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DISTRIBUTION: to 45 countries at last count.
Monthly News and Views: over 2000 recipients

 

CONTENTS

1. Editorial
2. "Unluckiest sailor of the month" Award

3. Asian News
4. International

 

Browse past editions of News & Views by clicking on December January February March

 

1. Editorial

 

Apologies must first be expressed for the lateness of this newsletter and the difficulties experienced with the website lately. The server has been replaced and the site hosted elsewhere which after a few initial bugs are ironed out should prove to be a very reliable service.

 

To the News

The search for speed sailing is happening on a global scale, past records are being broken or attempted with regular abandon and new records set almost daily over the last few months. Steve Fossett's PlayStation has set a number of new course records (subject to ratification) including the Trans Atlantic and Fastnet whilst the Volvo fleet are attempting new monohull records. Bruno Peyron's maxi cat Orange is currently challenging for the Jules Verne Trophee and broke Sir Peter Blake's Ushant to Cape of Good Hope record by one day and looks set to establish a new round the world fully crewed multihull record over the next few days.

A argument has started over the fundamental difference between a "race" record and a "course" record. Especially in recording course records as all the tools are available to optimise boat speed including selecting the most desirable weather patterns during out of race periods. I think it is a great idea as it leaves the course open all year round to prospective challengers and not just for a few days once a year. Further encouragement is needed which could see the increase in global sailing activities and perhaps speed up the development of purpose built fast sailing machines.

Scuttlebutt's April Fools newsletter may have contained some wishful thinking and open views on future paths that sailing may take but it also struck at the heart of yachting organisations to be a bit more dynamic and seek out the competitors true wishes when planning events.

 

In Asia many yachts are making their way to the Thai Island of Ko Samui for the inaugural regatta from the 28th April to 4th May. The committee reports on some of the classic offshore racing yachts taking part and the Royal Varuna Yacht Club announces that the off the beach catamaran fleet will be joining in the action on their website... www.samuiregatta.com AsianYachting will be preparing daily emailed Race Reports which can be viewed with the program and associated pictures by clicking on... http://asianyachting.com/news/KoSamui02.htm

 

2. "Unluckiest sailor of the month" Award was nearly taken out for a second month in a row by the crew on SEB (after last months dismasting) but as the protest by the Volvo Ocean Race Committee against SEB was dismissed as the damage after the collision with illbruck was not considered "serious." Instead they should be given a medal for completing the leg with a yacht in this condition as the damage had been assessed to have no significant impact on performance and SEB was able to continue racing safely.

1. To view AY Race Reports with associated photo's click on:

Asean Regatta - http://asianyachting.com/news/AseanReg2001.htm
Raja Muda Int. Regatta - http://asianyachting.com/news/RMIR2001.htm
Phuket King's Cup - http://asianyachting.com/news/PKCR2001.htm
Singapore Straits Regatta - http://asianyachting.com/news/SSR2002.htm
RHKYC's China Sea Race - http://asianyachting.com/news/CSR2002.htm
Philippine President Cup - http://asianyachting.com/news/PresCup02.htm
Koh Samui Regatta - http://asianyachting.com/news/KoSamui02.htm

2. The ISAF have launched a completely new and interactive web-based service offering all sailors a broad range of continually evolving services. If you register as an ISAF Sailor you will be able to subscribe to Newsletters and World Rankings, create an online Biography, access the Sailors Forum to discuss and respond to issues affecting sailing, apply for a Classification Status for those events requiring professional/amateur classification, and much much more at.... http://www.sailing.org/isafsailor

3. In Memoriam of Tall Paul Marrett who sadly passed away late March from Ray Roberts and all his sailing companions. He has already been dearly missed and condolences go to his family and close relatives. Click here to go to Tribute

4. The Yachting Association of India and the National Enterprise Association of India have conducted the Enterprise Class World Championship at Goa from 06-13 Apr 2002. For more info contact Cdr PK Garg the Secretary General of the Yachting Association of India

5. Jakarta Offshore Sailing Club welcomes any passing yachts to join in their races and cruises, or obtain info on the wonderful cruising grounds nearby, including the Thousand Islands just north of Jakarta Bay. Their location at Pantai Mutiara is one of the cleaner berthing locations in Jakarta.

6. Mark Robinson has left his position as Technical Operations Officer, managing the Sailing Office of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia after eight years with the Club. He has decided to broaden his experience by taking on the role as Head Coach for the Thailand National Sailing Team preparing for 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, in September.... So watch out other Asian racing teams.

7. The Tasaki Osaka Cup, the world's longest longitudinal, double-handed yacht race between Sister Cities and Ports of Melbourne and Osaka is held every four years and returns in 2003.  Entries are now open for this prestigious and unique International yachting event first held in 1987 that travels a unique 5,500 nautical mile course experiencing three seasons in reverse, autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, summer around the Equator and spring in the Northern Hemisphere. More info at http://asianyachting.com/news/MelbOsaka.htm

8. After months of denying that the reclamation land fill works around Singapore pose no threat to shipping and the environment a accident has occurred and the bodies of the two men reported missing after their work-boat collided with a barge and sank has led to a official enquiry on the incident.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. Recently the Swiss Alinghi Challenge applied to the America's Cup Arbitration Panel for an interpretation of provisions of the Deed of Gift regarding the use of centre-boards and sliding keels. They got their answer - "NO!" and the Arbitration Panel dinged Alinghi US$2,000 for the costs of the Panel on the application." For the panels decision see Scuttlebutt #1027

2. The 31st America's Cup season may see a total of 19 new boats being built, bringing the total number of ACC boats to nearly 80 over the four America's Cups since 1992 when the class was introduced. As the first carbon laminate is placed on the mould for each new ACC boat, a new sail number is issued. Sail number USA 77 was recently assigned to Team Dennis Connor's second boat, continuing their repeated digit tradition. Four more boats are still to commence construction. Keep an eye on the Louis Vuitton website and some other news sites as the action begins to hot up in Auckland.

3. Big news this month is that Rolex will take on the sponsorship of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race for the next 4 years, including the 60th event. Rolex watches sponsors many prestigious international sailing events and in Australia the Sydney to Hobart inspires more people to sail than any other event.

4. Bruno Peyron's 110ft catamaran Orange sets NEW RECORD - from the start at Ushant (France) around the world and back to the Equator in: 53 days, 4 h and 49 m. Re-crossing of the Equator on Wednesday 24th April at 14h 25m French time. Also from Cape Horn to the Equator in 11 days, 1 hour and 57 minutes POSITION REPORT (Day 55 at sea) 54 DAYS SAILED - 17 DAYS TO FINISH TO BEAT RECORD OF 71 DAYS and receive the Jules Verne Trophy. MILES TO FINISH : 2460 (approximately). Follow their progress in these exciting closing stages at crew member on Nick Moloney's website or at the official Orange website.

5. The Volvo Ocean Race fleet are firmly in preparation mode, getting ready to cross yet another ocean. After the last relatively short passage from Miami to Baltimore, skippers and crews are about to embark on Leg 7: Baltimore to La Rochelle, France.  As in the previous legs there will be a number of conditions they will encounter or hurdles that will need to be overcome. It starts in a Bay with a set of problems and ends in another Bay with a very different set of problems.  And while in mid ocean, the sailors will have to contend with both warm and cold currents – the often dreaded icebergs plus local effects that can easily rearrange the standings. There are a lot of things for the navigators and tacticians to consider in addition to the weather – all potentially vicious in their own right. It won’t be an easy ride. Follow the race at... http://www.volvooceanrace.org

6. A new $6.4 million race the Antarctic Cup which starts and finishes in Fremantle (Australia) - leaving Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and Good Hope to port is being proposed by the Royal Perth Yacht Club. Be assured this is no April Fools joke. If you click on www.antarcticacup.com you will learn everything you need to know about this new 14,600 nautical mile non stop yacht race for one-design maxi-yachts through the Southern Ocean.

7. Clipper Ventures, race organisers, announced that the city of Tauranga, New Zealand, will host the third stopover in the five leg Around Alone 2002-03 solo, round the world yacht race. Located in the Bay of Plenty region on New Zealand’s East coast, some 250km south of Auckland, Tauranga is a favourite holiday destination in New Zealand and has defined itself as the ‘stop-over in paradise. Visit the official race web site now both in English and French.