also scored a 3rd. Desafío and Luna Rossa are tied at 6 points with a 2nd and a 4th each. Alinghi could be one point clear of Team Origin if it wasn't for the three ripped spinnakers in the first run of the first race.
The schedule for Saturday calls for another 2 races that will hopefully take place with a stronger breeze. -- Pierre Orphanidis in Valencia Sailing, valenciasailing.blogspot.com
Team Russia Appoints Nick Bubb as Watch Leader on Leg 2
Click on image to enlarge.
Team Russia today announced that Nick Bubb (29) takes on the role of Watch Leader for Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Nick joins Stig Westergaard (DK) as the second watch leader on Kosatka, leaving Cape Town for Kochi, India on 15 November 2008.
British born Bubb was Team Russia's pitman and boat captain on Leg 1. Looking after all the below deck systems including hydraulics and engines, he was instrumental in the repair of the ripped 'ram boots' in the first 24 hours out of Alicante. Nick will continue with his boat captain duties alongside his new role.
Nick has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and has extensive short-handed racing experience including four years of Mini Transat racing. He took part in the Oryx Quest (non stop around the world) on Maxi Cat Daedalus (ex ENZA) as well as sailing in Class 40's for La Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre. Before he joined Team Russia he worked with Mike Golding on the Open 60 Ecover
Nick replaces Guillermo Altadill (ESP) as Watch Leader "It was good to have Guillermo on leg 1, to benefit from his experience," explains Hanakamp.
www.teamrussia.org
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The Last Word
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