Sailing World Sep 2006

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Sailing World Sep 2006

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  • www.sailingworld.com

    September 2006

    $4.99 Canada $5.99

    SailingWORLD

    HALYARD UPGRADESHigher Tech, Lower Stretch p.48

    KEELBOAT CLINICFaster Tacks, Start to Finish p.60

    Exclusive Interview

    BRUCE FARRStill seeking the

    Americas Cupp.21

    NewportBermuda

    The Race: Bella Mentes surprise

    The Navigators: How the Stream was won

    The Stories: From first to last, big and smallp.32

    2006

    Bermuda Race class winner

    Snow Lion, a new Ker IRC

    50-footer p. 82

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  • Are you looking for a weekend lled withcompetitive one design and level racing, topnotch race management, and plenty of food, funand entertainment? If so, the Lands End NOODRegattas are for you. Since 1988, Sailing World

    has owned and organized the largest and bestseries of regattas in North America, the NOODRegattas. With nine venues from coast to coast,we hope you can join us for at least one.Details at www.sailingworld.com.

    St. PetersburgFebruary 17-19, 2006St.Petersburg Yacht Club,St. Petersburg, FL

    San DiegoMarch 1719, 2006San Diego Yacht Club,San Diego, CA

    AnnapolisApril 28-30, 2006Annapolis Yacht Club,Annapolis, MD

    DetroitJune 24, 2006Bayview Yacht Club,Detroit, MI

    ChicagoJune 16-18, 2006Chicago Yacht Club,Chicago, IL

    NOBODY DOES IT BETTER

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  • We are excited to welcome back Lands EndBusiness Outtters for their second year asthe NOODs title sponsor. Plenty of greatLands End NOOD Regatta gear will beavailable at the regattas. Dont forget, Lands

    End Business Outtters is the perfect solutionto dress up your crew or business staff incustomized gear, showcasing your boat nameor company logo. Call 1-800-920-1459

    TorontoJune 23June 25, 2006Royal Canadian Yacht Cluband National Yacht Club,Toronto, ON Canada

    MarbleheadJuly 27-30, 2006Eastern Yacht Club,Marblehead (Boston), MA

    LarchmontSeptember 9-10, 2006Larchmont Yacht Club,Larchmont (WestchesterCounty), NY

    HoustonSeptember 22-24, 2006Lakewood Yacht Club,Seabrook (GalvestonBay), TX

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  • COLUMNS

    Cover photo: Dan Nerney/Rolex

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    S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6 3

    Editors Letter 5

    Sailors Forum 6

    Starting Line 8

    Jobson Report 17

    For The Record 21

    Finish Line 90

    Contributors 111

    Ask Dr. Crash 112

    TECH REVIEW

    48/ Line Upgrade

    When upgrading to high-tech

    halyards, account for stretch.

    52/ Boat Review

    The Salona 45 is a cruiser fit to race.

    56/ Tech News

    Farr Yacht Designs GP-42 splashes,

    On Test: Spinlock Deck Harness Pro

    FROM THE EXPERTS

    60/ Boathandling

    Perfect your tack with keelboat

    maestro Mark Ploch.

    64/ Winners Debrief

    Laser Midwinter East champ

    Brendan Casey

    66/ Stategy

    Dr. Stuart Walker explains why we

    sometimes do foolish things.

    70/ Boatspeed

    Andrew Kerr helps us make better

    use of our pre-race prep.

    74/ Rules

    Feeling lucky? Dick Rose examines a

    few common starting line gambles.

    GRAND PRIX

    76/ Making a Classic Turn

    Schooner racing is a high-stakes

    game, and with each maneuver, there

    are plenty of strings to pull.

    82/ Launches

    Snow Lion, Ker IRC 50

    88/ According To

    Whispers Hap Fauth plays hard

    on the low-key Bucket circuit.

    Cover Photo : Onne Van der Wa l

    7632FEATURES

    Dave Doody guides the Swan 45

    Plenty toward Bermuda.

    Gulf Stream Blues 32Two-hundred sixty-ve crews tackle the 100-year-old Newport

    Bermuda Race dilemma: east or west, where and when to cross the

    meandering Stream?

    By The Ed i to rs

    Fortifying the Fortress Walls 38With a belligerent bunch of challengers honing in on Alinghi, the

    Swiss syndicate is doing all it can to shore up its Cup defense.

    By Stuar t St reu l i

    Austrian Goulash 42The quadrennial multi-class world championship put on by the

    sports ruling body wrestles with an identity crisis.

    By Chr i s Pastore

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  • Editor Dave ReedDirector of Design William RocheSenior Editor Stuart StreuliAssociate Editor Tony BessingerEditors at Large Peter Isler, Gary JobsonRacing Editors Betsy Alison, Ed Baird, Greg Fisher,Terry Hutchinson, Tony ReyContributing Editors Ben Hall, Dave Powlison,Dick Rose, Dr. Stuart WalkerCopy Editor John WilsonWeb Editor Michael LovettWeb Intern Franz Ritt

    Assistant Art Director Shannon CainDesigner Elizabeth Wishe

    Editorial DirectorJohn Burnham

    PublisherSally Helme (401) 845-5105; [email protected]

    Marine Advertising SalesAssociate PublisherJason White (401) 845-5155; [email protected] England & Northern EuropeMichael Tamulaites (401) [email protected] & CaribbeanJan MacMillan (252) [email protected] & Southern EuropeTed Ruegg (410) 263-2484; [email protected] Coast & Pacific RimClaudette Chaisson (760) [email protected] US & Eastern Canada:David Gillespie (303) [email protected] and Special-Section SalesMichelle Roche (401) [email protected] Coordinators: Trish Reardon, Maggie Wakeeld

    Non Marine Advertising SalesDetroit Focus Media & Marketing (303) 670-0553West Coast Steve Thompson; Mediacentric

    Director of MarketingGeorge Brengle (401) 845-5103; fax (401) 845-5180Events Manager Jennifer DaviesEvents Assistant Jennifer Myer

    Operations & AdministrationNetwork Administrator David WrightOffice Manager Kathy Gregory

    ProductionProduction Manager Robin BaggettAdvertising Services Manager Lindsey Martins(401) 845-5124Advertising Design Director Suzanne OberholtzerProduction Artists John Digsby, Monica Alberta,Wendy Crenner, Shannon Mendis

    Terry Snow President; Russ Cherami Director ofCorporate Sales; Martin S. Walker AdvertisingConsultant; Bruce Miller VP, Consumer Marketing; DeanPsarakis Business Director, Consumer Marketing;Leigh Bingham Subscription Director, ConsumerMarketing; Peter Winn Planning & DevelopmentDirector, Consumer Marketing; Vicki Weston SingleCopy Sales Director; Lisa Earlywine Director ofProduction Operations; Jay Evans Director of New MediaTechnologies; Mike Stea Director of Network &Computer Operations; Nancy Coalter Controller; DinahPeterson Credit Manager; Sheri Bass Director of HumanResources; Heather Idema Research Director; DeanTurcol Director of Communications

    55 Hammarlund Way, Middletown, RI 02842(401) 845-5100; fax: (401) 845-5180

    [email protected]

    Subscriber Services (866) 436-2460; Outside U.S. (386) 246-3401

    The Pool Is Deep

    Occasionally, we make portions of our subscriber list available

    to carefully screened companies that offer products and

    services we think may be of interest to you. If you do not want

    to receive these offers, please advise us at 1-866-436-2460.

    IN THIS SPACE LAST MONTH, I ASKED TOhear from you more often, and lo andbehold, you let me have it: the rst lettersto arrive asserted that the sport is in acataclysmic decline, and we better dosomething about it, quick. Participationis spiraling downward, waterfront accessis disappearing, youth sailing is downthe tubes, the sport is too elitist and nolonger fun, and the list goes on. Onereader in particular lamented that thedifficulty of finding a consistent andcompetent crew had driven him fromracing his PHRF boat. The local talentpool had been drained of any good tal-ent, and what was the sense in showingup each week with an incompetent crew?

    After the first few letters, I felt dis-heartened. Was I nave in thinking thesport was OK and taking care of itselfdespite inuences beyond our control? Icarried this burden to the Lands EndChicago NOOD in June, but once there,the doom and gloomjust didnt seem toring true. The vibewas undeniably up-beat, and teams weredoing what comesnaturallycompet-ing and connecting.And then, on the nalday, someone helped me shed the uneaseId been shouldering.

    I was in the regatta tent hunting forJohn Huhn, the winning skipper of theJ/105 class and the regattas overall win-ner. I found him and his crew holdingcourt at a table to the left of the awardsstage. I needed a few quotes for my dailyweb report, but came away with muchmore. Huhn, as it turns out, bought hisJ/105 two years ago and faced the afore-mentioned crew dilemma. St. Louisdoesnt exactly have an overabundance oftop-level sailing talent, so the 37-year-oldLightning sailor set out on a crew-build-ing crusade; he even contemplated plac-ing an ad in the local newspaper.

    With the assistance of his tactician andcapable crew boss Ralph Godkin, theystarted from scratch, pulling in Brian

    Lukowski, a co-worker of Huhn whodnever sailed before, Steve Peirce, a casualcruiser whod never raced, Tom Dent,whod had some crewing experience,and later, for the Chicago NOOD,Michael Gusmano, a 14-year-old whowas new to sailing, eager to learn, andhelped them make weight. Of each of hiscrew, Huhn simply asked for commit-ment. His crew, in turn, asked him toteach them how to race.

    In the months following Huhns firstmajor regatta (Key West in 05, where henished mid-eet), they frequently trav-eled 1.5 hours to Lake Carlyle, Ill., tolearn how to get the most from the boatand themselves. They used the drivetime to talk through the mechanics of allsorts of maneuvers. And as he gaugedthe teams steady improvement, Huhnrealized that each of his inexperiencedcrew were sponges who doggedly wantedto learn and contribute to the better-

    ment of the team.Though well into

    their second year, thequestions haventstopped owing, andunfamiliar situationsstill arise, so theres agreat deal of patiencerequired of Huhn.

    Enlisting a neophyte will never work, hesays, unless youre willing to constantlywork with them. However, he adds in thesame breath, with persistence will comethe realization that a steady crew is bet-ter than a good crew any day.

    They arrived in Chicago as a bunch ofunknowns, having never raced on LakeMichigan, but after three days of per-plexing conditions, they were standingunder the tent, amazed at havingsnatched their 20-boat division and theregattas big title. Huhn admits they mayhave been lucky squirrels stumblingupon a nut that weekend, but regardlesstheyre having fun climbing the learningcurve, and in the end, theyre proofpositive that the sport can be kept alive,one new crewmember at a time.

    DAVE REED

    5

    With persistence will

    come the realization

    that a steady crew

    is better than a good

    crew any day.

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  • 6 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    [email protected]

    Dinghy Serendipity

    IM AN EVACUEE FROM THE NEWOrleans area, and I was pleasedto read Aaron Kuriloff s articleon Southern YC (SouthernYC Rebounds, March 06),where I did most of my sailing.I moved to the Dallas areashortly after Hurricane Katri-na, which brings me to men-tioning Gary Jobsons reporton lake sailing (The SailingsGreat, Even When Its Land-locked, July/Aug. 06).

    Since moving to Dallas I havefound several man-made lakesthat offer competitive sailing.One in particular is White RockLake, a small one located closeto the center of the city. Theresa very competitive eet of Fly-ing Scots, a clubhouse thathouses the Corinthian SailingClub, and the membership isfriendly. This has reintroducedme to sailing small boats, some-thing I havent done since at-tending Tulane.

    FRANK COLLINS

    IRVING, TEXAS

    Once A Racer

    YOUR EDITORIAL IN THE JULY/August issue (Hello? AnyoneOut There?) almost broughttears to my eyes. Of coursethere are people out there.However, the ones who sub-scribe to or otherwise readSailing World are far too busyto write letters. As a formerover-energized racer type, Ican relate to the experience. In1940, the United States initiat-ed a draft, and one poor soulin Palm Beach, caught up inthe situation, sold me hisVentnor Moth. The deck wasstove in, there were a couple ofbroken ribs, and a full-lengthcrack in a bottom plank. To an11-year-old it looked like anew Herreshoff classic.

    It took me several weeks torebuild the boat. I sanded thebottom until it shone, and ap-plied multiple coats ofthinned enamel, wet and drysanding between coats. Thetopsides were painted canaryyellow because my caregiverdemanded the ability to spotme on the water at a glance.

    The local yacht club spon-sored monthly races and I en-tered every one. As I got moreinto the sport I tried to becomemore competitive. I learned tosail better and I spent a lot oftime getting the boat ready forthe next regatta. After aboutfour years, it occurred to me Iwas racing more and sailing alot less. Id do my three heatsand then spend the rest of themonth getting the boat ready.

    That boat got sold and ulti-mately replaced with an Abacodinghy with a little cuddy. Ileisurely sailed that boat as faras time and food would per-mit, taking my time to smellthe roses as well as the coffee.The racing was fun, but far toofrantic. Now that Im old, Ilook with a benevolent eye atthe kids screaming along intheir modern sleds, and, if one

    happens to sail a parallelcourse, still find my handsreaching out to tweak a line orimprove the trim somewhat.

    HOWARD BERNBAUM

    MERRITT ISLAND, FLA.

    Olympic Format Woes

    I WITNESSED THE STAR FINALSduring the recent Kiel Week2006 regatta, and it was a verysad ending to a nice event.

    The problems in the medalrace were numerous: thecourse was much too short,anyone who took a penaltywas out of contention, and thecourse location was absurd.

    The most serious problemwas the officiating. For years,sailing has been self-policed,and it still is. The judges need tounderstand what impact their

    calls have on the outcome of therace, especially a short one. Itseasy to draw a parallel to the of-ficiating at the Soccer WorldCup. The referees are under bigscrutiny and some will neverreturn to showtime events.Sailing umpires could be good,but they need to keep improv-ing and learn from sailors ineach and every class. As it isnow, they seem to know it alland they are not very consider-ate as to what the sailors view aslegal versus illegal kinetics.

    MAGNUS LILJEDAHL

    MIAMI

    The X-35 One-Design, reviewed

    by Dieter Loibner in our

    July/August issue, is equipped

    with Ronstan hardware. All X-

    35s are outfitted with Ronstan

    gear, as will be the X-41 One-

    Design, due out this winter.

    LETTER OF THE MONTH

    How About Some Respect?

    NORMALLY, I NEVER LOOK BEYOND THE PRETTY PICTURES ANDdream of boats that are way out of my league, let alone thinkabout writing a response, but your editorial encouraged me.

    I am an avid sailor and racer, but if youve never heard myname before, dont feel bad. I would surmise that even Catali-na Yachts doesnt know who I am, and I own and race a Catali-na 25. When I turned to page 21 to read what Id hoped wouldbe a great story about the type of sailor I am, a small-lakedude, Gary Jobsons article on Cheney Lake let me down.

    In 2005, the Ninnescah Sailing Association held the Catalina25 Nationals, but were we mentioned in the article? No. But thefact that no one knows who we are seems to be the norm. I haveraced in the last six Nationals, from Portland, Oregon, to Cleve-land Race Week this year, and to date, have not found one majorsailing magazine that has covered our classs trials and struggles.

    The Catalina Association is well organized and has more than900 members.True,we are trailer-sailors,but hey,we race too.Wespend top dollar for quality sails and equipment, and some of ustravel thousands of miles a year to race. The boat isnt sexy, nordoes it have a worldwide reputation, but we face the same issuesas any other eet in trying to be competitive and nding venuesthat will let us sail.We buy yours as well as other sailing rags in theoff chance someone will cover our boats and races. Would yourather have one customer who buys your magazine and owns a$300,000 yacht, or 600 customers who own $10,000 boats?

    I could be wrong, but the little guys should have a feeling ofvalue, opportunity, and pride when they read magazines suchas yours. Fifteen minutes of fame can sell magazines.

    WILLIAM A. MEINERT JR.

    NORTH MANCHESTER, INDIANA

    Address letters to Editor, Sail-

    ing World, 55 Hammarlund

    Way, Middletown, RI 02842 or

    by e-mail to editorial@sailing-

    world.com. Include your full

    name and address. AB

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  • 8 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    Starting LineStarting Line

    Simplicity Rules for SF Bay Speed SailorsLAST JUNE, MORE THAN 20velocity addicts met on SanFrancisco Bay in formal recog-nition of their shared afflic-tion. They set aside tactics andrules, embracing the art ofsailing in its purest form; con-verting wind into propulsion.

    Its an easy concept foranybody to understand, saysMatt Jones, organizer of theinaugural San Francisco

    Speed Week. Over four days,while the afternoon seabreezeblew and the flood tide laidthe water at, they ramped upto speed and shot across a500-meter box as fast as theircrafts would take them.

    They made their runsaboard windsurfers, kite-boards, Hobie Trifoilers,18-foot skiffs, a Formula 40catamaran, and several other

    means. And it was the wind-surfers, unsurprisingly, thatwent the fastest. At 37 statutemph they werent even closeto the outright record (heldby a windsurfer at 56.04mph), but as organizer MattJones pointed out, no out-right records will ever be sethere. The water is too choppyeven on a ood tide, and anycurrent over one knot pre-

    cludes formal ratication.What they did accomplish,

    however, was to establish anew form of sailing competi-tion on San Francisco Bay, analternative to regatta style rac-ing. Everyone went into itknowing it was going to behard to get truly fast speeds,says Bill Weir, who tied forrst place overall.But it was agreat chance to go head-to- AB

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  • WINDSHIFTS The 2007 Rolex InternationalWomens Keelboat Championship

    will be sailed out of the Houston

    YC, in La Porte, Texas, Nov. 12 to

    17, 2007. As has been the case

    since 2001, J/22s will be used

    for the regatta.

    [email protected]

    The Inter-Collegiate SailingAssociation inducted four people

    to its Hall of Fame in July. Karl

    Kleinschrodt, of South Alabama,

    received the Student Leadership

    Award, while past Interscholastic

    Sailing Association president

    Larry White was presented with

    the Lifetime Service Award.

    Tufts coach Ken Legler and

    Boston University coach Brad

    Churchill were honored with the

    Graham Hall Coaching Award.

    www.collegesailing.org

    The 2007 Breitling Med Cupfor the Transpac 52 class will in-

    clude the first-ever TP 52 event

    in France. The 2007 season will

    conclude with a regatta in

    Hyres, Sept. 10 to 15. The

    classs world championship will

    take place later that fall in the

    Med. www.medcup.com

    Seattle-based sailinginstructor Nancy Erley, a two-

    time circumnavigator, was pre-

    sented with the Leadership in

    Womens Sailing Award at the

    fifth annual Womens Sailing

    Conference in Marblehead, Mass.

    www.boatUS.com/women

    The 65-foot box rule pro-posed by the Storm Trysail Club

    has been revised and renamed

    the Storm Trysail Transpac 65

    Rule. Construction of the first

    boat to be built to the rule, for

    ex-TP 52 owner Roger Sturgeon,

    is already underway.

    www.stormtrysail.org

    The eighth season of theWorld Match Racing Tour, which

    began in July, will count 14

    events in an extended season

    through the end of 2007. The

    tour champion will also be

    crowned the ISAF World Match

    Racing champ for 2007.

    www.worldmatchracingtour.com

    S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6 9

    head against other people,and the multi-eet aspect wasa lot of fun.

    Gregg Ketterman, who de-signed the Hobie Trifoiler,hit 31 mph on the course,fastest of the non-wind-surfers. He also spoke of howmuch he enjoyed the format.As a designer its a lot of funfor me, says Ketterman. Ilike to see the comparison be-

    tween different types of boats.The first-time event had

    some growing pains, like fig-uring out where to set thecourse, but that didnt seemto dampen participants en-thusiasm. A number said theywere already looking forwardto next year. In the future,GPS-based electronic timingwill supercede the stopwatch-es used this year, and the

    course will grow in breadth toaccommodate both the deepsailing angle of the 18-footskiff, and the tighter reach ofthe vessels like the Formula40 catamaran, but the basicconcept will remain the same.The appeal of velocity is sim-ple and visceral, and for theaddicts it will be difficult tostay away.

    ABNER KINGMAN

    Peter Stonebergs Formula 40 catamaran

    Tuki blazes through the course at the

    inaugural San Francisco Speed Week. The

    biggest boat to enter, Tuki made 16 runs

    through the 500-meter course over two

    days, recording a top speed of 26.62 mph.

    LET ER R IP

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  • LOUIS VUITTON ACT 12 PROVID-ed hope that there will besome great racing during theChallenger Selection Seriesnext spring. Featuring leadchanges, tacking duels, andbow-to-stern mark round-ings, the regatta had every-thing that makes match racingexciting to watch.

    Part of the reason was ap-ples were finally racing ap-ples. After a single roundrobin the teams were splitinto three tiers. Each quartetthen sailed semifinal andfinal/petit final rounds, bestof three in each case.

    Emirates Team NewZealand exited the champion.Skipper Dean Barker and hisKiwi crew seemed much morecomposed compared to Act 10and 11 in May, when thelongest-tenured Cup team ap-peared unsettled, losing threeleads on downwind legs.

    Sensing burnout after abusy spring, the ETNZ crewhad weekends free after Act 11and three days off before Act12. A fresh crew is a happycrew, and ETNZ nished witha 15-2 record, defeating Al-inghi 2-1 in the Group 1 nal.

    We feel very good aboutthat, says ETNZs TerryHutchinson, but it would bea huge mistake to look be-yond the fact that we beat a

    team in a 3-year-old boat.So has Emirates Team New

    Zealand finally assumed thefavorites mantle?

    With the talented ChrisDickson at the helm, designexpertise from Bruce Farr, en-gineering know-how fromBMW, and a war chest thatcould hire Halliburton, BMWOracle Racing has widelybeen regarded the lead chal-lenger since filing the hip-pocket challenge in 2003.

    But there was an uncharac-teristic moment during theGroup 1 petit final betweenBMW Oracle and Italys LunaRossa. James Spithill, helms-man for the Italian team, at-tempted a starboard-to-port

    leebow on Dickson, but cutthe turn too close and Dicksonslammed into Luna Rossasport quarter, both boats sus-tained signicant damage.

    On-water umpires penalizedLuna Rossa for tacking tooclose. Later, the InternationalJury granted BMWOracle redress and awardedthe series to Ellisons team. Butlong-time Cup followers won-dered whether Dickson hadlost his cool during the race.After umpires waived off sev-eral of his previous requests fora penalty on Luna Rossa, didhe try to make a statement thistime around and push too far?

    Assuming the top three havestamped their passport to thesemifinal roundwhichseems a safe assumptionthebiggest question is which teamwill join them?

    The leading candidate is thechallenger from the host na-tion, Desafo Espaol, whichsailed its new ESP-88 to fifthplace with an 11-5 record.

    Mascalzone Latino-Capi-talia and Swedens VictoryChallenge also made strides inAct 12, taking sixth and sev-enth, respectively. Either couldmake a strong run at thefourth spot.

    SEAN MCNEILL CA

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    In 2003, Geordie Shaver

    watched the Louis Vuitton Cup

    final from a very exclusive van-

    tage point, the bow of Oracle

    BMW Racings USA-76. After

    three

    Americas

    Cups as a

    bowman,

    the 42-

    year-old

    Shaver

    plans on

    taking this

    one off. But

    he doesnt

    expect to

    miss any of the action in Valen-

    cia next spring. The loquacious

    Shaver commentated on Act 12

    for Americas Cup radio and says

    theres a good chance hell be

    doing more of that next April.

    How was it watching the rac-

    ing instead of sailing?

    Its different. Id rather be out

    sailing, youre never going to

    shake that. But its good to sit

    back and watch from the water.

    Any comments on Act 12?

    It was good to see the Spanish

    come back and get to what they

    should have, that fourth spot [in

    the challenger rankings]. The big

    guys up in front, they left 2005

    with fast boats, so the new boats

    are coming out fast. Emirates

    Team New Zealand is looking

    pretty strong. I think the big race

    is going to be for the fourth spot

    in the semifinals.

    What about Alinghi?

    Theyre going to be fine. Theyre

    holding off people with the old

    boat, which was the pace car in

    2005. Everyones caught up to

    them, but I think theyve got a

    good possibility of defending.

    What will separate the good

    from the bad next spring?

    This year everybody is going

    into the rigs and the sails. It

    seems like all the boats look the

    relatively the same. The Big Four

    syndicates [Alinghi, ETNZ, Luna

    Rossa, BMW Oracle] are all mean-

    dering down the same road.

    So you dont expect technolog-

    ical surprises?

    Its the Americas Cup, people

    will try anything.

    STUART STREULI

    10 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    BOWMANS VIEW

    Some extra time off after Act 11 spurred Emirates Team New

    Zealand to victory over Alinghi in the final of Act 12.

    In a heated battle for third and fourth in Act 12, a collision with

    Luna Rossa mangled the bowsprit on BMW Oracles USA-87.

    Geordie Shaver

    CUP WATCH

    ETNZ Takes Lead in Challenger Race

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  • win the team racing, he tookrst in A division in the coeddinghy champs, with George-town second by 6 points.

    Degree in hand, Campbellhas again set his sights on theOlympics. I feel more pre-pared, he says. I have threemore years of college sailingunder my belt, and all theextra experience adds up be-cause youve seen that manymore situations. Thats some-thing I didnt have before.

    FRANZ RITT

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    ALL-AMERICANS2006 RONSTAN ALL-AMERICA

    TEAM

    COED ALL-AMERICA

    Chris Behm, Georgetown 08

    Andrew Campbell, Georgetown 06

    Clay Johnson, Harvard 07

    Justin Law, St. Marys 07

    Trevor Moore, Hobart/Wm. Smith 07

    Russ OReilly, Charleston 07

    Vincent Porter, Harvard 06

    Kevin Reali, South Florida 06

    Adam Roberts, Boston College 09

    David Siegal, Tufts 06

    Erik Storck, Dartmouth 07

    Frank Tybor, UC Irvine 07

    COED HONORABLE MENTION:

    Zachary Brown, Yale 08

    Charles Enright, Brown 07

    Brian Clancy, Hobart/Wm. Smith 07

    Jesse Combs, South Florida 07

    Richard Hale, Brown 06

    Greg Helias, Southern California 07

    Reed Johnson, Boston College 08

    James Kimbal, Charleston 06

    Zander Kirkland, Tufts 06

    Kyle Kovacs, Harvard 08

    John Loe, St. Marys 08

    ALL-AMERICA CREW

    Arlene Chung, Brown 06

    Christina Dahlman, Harvard 07

    Nick Deane, Georgetown 06

    Caroline LaMotte, Georgetown 07

    Molly Lawson, Hobart/Wm. Smith 06

    Becca Levin, Stanford 07

    Susan Lintern, Charleston 07

    Killarney Loufek, Dartmouth 07

    Whitney Loufek, UC Irvine 07

    Anna Martin, Tufts 07

    Augusta Nadler, Hobart/Wm. Smith 06

    Hannah Oakland, Yale 07

    Ashley Reynolds, South Florida 06

    Melanie Roberts, USC 07

    Ruth Schlitz, Harvard 06

    Emily Simon, Harvard 07

    Andrea White, Navy 07

    Alyson Whitehead, Boston College 07

    Hilary Wiech, St. Marys 07

    Jennifer Wilson, Minnesota 06

    WOMENS ALL-AMERICA

    Derby Anderson, Georgetown 06

    Molly Carapiet, Yale 06

    Sloan Devlin, Harvard 06

    Charlotte Hill, Navy 08

    Emily Hill, Yale 07

    Alana OReilly, Charleston 06

    Adrienne Patterson, St. Marys 08

    Katie Whitman, Navy 07

    WOMENS HONORABLE MENTION

    Tinja Anderson-Mitterling, Hawaii 08

    Evan Brown, Stanford 08

    Emily East, Dartmouth 06

    Blaire Herron, Georgetown 08

    Andrea Savage, Charleston 09

    Kaitlin Storck, Tufts 08

    ROBERT HOBBS SPORTSMAN

    TROPHY

    Alex Jones, Washington 06

    FOWLE TROPHY

    Georgetown

    DURING HIS FOUR YEARS ATGeorgetown University, An-drew Campbell establishedhimself as one of the best col-legiate singlehanded sailorsever, winning three ICSA/Vanguard Singlehanded Na-tional Championships. Yet,Campbell says it was histeams win in the ICSA/Lay-line Team Race Champs lastJune at the College ofCharleston (S.C.) that makeshim most proud.

    Winning the team racingwas the most important to methis year, says Campbell. Wehave qualified so many timesand havent won it since 2001.People still talk about the 2001Georgetown team; it feelspretty good to be on the samelevel as them.

    The team racing win, alongwith his other achievementsthis yearthe most dominantperformance by any collegesailor in many yearsearnedCampbell his third All-Ameri-ca selection and the Everett B.Morris Trophy as the ICSACollege Sailor of the Year.

    I thought it was a possibili-ty, says Campbell, from SanDiego.But I tried not to worryabout it because there were

    bigger things to work for. Itsan honor for me, but you cantdo it without a good team.

    To no ones surprise, Camp-bell dominated the fall single-handed events, winning thecollegiate title by 15 points.He finished his collegiate ca-reer having won every single-handed regatta he entered.

    But Campbell proved hewas more than just a one-event wizard last fall, snaringsecond at the sloop champs.

    After helping Georgetown

    Singlehanded Star Showcases Versatility

    OREILLY F IN ISHES STRONGAfter not qualifying

    for the collegiate

    womens singlehanded

    championship last fall,

    Alana OReilly knew

    winning the 2006

    Quantum Female Col-

    lege Sailor of the Year

    award would be an up-

    hill battle.

    I knew it was going

    to be tough, says

    OReilly, who graduat-

    ed from the College of Charleston in early

    May, but I was able to get good finishes all

    year, especially at Nationals, and that helped

    me out in the formula.

    At last Mays Inter-

    Collegiate Sailing As-

    sociation Womens

    National Champi-

    onship, OReilly won A

    division by 23 points

    and led Charleston to

    its first womens title.

    It was my last col-

    lege regatta and it

    was really nerve-

    racking, because I

    wanted to do well,

    she says. We had a great team, especially

    the freshmen who really came through to

    support me. It was great to leave a mark at

    the school. F.R.

    Georgetowns Andrew Campbell (with Caroline LaMotte) excelled in

    Lasers, doublehanded dinghies, and sloops during his senior year.

    Alana OReilly, of the College of Charleston

    (with Susan Lintern, left), won A Division at

    Womens Nationals by 23 points.

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  • FOR 30 MINUTES ON JULY 11,Marblehead Harbor wentberserk.

    Shortly after 4:00 p.m., awet microburst descended onthe storied Massachusettstown where a 64-boat FlyingScot eet had just settled in atCorinthian YC after the sec-ond day of racing in the classsNorth Americans. Windsclocked at 95 mph capsizedboats at their moorings, sentrafted boats soaring onto thedock, and peeled the roofingtiles off of a nearby shack. AsMarblehead police SergeantDetective Marion Keating de-scribed: Masts were thrownthrough boats like spears. Itlooked like a combat zone.

    Despite the storms fury, noone was injured. Nonetheless,when the rains subsided, Fly-ing Scot sailors were in for ashock. The majority of thefleet had capsized, and 20boats had been dismasted.

    In light of the damage sus-tained, organizers canceledthe remaining races andawarded trophies to the provi-sional leaders. Harry Carpen-ter, who took rst place in thetruncated series, was amongthe rst to survey the damage.

    I was just stunned, says

    Carpenter, who is also theclasss ofcial boatbuilder. Atrst youre overwhelmed, butthen you realize that you haveto begin somewhere, and youjust keep going until its done.

    Carpenter and a handful ofScot sailors, including ChrisDanilek, immediately setabout righting capsized boats,hauling overturned boats offof the docks, and salvagingwhatever otsam they could.

    We were hoping, saysDanilek, that if we got boatsupright the regatta wouldcontinue.

    Danileks optimismthought it proved a little unre-alistic at the timerunsthroughout the ranks. Classpresident Glenn Shaffer lost ajib and a spinnaker pole, butrefuses to see the microburstas anything more than aminor setback.

    I wouldnt call it a disaster,says Shaffer,And I dont thinkit will affect the future of theeet. These are strong boats. Alot of the boats that went y-ing through the air came outwithout a scratch.

    MICHAEL LOVETT

    The randomness of self-broad-cast video on the Internet is as

    enjoyable as it is puzzling, but

    www.youtube.com, the latest web

    craze, has opened a treasure

    trove for the visual-starved sail-

    ing junkies. Youll find footage of

    skiff sailing, foiling Moths, the

    Volvo Ocean Race, even some-

    thing from this years Whidbey

    Island Race Week.

    If you havent visited the re-cently updated www.sailflow.com,

    do yourself a favor and see what

    bells and whistles these guys

    have added. Our favorite en-

    hancement is the Wind

    FlowViz wind forecast, which is

    so localized youll be setting

    your watch to the afternoons

    30-degree windshift.

    Google anything related tosailboat racing and youll likely

    be directed to a new information

    site called www.ehow.com. New

    racers will enjoy understandable

    explanations and tips for most

    things racing related. A few of

    them are off the wall. One perti-

    nent tip from How To Race a Sail-

    boat for Minimum Cost is, Drink

    cheap beer and raid the free hors

    doeuvres table at the yacht

    club. And this from How to Ne-

    gotiate a Starting Line: Imple-

    ment a two beers before the

    start rule. You and your crew will

    be mellower and thankful for it.

    Another great web resource iswww.ukhalsey.com, home of the

    animated Rules Quizzes. In the

    sites Resource Center theres an

    easy-to-use IRC Time Calculator,

    which allows you to create a de-

    tailed spreadsheet showing time

    allowances for a wide variety of

    race lengths (times).

    And, of course, wed be remissin not mentioning www.sailing

    world.com, where under the hand

    of our new web editor Michael

    Lovett and web intern Franz Ritt,

    weve loaded volumes of boat re-

    views, instructional articles, and

    feature stories. Bookmark it

    today and standby for the arrival

    of a fully revamped

    sailingworld.com this fall.

    DAVE REED

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    Flying Scots Will Weather Microburst

    AERA WINS GULF STREAM SERIESWith 10 events over seven months, the in-

    augural Gulf Stream Series was a test of en-

    durance. So its fitting it was decided by the

    Storm Trysail Clubs Block Island Race.

    Seven of the 10 boats entered in the GSS

    started the race, but only Nick Lykiardopulos

    Aera finished a torturous light-air race, taking

    41 hours to sail 185 miles. This persistence

    gave the Ker 55, one of the worlds best IRC

    boats for the past two years, an unsurmount-

    able lead with three events remaining.

    Tapio Saavalainens Kalevala II, a Grand

    Soleil 37, finished second, while Jim Swartz

    Swan 601 Moneypenny was third. Six of the 10

    entrants finished enough races to qualify for

    the overall title.

    US-IRCs Barry Carroll hopes to triple that

    number next year. The addition of Antigua

    Race Week, Annapolis-Newport, the IRC Na-

    tionals at Block Island Race Week, and the

    Vineyard Race will help, as will a simplified

    scoring system. In each GSS event, says Car-

    roll, all IRC boats must compete on the same

    course, allowing for a fleet score in each race.

    The 2006 Flying Scot North Americans in Marblehead, Mass.,

    were cut short after 20 boats were dismasted by a microburst.

    Moneypenny (left) and Aera battle in Bermudafor the Gulf Stream Series title.

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  • B Y GARY JOB SON

    S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6 17

    U.S. Team On Course For Beijing

    B Y GARY JOB SON

    Its certainly difficult to excel at theGames, especially when many countriesare now supporting their athletes withunprecedented funding. In contrast, mostAmerican sailors must support them-selves, relying on scarce funding sources.Its a daunting task to simultaneouslytrain, compete, and search for money.

    Reviewing past results of every Olympicclass, its clear that winning a medal oftenrequires more than one attempt. Olympicchampions spend decades developingtheir skills, but in the United States, theOlympic classeswith the exception ofthe Laser, and to a lesser extent, the Star,have virtually no presence. In addition,the Olympic racing format is rarely usedby yacht clubs or other classes.

    So what are we to do to foster theOlympic experience among more U.S.sailors? Ive long believed our collegiatesailing programs develop many of Amer-icas top sailors, and this is supported bythe fact that in the past six OlympicGames, from 1984 to 2004, 32 of 69Olympians were college All-Americans.

    This is because there is no better avenuethan college sailing for our sailors to de-velop tactics and boathandling. Competi-tors rotate boats after every one or tworaces, and sail as many as 18 races everyweekend in the spring and fall. As a result,Americans are the best in the world atclose-quarters maneuvering, starts, andunderstanding the rules. The downside to

    this, of course, is that U.S. sailors strugglewith long courses, developing boatspeed,and competing at the international level.

    At this years Inter-Collegiate SailingAssociation Spring Championships inCharleston, S.C., I witnessed the closestracing Id ever seen in college sailing. Theteam race and dinghy events were decid-ed in the nal race, the skill level was in-credible, and good sportsmanship wasdisplayed on and off the water. Im hope-

    ful these sailors will represent the U.S. in-ternationally in the coming years, but theunfortunate reality is that they wont be-cause, as ICSA president Mitch Brindleytells me, many of them leave the sportafter graduation. For many sailors, hesays, the collegiate experience will be thepinnacle of their sailing lives.

    A few collegiate sailors will move onto professional sailing, but the opportu-nities are rare. Only seven Americanscompeted in the Volvo Ocean Race, andat last count, less than 30 were on thesailing rosters of Americas Cup teams.The best and most accessible arena forour top young sailors who want to con-

    tinue at a high level is, therefore, theOlympics. Strong performances at theGames build pride at home, respect in-ternationally, raise the skill level acrossall classes, inspire our youth, and earnattention for sailing.

    Under Olympic Sailing CommitteeChairman Dean Brenner and US SAIL-ING director Charlie Leighton, $1.5million has been raised to support theOlympic effort over the past year. Thesefunds have been donated by individuals.It is a start, but more help is needed togive the athletes the backing they need toacquire more international experience.

    Looking forward, the Olympic Sail-ing Committee is working to recognizeand develop young sailors for futureGames. This effort should be support-ed at the yacht club and sailing associa-tion level; supporting a promisingsailor and bidding to host major inter-national events. These events exposesailors and supporters to the caliber ofbig-fleet international competition,and when theres a big regatta in town,participation in that class, or classes,will increase. I encourage race commit-tees to study the Olympic regatta for-mat and replicate the system. Moresailors will become familiar with it,and in the long term AmericasOlympic chances will improve.

    There are many priorities the OSCmust balance. One question that persistsis whether to fund classes with the bestmedal prospects or to focus on areaswhere the United States is weak. The par-ent U.S. Olympic Committee demandsthat funds it allocates be spent on the bestmedal hopefuls. Strong results in worldchampionships carry considerableweight, and consequently, classes withoutstrong support have the most difficultydeveloping sailors. This is where individ-uals and clubs can help improve ourmedal chances. (continued p. 18)

    THE MIDPOINT BETWEEN THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES IN ATHENSand the Beijing Games in 2008 is an appropriate time to assessthe U.S. Sailing Teams progress. And as youd expect, two yearsout from the Games, competition in all 11 classes is rampingup worldwide as sailors vie for the top spots in their respectiveclass rankings and step up their fundraising effort. To give a senseof how competitive Olympic sailing has become, consider that inAthens 21 countries won at least one of 33 available medals.

    The best and most

    accessible arena for our top

    young sailors who want to

    continue at a high level

    is the Olympics.

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  • If the Games were in 2006, howd the USA fare?

    Laser RadialPaige Railey and Anna Tunnicliffe are the top-

    ranked sailors in the world, and the competition between them

    to represent the United States should be the toughest compe-

    tition they face en route to the medal race. With neither sailor

    having been to the Games, a medal will be that much harder to

    win, but this class is one of our best bets for gold.

    YnglingSally Barkow, Carrie Howe, and Debbie Capozzi

    finished third at the 2006 Yngling Worlds. Victories at

    other major European events, and a healthy amount of

    international sailing makes this trio one of the strongest

    medal contenders. To get to the Games, theyll have to

    defeat a tough field of challengers, but if they qualify,

    theyll be gold-medal players.

    StarThe United States is historically strong in the Star

    class and I could see any number of skippersMark Reynolds,

    Paul Cayard, John Kostecki, Vince Brun, Andy Lovell, Mark

    Mendelblatt, Andy Horton, and John Danemaking a serious

    run at a medal.

    TornadoIf they survive the U.S. Tornado Trials on top, which

    is likely, John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree have a solid chance

    at medaling again, capitalizing on the experience they gained in

    winning the silver in Athens and OSC top-level funding.

    49erThe U.S. team has strong talent in this class, but

    there are numerous talented teams to step over in order to

    bring home a medal. Athens rep Tim Wadlow, now sailing with

    Chris Rast, faces tough competition from Morgan Larson and

    Pete Spaulding (who crewed with Wadlow in Athens), as well

    as Dalton Bergan and Zack Maxam, in getting to the Games.

    Once there, in the light winds of Quingdao, the U.S. rep could

    surprise us.

    470 MenThere are plenty of talented American sailors in this

    class, including youth sailing standouts Mikee Anderson-Mitter-

    ling and Dave Hughes, Stu McNay and Graham Biehl, and Adam

    Roberts and Nick Martin. Currently outside ISAFs top-10 ranking,

    and early yet in their Olympic careers, a medal wont come easy, if

    at all. If Athens gold medalists Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham

    show up at the Trials and win, all bets are off.

    LaserA medal in the Laser is a long shot. College Sailor of the

    Year Andrew Campbell, Brad Funk, and Clay Johnson are all

    strong contenders for the U.S. teams Olympic berth, but they

    are early in their Olympic careers.

    470 WomenThere are four teams that have the potential to

    do well: Amanda Clark and Sarah Merganthaler, Erin Maxwell and

    Alice Manard, Carissa Harris and Isabelle Kinsolving, and Molly

    Carapiet and Molly OBryan. But the classs top-ranked foreign

    teams will likely lock up the medals.

    FinnAn American has not won a medal in the Finn class

    since 1992. The most promising young sailor is Zach Railey

    (brother of Paige Railey). Its early in Raileys career, and class

    veterans, working on multiple visits to the Games, will probably

    keep his medal hopes in check.

    RS:X Men and RS:X WomenThe U.S. Sailing team has strug-

    gled in sailboard classes in recent Games. Three menSeth

    Besse, Ben Barger, and Steve Bodner, would have a good chance

    of qualifying the United States in this discipline, but nothing

    more. Womens sailboard veteran Lanee Butler Beashel is not

    expected to return after her four straight Olympic appearances.

    Qualifying the U.S. for an Olympic slot will be difficult.

    G.J.

    18 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

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    I NTERV IEW BY STUART STREUL I

    duty with Larry Ellisons BMW OracleRacing team. While those responsibilitieslimit the time he can spend working forhis design rm, hes by no means restingon his laurels there either, expanding itspresence in the European dominatedOpen 60 eet and looking for the next bigthing in the sport of sailing.

    Ian Burns is BMW Oracle Racings de-sign coordinator for this campaign. Hasthat changed your role?

    Not a lot. Ians role is fairly broad. Ivestill had quite a bit of involvement in

    AS MUCH AS HE ENJOYS DESIGNING SAILBOATS, BRUCE FARR DOESNThave much trouble imagining what hed do if he decided to re-tire. Im a quite keen downhill skier, says the native NewZealander, who now makes his home in Annapolis, Md.Neverquite felt like Ive done enough of it. One day, Id like to be a skibum for a season. For the moment though, plans of a winter inthe Rockies chasing fresh tracks are on indefinite hold. Forstarters, theres his unquenched thirst to win the AmericasCup. With that goal in mind, Farr is back for a second tour of

    overall view of the complete design.Does that make you less emotionally

    invested in the performance of the boatas a whole?

    Perhaps differently emotionally invest-ed, in that you have a stronger tie to yourarea, perhaps a little less feeling of designresponsibility for the whole thing. You justbecome more focused on one part of it.

    During the 2003 campaign, the BMWOracle design team initially produced astiff boat, with less sail area, and spentthe Louis Vuitton Cup steadily giving itmore power. Do you feel you hit the tar-get a little better with USA-87?

    We have a lot more experience, so wedamn well shouldve. Last time we gotquite mislead by the testing we did inVentura [Calif.] for several reasons. Thewind conditions were very steady, andthey reduced the premium for sail power.I think there was a bit of course bias,which, in retrospect, tended to reduce thenegative effects of having smaller sail areadownwind. Those conditions pushed usin a direction, that didnt work so well inAuckland. We did quite a bit of work withthe existing boats [in Valencia], and ournew boat is in many respects aresponse to what the sailors felt theywanted in terms of the trade-off betweenhigher stability versus light air speed.

    How has your passion for winning theCup changed?

    I think my approach has changed a lotwith the way the sport has changed. Yougo back to 1985, 86, and 87, it was amuch smaller group, especially on thetechnical side. It was probably more re-liant on designer experience and guess-work than it is today. Its become a moretechnically oriented task, and generally Ilike that less than the more artistic ap-

    leading and directing the hull design sideof the operation. I think that this designgroup is probably more organized intospecic groups than what Im used to inthe past.

    Do you feel as involved in this cam-paign as the last one?

    I feel more involved in hull develop-ment because Ive got more time for it. Sothats a positive from my standpoint. AndI think the downside of being more in-volved in hull design is Im less involvedin other parts of it, so I have a little less

    Farr Looks Back While Looking Forward

    BMW Oracle Racing hull designer Bruce

    Farr (left) and Formula 1 driver Ralf

    Schumacher both benefit from BMWs

    engineers in their sporting pursuits.

    S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6 21

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  • proach of 20 or 30 years ago. Its more like hard work than somesort of artistic pleasure.

    Have you pulled back from your responsibilities at FarrYacht Design?

    To do this job [with BMW Oracle] and lead a sane life, I hadto reduce the amount of work I do at Farr Yacht Design. But Ihavent really pulled back from design responsibilities. I still doa lot of the design work and I still have a lot of conceptual con-trol over the projects that go on there.

    From the American sailors perspective, its been a whilesince a new high-prole Farr design hit the water. The Farr 40is now 10 years old. We havent seen the bigger raceboats. Areyou in a bit of a slump?

    Theres less opportunity for showcasing new designs. We nolonger have IMS racing at the forefront, where people are madlybuilding boats and you can show whether youre good or bad atany given time. If you go over the last few years, weve had somegood runsalthough not necessarily all of it obvious in the U.S.The Transpac 52 is a class in which weve gone and done well, es-pecially in the U.S. Weve done quite well in Open 60s, which wasa new arena for us four years ago. We did one boat [J.P. DicksVirbac] that has shown some very good performancegood

    enough that we now have a bunch of French clients coming tous. We were quite active in the tail end of the IMS as it stagnated.Weve had some Beneteau production boats that have been real-ly big successes. I think where we have missed a little is that wehavent been able to get any commissions, until recently, for bigat-out ocean racing boats. We missed the maxZ86 thing in theU.S. Were late entering the 100-foot class boats.

    Why havent you been able to land those big projects?The people who are doing all those boats havent been people

    who are traditionally our clients, so its pretty hard to win themfrom someone else. And we havent had any of our traditionalclients leap into that area. Were hoping to change that becausewe do have a possible one coming along.

    Whats your reaction to the performance of the four Farrboats in the Volvo Ocean Race?

    Were obviously disappointed. But I think that reects a lot ofthings. ABN AMRO did a huge job with their program in a lotof areas. They did a good job in design. They had the benet ofa two-boat program. I think they had a huge benet from beingearly and funded. All of our boats were single-boat programs.They were all pretty late. I think the Volvo demonstrates, and itwouldnt be the rst time, that an early, well-funded two-boatprogram puts you a long way ahead of the pack.

    One of my biggest disappointments from this race was notbeing able to convince two of our clients to work together. Infact, what we saw was almost the opposite. All of them wereparanoid of working with anyone else, including us. If two ofthose guys had said, OK, lets work together to both lift ourgame, I think it may have been quite a different race.

    September will see another Farr 40 Worlds. This one, inNewport, R.I., is rumored to be the biggest ever.

    Its always nice to see that Farr 40 movement, and other events

    Its become a more technically oriented task,

    and I like that less than the more artistic ap-

    proach of 20 or 30 years ago. Its more like hard

    work than some sort of artistic pleasure.

    22 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

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  • 24 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    like it, where the boats have succeeded. With the Farr 40s, in par-ticular, I think they offer some of the absolute best top-end rac-ing you can get for keelboats. The guys that do the racing theowners, the professionals, the general sailorsthey just all lovethat competition because theyre all one design.

    For years, pundits predicted that each Farr 40 Worlds willbe the last big one. This years regatta is no exception. Doesthat bother you?

    No. Im pretty far removed from most of that. But the realproof is that they continue to be a strong class and they arebuilding new boats.

    Whats the next movement in sailing that will have the impact of the Farr 40?

    Im not sure. The Farr 40 thing was really a reaction to an op-portunity that arose as IMS became too difcult for a lot of peo-ple. The Farr 40 clicked at the right size, attracted some goodpeople, and just sort of blossomed from there. If you look at thesituation now and say, Whats missing from sailing? its perhapsalmost the opposite. Theres a lot of one-design sailing, butwere missing on a handicap rule that will deal with a lot of di-verse boats, that can encourage grand-prix racing. So theres nooutlet for high-level competition in a creative environment.

    Is the TP 52 class not creative?Yes, in a limited way. Its lled a void because it gives people

    some creativity in how they approach their boat shape. Thatsbeen good. The ORC classes might gather enough momentumto do the same thing. But all those things are halfway between a

    rating rule and a one-design. You cant run a regatta of a wholebunch of different-sized boats with a box rule.

    Does this new rule have to be based on a velocity predictionprogram, like IMS?

    It doesnt have to be. When you look back at RORC andIORCCA as wellthey perhaps squandered opportunitiesto use the rating-rule format to encourage good types ofboats, but still rate them reasonably fairly. IMS lost an oppor-tunity because it started off trying to be a rule for dual-pur-pose boats, not race boats. It was always trying to correcthigh-performance features to protect existing fleets. The samething happened in IOR; both rules turned inwards on them-selves in terms of encouraging development of more speed.[We need] a rule that says, OK, were going to shepherd boatsinto a good place. Were only going to do it for race boatsand cruising boats, if you want to come alongbut were notgoing to do a rule that favors the cruising boats just to try tokeep some perceived market alive. Were going to try to makethe rule promote good boats. So a deep VCG is good, a lightdisplacement within reason is good. A generous sail area isgood if you want exciting race boats. If you try to make all therace boats look like a conservative cruising boat, the racingguys wont want to sail them.

    What about yourself? Still sailing the Megabyte?I get out to eight to 10 racing evenings in a year. At my age I

    feel the need to do things like that to sharpen up a bit and theresnothing like sailing a dinghy to sharpen up my reexes. Plus itssailing I can do and do everything, which is nice.

    Theres a lot of one-design sailing, but were

    missing on a handicap rule that will deal with a

    lot of diverse boats, that can encourage racing.

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  • September 14-17, 2006

    Presented by: Official U.S. Debut of2007 Boats and Boating Products

    Ziniopage=25

  • CRUISINGWORLD POWERCRUISING SAILINGWORLD

    Dear Boaters:

    Newport for New Products has long been a part of theNewport International Boat Show. Traditionally the first

    show of the new boat season, featuring both power and sail,

    Newport has been the venue manufacturers have chosen so

    their new boats and boating products can be seen first.

    This year, Cruising World, Sailing World and Power Cruising

    magazines are recognizing that unique position by partnering

    to make this featured program of the Show a featured

    program of the boating industry!

    In the first place, weve used careful criteria to determine

    eligibility for the program. You can read the details elsewhere

    on this page. Essentially, these are boats and boating

    products that havent been seen at any other boat show

    in this country.

    This special section appearing in all three of the publica-

    tions allows readers to learn about the new products

    coming out at this first of the season show whether they

    have the opportunity to attend or not. We feel the develop-

    ment of new products is a sign of the vitality of the industry

    and everyone should be aware of everything thats new!

    Also, accepted entries will be highlighted at the Show and

    well be judging the Best New Boat and Best New Boating

    Product from the list of entriesincluding ones that may be

    entered between now and show time. While weve grouped

    entries as either sail or power, there will be only one

    award for Best New Boat because we want to recognize the

    new boat that makes the most significant contribution to the

    experience of recreational boating whatever its type. And

    the Best New Boating Product will similarly recognize a

    product that makes a significant contributionin operation,

    navigation or electronics.

    The Newport International Boat Show works hard to be

    the place to be if you harbor a passion for boating...either

    sail or power. As a leading producer of boating publications

    and web sites, World Publications works hard to assist its

    readers in getting to know whats new in both these same

    fields of boating. Putting our two goals together is something

    we both feel we owe the industry.

    Nancy Piffard Sally Helme

    Show Director Publisher

    Newport International Cruising World, Sailing World

    Boat Show and Power Cruising

    All new boats in the Newport for

    New Products program either sail

    or power are entirely new hull

    designs or have at least 50%

    structural change from a prior

    years model.

    All domestic boats have been

    launched since April 14, 2006

    and are making their official boat

    show introduction at the Newport

    International Boat Show.

    All foreign boats have been launched

    in the U.S. market since April 14,

    2006 and are making their official

    boat show introduction at the

    Newport International Boat

    Showthough they may have been

    shown and sold outside the United

    States prior to April 14.

    New Boating Products are only

    those used for boat operations,

    e.g., engines and engine parts,

    electronics and navigation, are

    new for the 2007 model year

    and introduced since April 14, 2006.

    NEWPORT FOR NEW PRODUCTS

    Ziniopage=26

  • WWW.NEWPORTBOATSHOW.COM

    Beneteau FIRST 10R

    New to US, 10-meter (32' 9") French performance

    sailboat with open cockpit, powerful sail plan,

    asymmetrical spinnaker and an iron blade/lead

    bulb combo keel, developed by Farr Yacht Design

    and Beneteau. www.beneteauusa.com

    Beneteau 49

    New 48' 5" sailing yacht in Beneteau line,

    designed by Berret-Racoupeau, with interior

    architecture and style by renowned Italian

    mega yachts firm, Nauta Design.

    www.beneteauusa.com

    CrossCurrent 33

    New sailing day racer by Maxi Dolphin features

    carbon encased lead keel, epoxy vacuum bag

    laminated hull and real teak deck to the latest

    technology Hall Spars mast system.

    www.crosscurrentmarine.com

    e33 Daysailer

    New 33' daysailer by Olympic and Americas

    Cup veteran sailor, Robbie Doyle in collaboration

    with Jeremy Wurmfeld of Wurmfeld Design, with

    vd forward sections, high stability and high lift

    foils. www.esailingyachts.com

    Far Harbour 39

    New 39' is the first motorsailer cruising yacht

    designed to be container-shipped to cruising

    destinations around the world. Designed by

    Robert H. Perry, manufactured by Container

    Yachts. www.containeryachts.com

    Finngulf 33

    New to US, 33' sailing yacht from Finland and a

    Helsinki International Sailboat of the Year.

    Designed to be compact and easy to handle for

    small crews or family sailing, offers solid per-

    formance and fast cruising. Presented by

    Rodgers Yacht Sales. www.finngulf.fi

    Finngulf 41

    New to US, 41' sailing yacht from Finland and a

    Helsinki International Sailboat of the Year, designed by

    Karl-Johan Strahlmann. Medium displacement, easy

    handling, long waterline and generous sail area for

    solid cruising, performance and speed. Presented by

    Rodgers Yacht Sales. www.finngulf.fi

    Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera 60

    New 60' cruising catamaran from France.

    More spacious and bright with brilliant varnish

    light sycamore wood interior and redesigned

    saloon layout. Presented by Pheonix Yacht

    Management. www.fountaine-pajot.com

    Friendship 53

    New 53' version of Friendship luxury sailing line

    by Ted Fontaine; longer, even more elegant ver-

    sion of the Friendship 40 with two staterooms.

    Draws as little as 4.95' with centerboard up.

    www.friendshipyachtcompany.com

    2006

    Ziniopage=27

  • Hallberg-Rassy 342

    Official US debut of Germn Frers designed,

    33' 9" long distance cruising yacht from

    Sweden with big in-mast furling main and a

    self-tending jib. Shown by Eastland Yachts.

    www.hallberg-rassy.com

    Hunter 49

    New 49' 11" aft cockpit cruiser designed to be a

    high-end passage maker for extended offshore

    cruising, with specially-engineered sail plan for

    maximum efficiency while maintaining single-

    handed sail-ability. www.huntermarine.com

    Island Packet SP Cruiser

    New 34' 9" sailing cruiser featuring two cock-

    pits, an enclosed deckhouse, simplified sail

    controls and a hull form to maximize speed

    and range under power. www.ipy.com

    J/92S

    New U.S. debut of 30' high performance sail-

    boat for family sailing or on the racecourse. The

    J/92S has been optimized with newly designed

    cockpit, deck, keel, rudder, sail plan and bow

    profile. By J/Boats Inc. www.jboats.com

    Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39i

    New 39' blue water sailing yacht, newest model

    of the Sun Odyssey series; designed by Marc

    Lombard to optimize performance, safety and

    comfort. www.jeanneauamerica.com

    Maestro 40

    U.S. introduction of high quality, Finnish built

    40' cruiser/racer, laid out for short handed

    sailing; a medium-displacement cruising yacht

    which offers the performance characteristics

    of a lighter racing boat. www.maestroboats.fi

    Morris M42

    New model in the M series, the 42' daysailing

    and cruising yacht features 6' 3" standing

    headroom and a large saloon, the new M42

    is impeccably finished in Herreshoff style of

    white bulkheads and varnished mahogany.

    www.morrisyachts.com

    Najad 440

    U.S. debut of new 44' sailing yacht from Sweden.

    Long waterline and thoroughly modern

    Judel/Vrolijk designed hull; collaboration between

    Najad and Dick Young Interiors. Available in aft

    or center cockpit versions. Presented by

    Najad/Scandinavian Yachts. www.najad.com

    Ovni 395

    42' blue-water, multi-chine aluminum sailing

    cruiser from France is new to US and fea-

    tures a centerboard and kick-up rudder for

    less than a 2ft. draft, from Alubat, shown

    by Boatinium. www.boatinium.com

    NEWPORT FOR NEW PRODUCTS

    CRUISINGWORLD POWERCRUISING SAILINGWORLD

    Ziniopage=28

  • Seawind 1160

    New to US, 38' sailing yacht, 2005 Australian Boat

    of the Year, large living space, all around visibility,

    and innovative Tri-Folding doors allow for indoor

    living with outdoor accessibility and the security

    of a lockable saloon. www.seawindcats.com

    Wauquiez 41

    U.S.A. debut of 41' French pilot saloon sailing

    yacht with a new deck design, a new rig with

    more sail area and a redesigned interior;

    shown by Cape Yachts. www.wauquiez.com

    24 Seafarer

    New 23' 10" powerboat offers an enclosed

    head and all new L shaped lounge with

    sink and stove; trailerable and fuel efficient

    with mid range HP Outboards. From Seaway

    Boats, Inc. www.seawayboats.com

    AB Inflatables Nautilus 19 DLX S

    19' power inflatable with new fuel efficient,

    2.8 liter Cummins Mercruiser Diesel I/O with

    Bravo stern drive, by AB Inflatables.

    www.abinflatables.com

    AB Inflatables Lammina AL9.5 Superlight

    New 9' 6" power inflatable whose short length

    results in super light 94 lb. aluminum hull, by

    AB Inflatables. www.abinflatables.com

    Astondoa AS43

    New 43' flybridge power yacht being intro-

    duced in the U.S. from Spain features living

    spaces generous in proportions and rich in fea-

    tures. Propulsion by twin Volvo 370HP engines.

    Presented by Sound Power. www.astondoa.es

    Blubay TC45

    New 45' advanced hybrid composite power

    catamaran, offering 53 knots top speed and

    700 nm range with optional twin 440HP

    Yanmars, by Aeroyacht Ltd.

    www.aeroyacht.com

    Bruckmann/Ellis 34

    New 34' hard top express cruiser with a broad

    chine flat hull plus both entry and forward

    deadrise akin to a deep vee hull and a skeg

    for efficiency and roll-damping stability.

    Ample seating and sleeping area for cruising.

    www.bruckmannyachts.com

    37 Seville Pilothouse

    Official debut of 34' 6" Trawler with solid

    FRP hull and deckhouse, high bow, ample

    bulwarks, and beefy rails. From Mariner

    Yachts; presented by Island Yacht Brokers.

    www.marineryachttrawlers.com

    2006

    WWW.NEWPORTBOATSHOW.COM

    Ziniopage=29

  • Camano 41

    New 41' Camano offers a traditional style trawler

    with a large open saloon, fully equipped galley and

    head, queen-size walk around berth and wide side

    decks. Presented by Rhumb Line Yacht Sales.

    www.camanomarine.com

    Element 270 EXC

    New 27' express convertible powerboat with

    solid deep-vee hull, wide lifting strakes and a

    deadrise of 24 degrees.

    www.elementyachts.com

    Hinckley T38 R Convertible

    New 38' power cruiser with a push button con-

    vertible top; allows open air seating or covered

    cockpit with ease; includes patented JetStick

    controlled jet propulsion and shallow draft.

    www.thehinckleycompany.com

    Reef Runner

    New 42' Downeast-style power yacht built with

    vacuum bag infusion technology and powered by

    twin Yanmar 480 diesels, by American Global

    Yacht Group. www.agyg.com

    Ribcraft 150

    New 15' 7" inflatable with the trademark deep

    V hull of the RIBCRAFT professional series, the

    RIBCRAFT 150 is ideal for up to 6 people.

    www.ribcraftusa.com

    Ribcraft 190

    New 19' 2" inflatable with the same hull design

    and performance characteristics as the profes-

    sional model, RIBCRAFT 5.85, yet features

    yachting refinements; maximum 10 people.

    www.ribcraftusa.com

    Sabreline 34 Hard Top Express

    New 34' model in Sabreline series with classic

    Sabre look and performance. Elevated helm

    deck and cockpit layout assures clear sight

    lines. Private owners suite below. From

    Sabre Yachts. www.sabreyahcts.com

    Vripack Cutter

    New 39' Vripack design, steel hulled

    trawler/pocket cruiser, powered by a single

    Cummins 80 to 130 HP, by American Global

    Yacht Group. www.agyg.com

    Hydra Sports 2200VX Express

    New 22' Sport Fisherman Express incorporates

    a V-berth cabin complete with sink, stove and

    cooler. The spacious cockpit is designed for

    both fishing and cruising. Presented by Ocean

    House Marina. www.hydrasports.com

    NEWPORT FOR NEW PRODUCTS

    CRUISINGWORLD POWERCRUISING SAILINGWORLD

    Ziniopage=30

  • eCycle Model 9.9 Electric Outboard

    High powered electric outboard with eCycle's

    innovative Silicon Series brushless motor.

    Liquid cooling and power tilt; suitability for

    salt-water use. Operates at 36 & 72VDC.

    www.ecycle.com

    KVH TracNet 100 Mobile Internet/TV System

    Computer-free access to the MSN TV service,

    email, and instant messaging on the boats TV

    screens. Integrated WiFi supports laptops and

    other products. Two-way, high-speed communi-

    cations with EVDO cellular data services and

    amplified marine antenna. www.kvh.com

    Maxilube System

    Onboard oil lubrication/purification system designed

    to reduce engine wear and greatly extend or elimi-

    nate the common oil change interval. Includes

    puraDYN bypass oil filtration system, heavy duty

    lubrication pumps and patented electronic control

    module. www.maxilubesystems.com

    Megaplait Rope

    Designed specifically for use in powered wind-

    lasses. The unique construction imitates a

    plaited rope, but is more flexible and abrasion

    resistant. By New England Ropes.

    www.neropes.com

    Northstar HD Digital Radar

    High Definition (HD) Digital Radar offers enhanced

    Digital Signal Processing techniques, combined with

    10-bit target discrimination, provide unparalleled

    radar images. www.northstargps.com

    Side-Power Designer Remote

    Handheld wireless remote controls. Two models:

    one controls bow and stern thrusters; one oper-

    ates a thruster and an anchor windlass. Intuitive

    operation. Cradle and safety lanyard included.

    Fully waterproof it floats! Presented by Imtra

    Marine Products. www.imtra.com

    Simrad Remote Control

    Marine remote control system that acts as a wire-

    less waterproof VHF handset and provides control

    of autopilots, instruments, VHF, chartplotters,

    echosounders and combination navigators from

    anywhere on a vessel. www.simradusa.com

    Gori 4-Blade Folding Propeller

    True blade shape for increased efficiency and

    thrust in both forward and reverse, increased

    stopping power and maneuverability. Four-

    blades reduce vibration and noise levels,

    increases tip clearance. Presented by

    AB Marine. www.ab-marine.com

    2006

    WWW.NEWPORTBOATSHOW.COM

    Check out

    these and

    other entries

    at the show.

    September 14-17, 2006

    Ziniopage=31

  • B Y ST UART ST R EU L I

    32 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    GulfStreamBlues

    The 2006 Bermuda

    Race wasnt easy

    for anyone. A tricky

    Gulf Stream kept

    navigators on edge,

    and light winds taxed

    concentration levels

    from the start to the

    finish. But this only

    made finishing that

    much sweeter.

    Ziniopage=32

  • Like a harried innkeeper after a

    long summer weekend, a strong

    ebb tide hurried the 2006

    Bermuda Race eet out of town.

    Youve overstayed your wel-

    come, it seemed to say. Now shoo. For more

    than a few boats, this encouragement was too

    much to handle. Not even a reminder from an

    exasperated race committee could prevent the X

    flag from being hoisted start after start, and

    countless boats being recalled to try it again.

    However, for all of Narragansett Bays desire to

    rid itself of the 265-boat armada, Bermuda did-

    nt seem all that eager to welcome the largest eet

    in the 100-year history of the premier Atlantic

    distance race. A few hundred miles out from

    Newport, a stubborn ridge of high pressure

    squeezed the moderate westerly breeze out of

    existence. The quick boats stopped, the small

    boats caught up, the quick boats accelerated and

    separated, then stopped again.

    It was better for those who took a route west of

    the rhumb line, a more direct choice that also

    had the benet of nearly 5 knots of southbound

    current from a cold eddy south of the Gulf

    Stream. But no matter where one sailed, the

    wind was light, rarely reaching the double digits,

    S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6 33

    ON

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    L The 98-foot Maximus seemed a strong favorite forline honors in the 2006 Bermuda Race. But it couldnt

    overcome numerous windless hours and finished third

    on elapsed time.

    Ziniopage=33

  • and largely on the nose. Virtually everycrewmember did time crouched on theleeward rail watching bubbles drift by.

    At one point, we tried racing [flot-sam], says a crewmember from the ex-Whitbread warrior Ceramco NZ. And wewere losing.

    Many miles to the east, across therhumb line, ghting the same good ghtwith the vapid wind, I was onboard theVolvo Ocean 60 Pindar Alphagraphics,which did a lap around the planet in2001-02 as Team News Corp.

    This ride had landed in my lap days be-fore the start. Id resigned myself to miss-ing the biggest Bermuda Race ever whena call came in from Pindars PR agency.They had a spot on one of two boats thecompany entered in the race. Needless tosay, I jumped at the chance, visions ofsurfing downwind at 25 knots runningthrough my head.

    I dont regret my choice for a second. Ido regret assuming that a boat designedto go downwind in the Southern Oceancould go upwind in a millpond.

    Having now done a pair of NewportBermuda Races, the thing that amazes memost is how time compresses on start day.One moment the crew is gathering dock-side and the next the boat is crossing thestarting line and heading south. In be-tween are six or seven hours that seem toevaporate. Our dock call was early, 9 a.m.,especially considering our start wasntuntil just before 3 p.m. But if ever therewas a time to mill around before a startand soak up the atmosphere this was it.Upwards of 500 boats crowded into Nar-ragansett Bays East Passage, and thou-sands more spectators watched fromshore. Though virtually every forecastwas calling for a light-air race, a punchyseabreeze had built by noon. Promptly at

    12:50 p.m., guns sounded from the racecommittee boat, a monstrous CoastGuard buoy tender, and the race wasofficially underway. While we testedheadsails, the race committee sent off di-visions every 10 minutes, the radiocrackling with the sail numbers of thosewho hadnt properly compensated forthe current and crossed the line early.

    As soon as the start before ours left, weentered the starting area and made a fewpractice runs at the line. Then Boom,we were off. It was a tight fetch on star-

    Navigators had to choose between heading

    east of the rhumbline toward a favorable

    meander or the more direct westerly route,

    which featured a prominent cold eddy. In

    the end, it was the wind that made the dif-

    ference. Those in the west, including LivelyLady II (below) had more of it than boatssuch as the Volvo 60 Pindar Alphagraphics(above), which chose the easterly option.

    34 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    ST

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    Ziniopage=34

  • board to the rst of a set of governmentmarks that guard Brenton Reef, and hadto be left to port. Our lane closed downquickly as a the 75-foot Titan rolled overthe top and then Bob Towses new 66-foot Blue Yankee and the Swan 601 Mon-eypenny engaged in a brief, and some-what perplexing, lufng duel directly offour bow. As the boats bore off around thefinal course mark before Bermuda, weslowly shifted toward the windward sideof the pack. It was quickly apparent thatall of the larger boats in the Gibbs HillLighthouse division, which allows profes-sional sailors to helm, were heading east.All but one that is. For a while we tailedHap Fauths 66-foot Bella Mente. An houror so after the gun, we bore off a bit, host-ing a massive overlapped reaching head-sail, and followed the majority of ourclass east of the rhumb line. Bella Mentestayed hard on the wind and headed west.

    The decision to split from somany talented navigators was-nt easy. In fact, more than oneprofessional sailor called it asuicidal career move. But then

    again, Bella Mentes navigator, Dirk John-son, isnt a professional sailor. Hes a boatbroker by trade, though hes got plenty ofexperience racing through the Streamhaving now done nine Bermuda Races.

    Theres less pressure on me becauseIm not being paid a daily rate, saysJohnson, 46. [Professional navigators]dont want to take risks, probably forgood reason from a professional stand-point. They do what they can to be in thepack. [Our strategy] was a bit of a gam-ble. But it was a calculated gamble. Wedidnt make the decision lightly or with-out reason.

    Bermuda Race veterans say the easterlyroute rarely works. But that maxim wascountered this year by nearly all the ex-pert opinions, which advocated easterlyroutes for the faster boats. The routingprograms generally concurred.

    The problem, according to Johnson,was that the course was dominated by ahigh-pressure systema weather featurehe likened to a marble rolling around adinner plate. It doesnt take much to pushit one direction or another, and themovement is all but impossible to predictin advance.

    I didnt see enough evidence to make arisky decision to go 70 miles east of therhumb line, says Johnson. It was an in-tuitive decision. But I know going east ofthe rhumb line, especially north of the

    Michael Lawson, a structural engi-neer, from England, navigated his thirdBermuda Race on the Carter 37 LivelyLady II.

    I do like computerized navigation. Ithink it gives you more scope to try tooptimize routes. It also makes it easiergetting the performance out of theboat. The role of the navigator haschanged. Rather than just working outwhere you are, its about performanceand looking at lots of different scenar-ios. I use Deckman for Windows tacti-cal software, which normally I wouldplug straight into the B&G. On LivelyLady II, the instruments are very oldB&G, which I couldnt interface with, soI plugged a handheld GPS into my lap-top. I prepared a polar from an old IMScerticate for the boat; I played aroundwith it and tweaked it as we were rac-ing. It gave some basis for doing therouting scenarios and wind analysis.What I was nding was that the GRIBles we were getting for currents boreno relation to the satellite pictures. Igave up on the current GRIB les and

    put in what I thought the tides and cur-rents would be doing.

    At the start of the race everybodywas saying, Go east. Youd look at theweather GRIB les and they certainlysaid east, and all the analysis I did saidthe same thing. But after the start ofthe race and after the tropical stormhad gone through we were able to getthe latest satellite pictures from Rut-gers [http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/]

    and it showedquite a strongeddy. Withthe forecastwe were get-ting, and thefact that wewere one ofthe slower

    boats, I felt that going on the easternside was too much extra distance. Andhaving banged a massive corner in lastyears transatlantic race on Tempest[and winning his class], I decided thatId done enough banging of corners.We went west.

    From the satellite, the Gulf Stream

    Two amateur navigators reveal the strategies that

    won them the St. Davids Lighthouse Trophy for IRC

    (Lively Lady II) and ORR (Sinn Fein) in the 2006

    Bermuda Race

    How the Stream Was Won

    S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6 35

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    Ziniopage=35

  • Gulf Stream, is a chancy thing to dounder any conditions. I always favor acourse that takes us rhumb line or some-what west during the northern half of therace because thats where the success hasbeen in the past.

    Fearing the wind might shut off, John-son directed Bella Mente straight downthe rhumb line, aiming to cross theStream as quickly as possible. By thetime the wind faded, the 66-footJudel/Vrolijk design was through theStream, and on a conveyor belt south,riding up to 5.5 knots of current in acold eddy. When we found that currentin the cold eddy, says Johnson, I knewwed done the right thing. That was abonus for us. Our main strategy was tosail the shortest distance.

    By the second night it was obviousBella Mente was having a good race, out-pacing many rivals in Division 12, whichcontained many larger grand prix boats.On the fourth night, when Johnsondownloaded a more expansive list of po-sition reports, the crew learned they were

    not only in the hunt for a division crown,but for line honors as well. Incredibly, the98-foot Maximusa canting keel rocketthat, according to the two boats IRChandicaps, shouldve nished the race in80 percent of the time it took BellaMentewas 40 miles behind.

    Like all the boats to the west of therhumb line, Bella Mente started benet-ing from some southwesterly ow late inthe race. However, with longer and fasterboats just off the horizon and the breezestill full of holes, it was anything but asmooth run to the nish.

    We were just concerned about keepingthe boat going and fighting our waythrough the light spots, which was prettyimportant on the last day, says RobOuellette. We put up the drifter a coupleof times and that was frustrating becausewe had some pretty good breeze. We werereally concerned about Captivity [a cus-tom 79-foot maxi designed by Bill Lan-gan]. We were scanning the horizon forthem the whole time.

    In the end, as frustrating as this ighty

    breeze was, it proved to be the best possi-ble conditions for Bella Mente. Duringthe Storm Trysail Clubs Block IslandRace in May, the crew had found the boatmoved very well in similar conditionsusing a drifter brought along by sailmak-er Tom McLaughlin. We knew theseconditions were good for the boat, saysOuellette. We knew if we kept focusedand kept at it, we had a chance to do well.

    Whatever doubts lingered in the crewsminds as they approached the finishtheres always the small chance someonesnuck pastwere erased when the boatwas met at the nish by a gaggle of pho-tographer boats. Bella Mente had pulledoff a remarkable upset to take line honorsafter just more than four days of racing.

    Its a special feeling to leave one placewith 265 boats and be the first to thefinish line, even if youre the biggestboat in the fleet. says Johnson. The St.Davids Lighthouse Trophy [which John-son won in 2002 aboard Zaraffa] isprobably a harder thing to do, but youdont get that enjoyment til you getback to the dock. Crossing the finishline first is instant gratification.

    The great thing about distanceracing is that some sense ofgratication awaits at the n-ish for every sailor. Pindar Al-phagraphics rolled across the

    nish line at 3:30 a.m. local time, nearly12 hours after Bella Mente. We were sur-

    36 S A I L I N G W O R L D S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 6

    While both are flat-out racing machines,

    Bella Mente (top) and The Cone of Silence(below) couldnt be more different. The

    former excells in light air, and took an

    improbable line-honors win in the 2006

    Bermuda Race. The latter prefers heavy-air

    sailing off the breeze, of which there was none.

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    Ziniopage=36

  • appeared to be fairly narrow about 10 to15 miles west of the rhumbline. I decid-ed wed cut through there, and then headup and sail west and come into that coldeddy from the eastern side. My biggestfear was actually running out of windwhile we were in the Gulf Stream, orrunning out of wind trying to get out ofthe cold eddy. Generally we were seeing3.5 to 4 knots of current in the coldeddy, but we peaked at 5. At times wewere doing 10 knots over the ground,which was very pleasant.

    I was actually assuming the south-easterly was going to come in, but I waspraying it wouldnt come in too early. Wewent off in a southeasterly direction onthe basis that it was eventually going tocome in from the southeast, and we weretracking to start laying Bermuda. All theforecasts were adamant that the south-easterlies were going to come in but theGRIB les didnt really show it. We prob-ably went east a bit too far, but it workedout very well.

    Since I do most of my sailing in theUnited Kingdom, Im well versed in IRC.I wasnt going to jump up for joy until Iknew what the results were. It wasnt untilmidnight Wednesday that the results wentup, and we learned wed won overall.

    Peter Rebovich, of Metuchen, N.J., andRaritan YC, is a retired schoolteacherand has been racing to Bermuda on hisCal 40 Sinn Fein since 1981. He sailed hisrst Newport Bermuda Race in 1998, andwon his class in 2002 and 2004.

    I did most of the navigation. KellyRobinson gave me a considerableamount of help. I involve the whole crewin the navigation and tactics, discussingwith them in detail what were doing,why were doing it, and what our racestrategy is.

    Before the race, on and off, I wouldtune into Rutgers site and I would seewhat the Stream looked like. Invariably,unless you get a composite, theres al-ways cloud cover. I nally said to someof the other crew: You know, I reallydont care what was going on twomonths ago. What I want to know iswhere it was last week, where it is now,and where we think its going to be whenwe get there. We got that informationfrom Jenifer Clark[http://users.erols.com/gulfstrm/] at theFriday morning brieng and pretty

    much picked her western route.We dont use tactical software. I have

    an older B&G system with an outmodedchart plotter. I used the Bermuda Raceplotting chart, 5161. We drew the warmeddy on the chart and set a beeline for it.We wanted to get into the stream at 3740 by 69 55. The Stream was very narrowwh