2003 Archives

The Beginning is at the bottom

The Southern Ocean’s latest insider at Sailing Anarchy, ‘Secret Squirrel’ informs us on the latest Rumors and Lies from down under. Australia that is, none of those breaky boats with white feathers here thank you very much, ours sink properly!

Hmmm number 1!

Speaking of him, 20 years ago this month John Bertrand steered Aussie two past the Fat Man and carted of the ‘mug’ to ‘Bondy’ land.

Alan Bond helped put sailing on the Aussie map and sailed the Sydney to Hobart race more than a few times, is it true he is putting a Volvo campaign together?

Hmmm………….And where’d he get the money?

This time of the year is known for launchings prior to the epic Sydney to Hobart yacht race and several interesting boats are being launched for the yearly pilgrimage of the yachting fraternity.

Melbourne identity Grant ‘Warro’ Warrington stealthily launched his 90 ‘odd’ footer while all the local clubs had their season opening day, the new boat is the latest in a string of “Wildthings’ to hit the water, but this boat has a canting keel.

Creator Don Jones has limited the keel canting so the boats static heel remains under 10 degrees and stays within the draconian rules that seem to be there because ‘its just too hard to change’, except if your boat is ‘Wild Oats’ and then it can race and win the Admirals Cup.

Hmmm number 2

So it seems like cutting edge designs can race overseas, but try racing at club level at home and Mr. Wharrington and you will have to knobble your boat speed!

Indeed the canny Mr. Jones has left room in the boat for considerably more cant when sense prevails and the Aussie rules match ISAF’s.

Hmmm number 3

In the mean time Nicorrette the Swedish maxi that still calls Australia home is being modified for a swing keel too, but definitely being limited to 10 degrees, with comments from the owner that he will sue if the rules change and make his boat more obsolete.

Hmmm number 4

The eminently respected (well, at least by some) George ‘Brindabella’ Snow is preparing a Riechel Pugh maxi swinger and trying to change the minds of the old women who administer yachting down under.

Trying common sense and facts about modern yachting he seems to be having an uphill battle as they are not quite sure about these boats that don’t have wooden hulls or cotton sails, new fan-dangled gadgets and what not, why I remember way back when a boat was a boat, and so on.

Hmmm number 5

Local designer and trainee legend Robert Hick is making several new little boats 30-40 feet long and his new Hobart Challenger is looking very slick as it sports a fin keel with no bulb (what type of boats have been sweeping IRC in Europe?).

The trail-blazing Hick has decided a return to the old days of IOR boats may not be such a bad thing and in typical Aussie form is putting his money where his mouth is and taking the chance to also do something different and modern.

He is bound to succeed again and is even building his own carbon rigs in house, just like an Aussie to challenge the norm and question why we should stay with the lowest common denominator.

He has several other interesting designs coming, will be interesting!

Hmmm number 6

Wild thing “Warro” is also putting a team together for the next Volvo Race and maybe even an Americas Cup campaign?

Already recruited is Ian ‘Barney’ Walker, not to be confused with the ‘other’ Ian Walker who sails for the ‘Poms’, so we will see if the multiple Sydney to Hobart winning helmsman can help again!

The two are spurred on by the city of Melbourne (as in the site of the Formula 1 Grandprix, and challenger series that selected Australia 2 for the cup and so on) stealing the next Volvo stop over from Auckland.

10/12/2003

 

 

Did You Say You Can't Pay?

Speaking of the AC, here's a story from back in the day that we just received. Classic stuff.

The builder who was hired to build the Kiwi glass 12 meter entry for the America's Cup so long ago (the "illegal" boat - wasn't that Conner's smart ass remark?) had an interesting situation when the boat was done. (This builder also built Drum - "the keel thing wasn't my fault!")

When it came time to pay up, the Kiwis shuffled their feet and otherwise stalled, then essentially said they wouldn't pay (as agreed). So the builder, asking them to wait for a bit, and wise in so many, well, down to earth ways and being one of few words, went to the hardware store and retuned to the shop. To the amazement of the Kiwis he took out of the wrappers a new chain saw, gave it a yank, revved it up for maximum noise impact and proceeded towards the hull.

The Kiwis got the point and the builder walked away with the cash, 'nuff unsaid.

 

MORC - Pulling The Plug

Rumors were swirling about the impending end to the MORC organization, and despite claims to the contrary from Matt Dubois, the MORC International Commodore, the end is nigh.

We now hear from multiple anonymous sources which maintain that the bankroll is flush, and the probability of MORC's final, monstrous, hoorah regatta in Annapolis next year is at 90%, with likely only the format and date undecided. It's all over but the crying.

Too bad because some of the best racing I've done has been in MORC. Here on the West Coast, there was a phenomenon known as maxi Morc boats, which were high rating, fast 30's. They were fun and so was the racing. Times have changed and things do move on. Simply add MORC to that list.

10/6/03

 

D4 Everyone?

The latest rumor has Dimension Sailcloth buying the D4 product from Frasier (Doyle), who currently own the rights to it. This would instantly give all those second tier sailmakers that we refer to, instant top level load path technology that they currently don't have access to. Of course if this was to happen, it would pretty much screw the pooch for Doyle in terms of having an exclusive top line product. One theory has it that Dimension feels they need to do something to advance sailcloth technology available to everyone, and they were likely to introduce their own line of material anyway. Frasier might as well sell out now and get a royalty to a much larger market than what they are currently getting.

09/25/2003

 

Singled Out in Charleston?

We hear of a not insignificant problem at the J-24 South Eastern Regional Championships held at Charleston, S.C. Rumor has it that a newcomer to the class (sailing a donated boat) was at the front of the fleet (with a 2-1 after two races) and had a port-starboard with the class president in race three. The pres was on port, and according to witnesses, sought revenge by protesting the newbies for not having sail numbers on their genoa. This was a sail that had been measured in for the regatta (a World's qualifier), and apparently there were other boats that did not have sail numbers and they were not protested.

The newbies were chucked out of race three, and went away with a very bad taste in their mouths. Even though they were technically wrong, they felt the pres acted vindictively and could have and should have handled the situation much differently.

Anybody have any information or comments about the alleged incidents?

09/23/03

 

SA AC Team?

Yes, it may very well be true. But sadly, the SA does not stand for us, in this instance it stands for South Africa!

And though the above story is clearly a spoof, this ironic rumor apparently is not. It comes from a good source, although we frankly don't know any more than what we've told you. Maybe in a good will gesture to their past, they can recruit some of the "playas" from Team Snoop?

09/23/03

 

 

Ausmerican?

If you’re an Aussie you remember how Adam Beashel got screwed out of the Australian spot at the 2000 Olympics in the 49er. Adam won the Olympic selection process but was not ultimately selected for the games by the Australian Sailing Federation. It was no surprise then when Adam threw patriotism to the wind to help defend the Americas cup for NZL. Well that didn’t work out too well either.

All the while Adam had been dating an American board sailor by the name of Lanee Butler.Well the two have finally married and Adam is now a US citizen by marriage. The interesting part is that he’s back in the 49er training in Sydney not to represent AUS but with aims to ambush the US 49er trails and represent the US at the Olympic games in Athens. Might he be hooking up with pal Charlie McKee? Should be interesting.

09/19/03

 

Oracle 40's

We hear that Oracle BMW AC team has purchased two used Farr 40's, not to go class racing, but rather to use them for match race practicing. Apparently the boats are being heavily modified for this purpose. What they are doing exactly we don't know, but perhaps new deck layouts? If anybody knows what is up, let us know.

09/08/03

 

 

Spanish Ayes?

We hear that Spain is emerging as the likely venue for the next AC. We had heard that Juan Carlos, The King of Spain being a big yachtie is behind it, but it has less to do with King of Spain (who wants Palma, not Valencia but the Spanish Government is backing Valencia, so Juan Carlos -- "Juanito" as he is known to other royalty and close friends -- has to go along with the gov't on that) and more to do with overall good sailing and shoreside conditions offered by both Spanish bid-cities. Bids from Valencia and Palma are said to be better than any of the other three. Besides Ernesto and Larry don't want to have to bob around in the Atlantic in Vava and Katana, nor drag any their fellow superyachties or sponsors out there either. Rough at times, and nowhere to cruise to on off days. So Spain sounds more and more like the goer, though don't count out Marseille given all that money the mayor is offering to throw around. Also the ACM boss (Michel Bonnefous) and marketing man (Michel Hodara) are both Swiss-French, as is the defending club SNG, and SNG bigwigs do their Med boating out of Marseille, which has both good highway and fast train connections with nearby Geneva. Regardless, sounds like Spain (either Palma or Valencia) is the leading candidate.

08/24/2003

 

Pissing Contest

Few things are more enjoyable to view from a safe distance than a pissing contest, and here is one that appears to be in mid flow between the good folks at Half Moon Bay Yacht Club and an unhappy member, who we have described as Mr. Grumpy. We have followed the story for awhile, and last gave you Mr. Grumpy's version. Here now, for the other side of the stream is Cynthia Ramseyer, Staff Commodore at HMBYC. Good times.

The record should be set straight regarding the recent rants about and threatened lawsuit against Half Moon Bay Yacht Club. The (ir)responsible party is one Michael Goldsun, also known as (aka) "Munchi Mike" or the Reverend Michael Goldsun, aka Michael Silver, in an earlier incarnation, and aka Fred Bloggs is the alias he hides behind in his attempt to muster support for a class-action lawsuit against HMBYC. The Reverend, as he refers to himself, holds the title of "Minister" of the Church of Divine Man in Berkeley, California. His ordination certificate and everything else you never wanted to know about this person can be seen on his website at www.maritimetradition.homestead.com. Rather than confront the party who offended him, or accept the fact that his workmanship on several projects he performed at HMBYC was extremely shoddy and had to be completely redone,
Goldsun has escalated an overheard conversation (by his wife) between three people in a private setting into an Internet-based vendetta. Mr. Goldsun holds the distinction of being the only member of HMBYC to be suspended from membership (his initiation fee and dues were refunded) because of his intractable verbal assaults and threats against individuals and the corporate leadership of HMBYC. His assertions are half-truths, misrepresentations, and lies. It is surprising that he should so desperately want to be compensated for "Fraud, Misrepresentation, Loss of Consortium, and Breach of Agreement" with a group he finds so repugnant and has in turn viciously maligned, libeled, slandered, and defamed in a very
public manner. HMBYC finds his actions not even remotely consistent with the Club's policy of "Members and guests shall at all times conduct themselves in a manner which shall not be offensive to other persons in the facility and consistent with generally accepted standards of conduct in public places."

Cynthia C. Ramseyer
Staff Commodore, HMBYC

 

 

DC On SA?

Can it be true? According to DC's main man Bill Trenkle it is. Granted we've been vocal critics of DC really from Day One around here, and we feel like most, if not all of it has been deserved. We've never doubted his ability, but much of his methodology and public behavior leaves us scratching our heads.

So we thought "what the hell", let's see if DC, despite our criticism might be big enough to step up to the plate and take some cuts at the junk we throw. According to Trenkle, DC said yes. Certainly we have plenty to ask, but I'll bet you do to. So go to the forum and post your questions for Conner. This promises to be the mother of all InnerViews, and really if this is done right, might be one of the most interesting things ever done in sailboat journalism. And you can be a part of it.

08/11/03

 

TP 52 Moves

Word is that Richard Breeden, who currently owns the R/P 77 Bright Star will be getting a TP52, from which design table we don't know. Bets are on R/P. We also hear that two Chesapeake owners have agreed to get Farr designed, Goetz built (most likely) TP52s. One owner is acting now, and the other will once he sells his current boat.

Great boats, a class with some monentum and a box rule that makes a hell of a lot more sense that the other handicap design rules, and it is little wonder that this class is taking off.

We've said all along that this is the perfect big boat. Glad to see those who can write the checks think so too.

8/11/03

 

Response

Tim Kent Talks Back

Yesterday we ran a short piece (see Shoulda Told Us, below) about the Open 50 Everest Horizontal's capsize. Skipper Tim Kent sent us this reply which can also be found in the forum. It is good and we appreciate the communication. The Ed.

I'd like to respond to the "Rumors and Lies" article on the capsize of EVEREST HORIZONTAL. When we were being towed into port in New Zealand, we struck a rock. I had the boat hauled at the first opportunity a few days later, and found a nice gouge in the bottom of the bulb. No other significant damage was visible. However, I was heading into the longest leg of Around Alone - the one where I would be farthest from help - so I sought as much help as possible. I contacted the designer, who felt there was no need for concern. My boat captain - a highly experienced boat builder and preparer - agreed, as did other boat prep people from other programs. Indeed, the bulb hung on for some 14,000 miles of sometimes violent sailing before it failed.

Why did it let go? Hard to say until we get the keel off and take a hard look. But I doubt that the grounding in NZ was the proximate cause. Ask anyone associated with my program; the number one watchword at EH was "safety first". I had the boat out of the water and was ready - and financially able - to put it on stands and apply a fix if we had felt it necessary.

More rumors put to bed.

 

Shoulda Told Us

When Tim Kent's Everest Horizontal lost it's bulb and flipped in the Bermuda 1-2, many were glad to hear that Tim and crew Rick McKenna were rescued and ultimately the boat was found. It is disturbing however, to hear that the boat suffered keel damage before the incident when it was learned the boat was run aground hard in NZ, and that's what apparently weakened the bolts that retain the lead bulb. We hear they hit a rock fairly hard, it put a good sized dent in the bulb, and there was some movement at the joint.

But the story also goes that they didn't have the time or money to fix it, reckoned it was sound for the race and off they went. Or make that over they went.

It raises a number of questions. How much actual damage was there? Who inspected it, and was there anybody besides Tim who gave it the green light? Comments?

 

Bad Moon Rising?

Admittedly we get lots of stuff here, and while we usually endeavor to check it out, sometimes we don't. The reasons vary - drunk, lazy, indifferent, drunk, uncaring, grumpy or drunk. We got this and don't know what to make of it, nor did we bother to research it (drunk), but it is bizarre. The YC mentioned is up in NoCal here in Cali. Its a strange, but potentially interesting little blurb, and while we do have emails out to a few people connected with this, if anybody knows what this is really all about, let us know. The Ed.

To any and all; ex and current members of the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club, who have left due to mistreatment, or are contemplating leaving due to mistreatment, please respond with the intent of providing details to this spokesman in the interest of a class action lawsuit which is being prepared by several ex- members; for the purpose of rectifying and vindicating unfair and improper behaviour at the HMBYC. Punitive damages are being sought in the cause of Fraud, Misrepresentation, Loss of Consortium, and Breach of Agreement by the HMBYC towards members who have joined under the outlined tenets and bylaws of the club as described on their website

07/21/03

As an update, we understand that this nonsense is being brought on by just one disgruntled member (and his wife). The story goes that Mr. Grumpy's wife overheard a member criticize his handywork around the Clubhouse as "half-assed" for which he wanted that member and his wife expelled. Can you imagine? It's too bad beatings aren't legal.

07/22/02

Apparently Mr. Grumpy became so obnoxious and rude over this alleged dis, that the HMBYC Board of Directors unanimously voted to indefinitely suspend his membership, hence his squawking about a lawsuit. It's amazing how people can even make something that should be fun, like a yacht club, not fun and then sue over how not fun it is.

07/23/03

 

BMW Going Big?

While watching F1 qualifying from the French Grand Prix, a couple of times there was a shot of the BMW-Williams garage, and standing slightly behind Ralf Schumacher and Patrick Head was a guy in a baseball cap who looked very much like G-Class supremo Bruno Peyron. He has yet to reveal who's paying the bills for his new 120' Cat under construction at Multiplast, although he has told the press that he has signed up his main Sponsor. When they announced their partnership with Oracle during the AC, didn't BMW mention something about getting into other forms of sailing? Might this be an excellent place to do so? Anybody know the story?

07/21/03

 

New US-Built T Boat

Steve Thompson, principal of T Boats in New Zealand informs us that Jim Betts (Sierra 26, America True) will build the first of the new T1150's (An updated 38' development of the wicked fast T35).
Betts will actually begin construction today, with about a 4 month build program. The boat is to be all carbon and is being built for a Frisco client for sailing in the Bay, coastal, and probably a Transpac.
Steve tells us that they have spent a lot of time on the design optimization to ensure it is the very best 38 footer around, and if it continues in the 35 vein, indeed it will.
Jim will be setting up molds to build any more of these boats for the US. Retail should be around US$220,000 for the complete boat less sails and instruments.

07/14/03

 

She's Not Out

According to Scott Shwarts, Partner with Dawn Riley Ventures, Dawn is indeed not out at K-Yachting. Her role there remains the same and her absence at the meeting was little more than a scheduling conflict her with duties as President of the Women's Sports Foundation. We hear lots of stuff, and there is almost always something to them. We like what Dawn is all about, and For her sake, we hope there isn't to this.

6/30/03

 

Dawn Out?

Rumor control has Dawn Riley getting the boot from the K-Yachting AC Team. Apparently they had a press conference in France last week announcing the key team members and she wasn't there. There is some spin about a lack of funding, and while that may be true, it wouldn't mean that they would be shedding people, unless there were other reasons.

Dawn is bright and certainly experienced, but one has to wonder if she didn't find herself being odd woman out at a team with a decidedly different culture. More as we get it.

Uh......

 

Transpac Bummer

The classic and NoCal favorite Starbuck, the 1968 Van De Stadt Black Soo 31, has withdrawn from the upcoming TP. Owner Greg Nelson was going to sail it doublehanded with crew Allen Barth but had a very difficult time with race officials, first with insurance problems (The TP committee went back and forth on the insurance requirement eventually waiving it), and then had an amazingly difficult time getting the boat measured. It actually never happened, and the worry over the ultimate "legality" of a provisional rating left Greg feeling unhappy about the whole thing, so he pulled the plug. It sounds like a giant cluster fuck, and hopefully we can get the entire story to you.

Btw, I'll have our complete Transpac predictions up tomorrow. It's classic Anarchy.

 

Transpac Update

Last week we ran a piece from a reader complaining about measurement problems up North (see NoCal NoGo below). Brad Avery, Commodore of the TPYC was nice enough to send in this clarification.

Regarding the inspection of Illusion for this year's Transpac, readers should know that Transpac's chief inspector, Roby Bessent, appointed Dan Sinclair of Vancouver and Skip Allen of San Francisco as Transpac Inspectors after he realized how many entries were coming in from those areas. Besides Illusion, Skip inspected two other Cal 40's from the Bay
area. So Illusion is officially inspected. Transpac does not have a policy regarding inspectors inspecting boats that they are sailing on.But it should, to protect itself and great volunteers like Skip from any perception of conflict. Since the issue has been raised, Roby Bessent will re-inspect Illusion for Transpac 2003
.
Brad Avery, Commodore TPYC

6/20/03

 

Farr Break-In

This one looked like a beauty: A couple weeks back, the design offices of Bruce Farr had been broken into, and at first it was thought to be an inside job. Can you imagine the stories from that? Bowler selling secrets? Stagg turncoat?

Ah, but no such intrigue. Apparently, three companies in the area were broken into, one of which included Farr's. Only credit cards were stolen, and later that day they were used at a Royal Farm store (7-Eleven) to buy chicken and cigarettes.
Apparently the idiot went to the only Royal Farm that has video tape surveillance!

The suspect lives 100 yards from the Farr office, and is the local guy that mows people's lawns. He's had a number of run ins with the law already, and the best part of the story? His name is Scooter!

6/16/03

Balls-Up

We get the inside story that Alchemy, the new Andrews 77, was raced in the April Newport to Ensenada race without the Navetec hydraulic package that lifts the keel working. (This is a lifting, not canting keel, for draft considerations in certain harbors). The Navtec designed unit apparently has not worked from the get go or we should say it works and it doesn't work. The boat was shipped a week late to Michigan so Navtec could work on the unit. When the boat shipped they thought things were working. When it arrived.....no go.....it is not working. The boat is at Eldeans yard ready to be launched but with no hydraulics to lower the keel well lets just say the boat will be a little tippy. On top of that a measurer was flown out to measure the boat. Someone had to pay for him to get there and the boat is unmeasurable because they cannot launch it. Our source says that Navtec has washed their hands and will not fly someone out to find out why their unit is still not working. Say this isn't so, Navtec.

Needless to say if there any good hydraulic mechanics out in Holland Michigan, I bet the Alchemy boys would be glad to see you. Just get to the Eldean yard; their first race starts next Friday.

 

Star of Stars?

Well at the very least likely the richest of Stars, the word is that Philippe Kahn has apparently sent one of his guys to San Diego to buy 3 Star boats. We knew that Mark Reynolds has tried to get him into the boats a few years ago, and it looks like it has happened. One would have to think that Reynolds will be very involved (and no doubt well-compensated) in Kahn's long climb up the steep learning curve of the Star.

On the one hand it's easy to be annoyed with Kahn's money buying him the best of everything, including sailors, but the reality is that its impressive the way he has gotten into the sport and continues to make serious efforts to learn and get better. Really, is there one of us who wouldn't do almost exactly what he is doing? A 77' R/P turbo sled? An Andrews 56 "cruising" boat? Sailing Melges 24's against your kid? Learning Star boats under the tutelage of Mark Reynolds? Please!

 

NoCal NoGo?

We get lots of stuff from lots of people. Some of it good, some of it BS. We received this the other day, and while it might fall into the later category, I'll let you and perhaps the parties mentioned decide.

Seems everyone from NoCal (the Frisco area) that is going Transpac has to go down early for safety inspection in L A - the safety committee apparently does not have representatives in NoCal

Everyone that is except Stan Honey and his Cal 40.

Seems Stan has already been inspected by Skip Allen. When called, Skip refused to inspect any other boats.

It seems that Skip is also a member of Stan's crew and is going with him to Hawaii.

Not only does this wreak of cronyism, it is a down right conflict of interest.

Comments, anyone?

 

Carroll Marine is History

It seems the inevitable has occurred: Sources confirm that Carroll Marine is going out of business. We don't know the specifics, but it would appear that effective now, they have or certainly are about to shut their doors permanently. Again we don't know much beyond that, although there are rumors of an unnamed powerboat builder buying them out, and also that their building has been sold, and the doors were simply shut. Numerous calls to Barry Carroll were not returned. We understand that at least some of their current production boats, i.e. the Farr 36, 395 and 40 will be built elsewhere, with DK yachts being the most likely source.

It is most unfortunate that this has happened. A major U.S. performance boat builder is out of business, a lot of people are out of work, and the ultimate impact on the industry is certainly negative for the short term, and could have significant long term implications. We'll get you more as we hear it.

6/8/03

 

Douche. Again.

A push from the left and a shove from the right- Circle Jerks

Someone got pushed in the water by a certain world famous designer, and amazingly, that someone wasn't me. Apparently much fun was had by all at a Lehman 12 regatta here in Dago at the end of May. The story goes that one skipper, Chris Nesbit, had just shoved his crew in the water for no apparent reason whatsoever except for being the high strung young buck that he is. Several people on the dock were explaining that you just don't do that sort of thing in a civilized sport like Lehman sailing. Suddenly, the designer in question, who goes by the name of Bruce Nelson, walked over and dispensed his own brand of justice.

The word is that Nesbit wasn't much bothered by it; he just swam around for a while, got in his boat and went out for the next race with his crew who, amazingly, didn't seem to hold it against him. It all sounds very entertaining. And even though by all accounts, this was all “sort of” fun, I swear to christ I will never understand how shoving people in the water is okay. I just don’t fucking get it. Good times.

06/03/2003

 

 

Somebody's Interpretation...

...of future sail technology. We have heard that this genoa is very much what sails from an unnamed loft will soon look like. The sailmaker, one of the lone remaining international players without some sort of directional fiber technology, is banking on what appears to be a combination of Genesis and Tape Drive as their version of high tech (and perhaps low cost). Since there are merits to both, it might work. On the other hand........
Stay tuned.

05/27/2003

 

 

 

 

 

They Have It; You Don't

Let's say a TP 52 is put up for sale, but doesn't sell right away. Then let's say that 52 owner then decides to put a canting keel on the boat. Oh sure, it screws the pooch for it being a TP 52, but it should make for a pretty fun and interesting development as well, right? Seems that's not all it'll do. It turns out that if and when the boat ends up getting donated, it will have a much higher value as a custom canting keel 52 than a standard TP 52. Bigger write off, better tax break, more money to the owner in the end. See, that's why they have it (money, that is) and you don't.

05/22/2003

 

 

Z-Quest?

We hear that the DeVos family (The principals behind the 1D 48 and 35 production efforts, and owners of a number of Windquests, notably the R/P 70), is about to become the new owner of the R/P 86 Zephyrus 5. It is known that Bob McNeil, current owner of Z5, has wanted to join the 86' canting keel sect that now includes Roy Disney and Hasso Plattner, and moving Z5 clears the way. Man, to be rich and, well, rich.

 

 

That's Gonna Leave A Mark

So Cal sailor Steve Brown's 1975 vintage Chance Offshore One "Fat Chance" was a total loss after hitting the beach off of Crystal Cove here in So Cal between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.
The hired delivery skipper reportedly fell asleep with the auto pilot on and ended up four n/m off Newport Beach. The boat was being brought back from the Ensenada Race and SDYC Yachting Cup. Fat Chance was second in class in class C for the LAYC Whitney Series this year. A bummer for sure, but Steve is rumored to continue to kick it old school as he is looking for a Erickson 46 as his next project.

5/7/03

 

CBTF

We recently got an email from Matt Brown, designer of the Schock 40 and the new Performance 49 regarding his designs and the CBTF technology. Matt said it better than we could, so rather than rewrite it, we'll just post it. -Ed

Hello Scot,

Thank you for the great InnerView, I'll keep you advised as to the progress of Cita's project. I'm afraid I must make an amendment to the article as concerns DynaYacht Inc. and their rights to the proprietary Canting Ballast / Twin Foil (CBTF) appendage design. After seeing your article DynaYacht informed me that my rotating dagger board infringed the CBTF patent. Upon further consideration, I agree with them. We have worked out a licensing agreement for the Performance 49, and other boats, which eliminates any patent infringement issues.

Thank you for your attention to this matter as I would not like to see any of your readers get into legal problems thinking a gybeing dagger board combined with canting ballast and aft foil is outside of DynaYachts's patent protection. It is great that DynaYacht is working so hard to make CBTF available to designers of all types of boats. They can be reached at www.dynayacht.com and I can be reached at mnnbrown@aol.com.

Best,

Matt Brown

 

 

Sinergia Goes Farr

The Spanish boat-builder Sinergia Composites, who have had great IMS sucess with their production built Botin & Carkeek designed Sinergia 40's, have made the decision to go to Farr for their new 42' production effort for the fairly active IMS 600 class. The 40 will be dropped at season's end, and there are apprently already orders for the new F42. There were rumors of certain levels of unhappiness with B&C's support at Sinergia and hence the change.

 

 

Grand Prix Rule

I know that a lot of you simply don't care about what happens with big boat Grand Prix handicap racing, but I do. I also think that it is valuable to the well being of the sport from a number of perspectives.At any rate, US Sailing has put together a survey that some of you may be interesting in participating. Click here to check it out. Okay I've talked about US Sailing for the first time ever here. Let us never speak of it again.

4/25/03

 

 

First West Coast Farr 36

We hear that a So Cal resident is about to step up to be the first Farr 36 owner on the West Coast. Granted, this hardly represents a mass of orders, but they have to start somewhere, right? The fear of course is that the timing, pricing and climate for this boat may not be favorable to rapid and early big sales. While there is little doubt that they are fast and very cool, one has to wonder if the project can really generate some momentum. This will be of interest to watch, and we'll get a ride on this So Cal boat when it gets out here.

4/25/03

 

 

Grant Dalton to Lead TNZ!

One of my very best sources has just confirmed that Grant Dalton has in fact been given the baton by the TNZ Trustees, and an announcement that he will lead the 2007 team will be forthcoming shortly. This of course is exactly the kind of news that TNZ needs: A strong respected leader with an impeccable cv to help guide them back to where they want to be. Stay tuned for the official announcement and remember, you heard it here first!

04/20/2003

 

 

The Fat Man Speaketh

We reported that DC was to give a talk here in Dago, and talk he did. (Actually DC is not so fat anymore - he apparently has dropped a few pounds). The talk was much as advertised here: It was everybody else's fault, they all had sooo much money, and although he had enough, he didn't know that he was going to have enough until it was too late. He pretty much made a snide comment about everyone over the 20 minutes or so that he talked. Apparently, It was actually quite amusing. Kinda like the Iraqi Minister of Information.

He made one comment about R/P, and then Jim Pugh went and stood right in front of the man! No more bad RP comments. Doug Peterson was there as well. A couple of times DC asked Doug and Jimmy if he agreed with him, and they both said "NO." DC said Kenny had forgotten how to sail.

As for USA 77, he said the boat was slow, the hull was good, but appendages needed work. They didn't know how slow the boat was, because couldn't sail against other AC boats when they got to NZ, for fear of losing the second boat. He also confirmed that 77 was really fucked when it sank. Bow section, almost back to the mast was completely crushed, and that no one knew how bad it really was.

He thought One World probably the fastest boat, then said, "but we think they cheated". DC accused the Swiss of taking all NZ secrets, and implied that Russell had the deal set with Ernesto before the last race in 2000, and that's why he gave the helm to Dean Barker. He picked a successor that he knew he could beat. Said Russ was the greatest, and seemed sincere [really!]. Also some comments about secret signs between TNZ and Race Committee, to get races postponed etc.

DC promised he would be there next time, but needed to fund raise in Europe, as according to him, there are no more American dollars left. he also added if he knew where it was going to be, he would be buying real estate there. No comment about which Yacht Club, or team members he would have. Didn't answer the questions. Right at the beginning he said that he didn't want to read about any of his comments in Sailing Anarchy, and would deny all.

Oh well! As the Circle Jerks once sang, "Deny Everything!"

4/18/03

 

 

Doyle - UK Merger Off!

Well, as we said below (see Ultra = D4?) we looked, and this is what we found: We now hear that there was an e-mail sent to the lofts in both groups stating that the deal was off and this time it was final, there will be NO merger of the groups.

The thinking is that Butch and Robbie could not put egos aside, and neither could decide who was going to step back a little and whose group would step up a little.

There are apparently a few of the UK lofts and areas that Doyle is looking at converting over, so do not be surprised if some of that happens, but it if so, it will not be part of any official merger.

As for D4 and Ultra, both sides claim they are nothing like one another. We're told that Ultra is more like an inverted 3dl. The story goes that Butch rented one of the annex's at the Doyle loft and was building the first Ultra sails for J-24 as test sails. (This would explain why the thinking was that Ultra uses D4 technology). They had built a table that was big enough that they could cut a J-24 genoa out of the middle of it. They then built the first layer, shaped to the shape that they wanted and then "hung" it through the table. Then they applied the threads, then the second layer of mylar. They used gravity as the mold. It is our understanding that this is what is still happening on the Ultra sails.

The Ultra sails look interesting in the photos we've seen, and we know that people who have Doyle D4 sails swear by them. Could be a good time for a SA review of each.

4/17/03

 

Ultra = D4?

With the rumors still swirling (albeit at a slower pace) about an impending merger between Uk and Doyle Sailmakers, the other bit of speculation centers on sailcloth. Word is that the new UK Ultra sails are made from Doyle D4 sail material. The sails have a some similarities and the thinking is that the D4 technology generates the fabric for both. More signs pointing to an ultimate marriage? We're looking............

4/16/03

 

 

DK Comparo

Last week we gave you an update on the status of Carroll Marine (see below) As an interesting comparison, while Carroll is down to 25-some employees, DK Yachts in Malaysia, the other builder of Farr yachts, just hired more people and have something like 300 employees working there (while they are obviously less productive per worker, its still impressive). A potential customer called DK to order a Mumm 30 last week and got offered a SEPTEMBER build slot.

It's not all good however, we understand there are more delays with the new Juan K designed 115' for Frank Pong, this time for last minute design changes. Pong, btw, is thought to be the buyer for Roy Disney's R/P 75 Pyewaket. Add that to his 115', a Farr 40, and the old Mandrake (50'). He was having an 80 plus footer built there too but that may be off the table with the Pyewacket acquisition. Geez, what economic downturn?.

 

 

Pyewacket Sold

We originally thought that it was the new MaxZ86 Pyewacket which had been sold, but we now have it that it is the current 77' Pyewacket that is now sold. The new owner is from Hong Kong and already has a 100' plus and a new 90' under way. Something went wrong with the 90', and he apparently wanted a boat asap, so he made an offer to Disney that Roy couldn't refuse. Probably a good jumping off point for the old boat anyway.

The deal is that Disney gets to do one final race with it (that would be TransPac this summer) and then off it goes.

So it looks like the MaxZ86 class has some stability (for now). It will be interesting to see what other owners and designers jump into the ring.

 

 

Carroll Marine

There have been some rumors floating about Carroll Marine going out of business. I just got off the phone with Barry, and as he said, "the rumors of our death are greatly exaggerated."

Clearly the current economic and political situations are taking their toll on the industry, and boat building is truly on the front line. Barry is in the process of reducing his current work force of 47 to about half. "Current orders are bad, said Carroll. "Business is the worst I've seen in 19 years."

They are just finishing up the new R/P 75 Titan (due to ship Monday), are building 6 Farr 36's, and a 395. "We're building boats, the doors are open, and we will do everything in our power to continue so. We'll get through this."

Let's hope so. It would not bode well for this industry if a company like Carroll Marine was forced to close its doors.

4/3/03

 

 

Pod Gets The Flick!

In what is hopefully the first of a number of kicks in the ass, John Podmajerky has been booted out of the Chicago Yacht Club for his very un-Corinthian and completely ridiculous lawsuits against the club (and one of his crew) for not getting his name on a Chi-Mac race trophy. Pod's pissy behavior resulted in the CYC stations committee to vote unanimously Tuesday night to kick Pod out of the club. This recommendation needs a majority board approval (next meeting on Tuesday 4/15), which it should get barring any recommendation from the lawyers. But as you know any time lawyers involved, all bets are off.

There is no news on the rule 69 hearing from Wednesday yet, which the club filed against Pod for his nonsense. They're still in deliberation, but are hoping to have a public decision in the next couple of days. I think it is fair to say that most of us would like to see this one go against him too.

4/2/03

 

 

Italy Gets The AC!

Well, not exactly but we wanted to get your attention. We hear from our Italian source that Naples will host an AC regatta in August of this year. The dates are 29-30-31, and the format will be fleet races swapping boats between teams. Now that will be interesting! Teams confirmed so far include: Mascalzone, bravo Espana and good ol' DC, but waiting for confirmation from Alinghi, France, Uk and TNZ. On Mascalzone news on the crew: Paolo Cian left the team, Flavio Favini will steer, Vasco Vascotto Tactician (J-24 world champ in 1999 and Mumm 30 world champ in 2001). If this was a straight regatta without switching boats, I'm not sure why a team like Alinghi would or wouldn't show up, but if I was TNZ, I'd be there. I imagine there is a very strong feeling that they've got something to prove, and an AC regatta, no matter how small, would be a good place to start. But what top team is going to agree to switch boats? I see that part of the format changing if they hope to get the Big Playas.

 

 

AC F1, II

Last week, we adressed a couple of interesting current and former F1 teams looking at the posibility of an America's Cup campaign (see below). We received some information about McLaren, clearly one of the most sophisticated and advanced teams in the history of the sport:

With regard to McLaren involvement in the AC, - a couple of years back when Bobby Rahal was running the Jaguar F1 outfit, he almost lured his old friend and McLaren Technical Boss Adrian Newey away to join the Jaguar outfit. Word was that Newey was bored with life at McLaren and needed a new challenge. When Jaguar duly announced that Newey was to join them, McLaren issued a denial, legal writs were threatened by all sides and it got very messy.

The upshot was that Newey stayed at McLaren, but Ron Dennis promised him involvement in the design of an Americas Cup boat (which is another area of interest for Newey, whose prinicpal design skills are in aero and CFD), probably for AC32. At the time everyone assumed it was likely to be for TNZ, - as they both share SAP as a major sponsor (also it would be appropriate as McLaren was founded by a Kiwi). - And with the re-writing of the nationality rules, he could work for TNZ without having to leave the McLaren organisation and move to the other side of the world, so it is a possibility if TNZ holds together.

 

 

The F-1-ization of The AC?

Reading F-1 magazine, one finds that Ron Dennis, the principal of the McLaren Formula One team, would like to get involved in the America's Cup. Now there is some serious money and organization.

Then one hears that Benetton, who for years had their own F-1 team and one that Michael Schumacher won two World Championships with, might be interested in sposoring an Italian AC effort. Benetton got something like $100 million when they sold the team to Renault, so they have a little extra spending money. Now the question is, what team? Mascalzone Latino, or a new one? This will be fun to follow....

 

Dos Eyetalyons

I know this America's Cup stuff never seems to go away, but when there's info, we like to dish it. Word is that Vincenzo Onorato and his Mascalzone Latino Team will definitely be back for 2007. He apparently had a tremendous time, knew they were behind and or late in nearly every department, and the feeling is that with his not inconsiderable wealth combined with enough time to secure some substantial sponsorship, that they will give it a much better go for the next AC. Whatever, they're going to need more that lots of money to have half a chance at even respectability.

 

Speaking of Dagos…

We now have it that the rumor of the Cayard-led (as of now unannounced) Italian team, as mentioned here at SA, has some legs to it. There is talk of verbal offers/contracts having been offered to members of various teams in New Zealand. The only surprise is going to be who the rich Guido is behind it all. It's gotta be Gucci! I can hear it now: The theme song will be Schooly D's Gucci Time. Sing along, everybody: "Lookin' at my Gucci, look-look-lookin' at my Gucci, and it's about that time." Aw yeeah.

 

 

New AC Team?

With the assured demise of the Prada AC program (which, except for those who were getting fat sucking on the teats of all that handbag money, most are glad to see gone), one hears of a new Italian effort in the works. This headed by one curly haired Yank of some talent with a bad, 70's porn movie moustache. This one is a bit hard to get a handle on, but our souce indicates that it has some legs to it. We'll keep our ear to the pasta grinder.

 

 

DCiwi?

It just doesn't sound right, does it? We've heard from different sources (even Scuttlebutt made noises about it) that DC is making a big fuss in New Zealand about how he might move there and get involved with TNZ. In fact, DCiwi has been seen going in and out of Team New Zealand Base in Auckland in recent days.

This strikes us as being a bit odd - for starters, it pretty much shoots down his incessant "Go USA" mantra, doesn't it? What's funny is that he's been squawking about how bad the TNZ effort was, and how come no one's been "held responsible". This from a guy who hasn't put together a program even close to capable of winning in how many years? We've heard some funny comments, but this is a pretty good one: Talk about a match made in heaven.....technical and sailing input for a Team that very nearly sank it's boat from a man who did.

It's bad enough the Kiwis sullied their national pride by foolishly putting a French man on for the AC (a move btw, that had zero, if not a negative impact on their program), now add DC to the mix? Please.

 

PJ BK

We have heard that venerable Palmer Johnson Inc. has filed to secure protection from its creditors under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act.

According to Palmer Johnson president and CEO Phil Friedman, this action on the part of Palmer Johnson Inc. was necessitated by the fact that three creditors filed last Thursday a petition to force the company into an involuntary Chapter VII liquidation.

Chapter 11 will allow them to try to salvage the company and keep the remaining 220 employees working. We don't know all the details, but it is a sad chapter of a once mighty boatbuilder.

What is odd is that just last month PJ had signed an agreement to buy Intermarine, the company of former WorldCom chief executive Bernie Ebbers. Probably best not to get near the stink of WorldCom.

 

Columbia 30 Update

We spoke with Vince Valdes from the newly reformed Columbia Yachts to get an update on the progress of the new 30. They are currently building the plug, and should get to the molds in a few weeks. They are anticipating having the first boat complete in time for the Annapolis Boat Show in the Fall.

They are still on target to get this boat delivered to customers with a Carbon rig for the low $60's. To our way of thinking, that is a fantastic price point, and if the boat is well turned out, we think they will sell a bunch of these. I think the market will be very receptive to a 30' performance sport boat that has actual accommodations, especially at that price. We'll keep you posted on further progress.

 

 

J No Mo'

We suppose it comes as no surprise, but we couldn't help but notice that the J-125 and J-90 are no longer listed in J-Boats' current production lineup. As interesting as each boat was, they were commercial flops. A bad combination of being too expensive and not quite fast enough pretty much sealed their fate. It is unfortunate when the market flocks to inferior performing boats, like the 120 and the 105, and turns its nose up at the 125 and 90. We know that there are perfectly justifiable reasons why that is, but that doesn't mean that we have to like them.

Perhaps even more disturbing is that virtually every J-Boat introduced since has been as much (in most cases, more) cruiser than racer. It makes one wonder: Will J ever make a concerted effort to build a reasonably priced race boat again?

 

Even Match?

Speaking of match racing, we hear from a source that someone in Annapolis is in the process of forming a Match Racing Academy to start sharpening up young sailors. Apparently the boat that has been selected is the J80. We don't know much more than that, but it sounds like an interesting idea, especially given the near continual ass-whupping that is laid on us Yanks by the Kiwis in match racing. Match racing is certainly a different and less common form of the sport, but if the US wants to have a presence, not to mention success, outside of the tired group that seems to always represent and get their asses kicked, something needs to be done. If anybody has any more info, let us know.

 

 

Grounded

Most of you know that Tom Schock's own Schock 40 recently had it's keel fall off. We've been wondering about what might have caused it, and Matt Brown, one of the originators of the CBTF technology, gave us the following update. This is actually an excerpt from the InnerView that we just did with Matt. Look for the complete version in the next couple of days.-Ed

The word from the testing company is that the welded joint of the ballast strut had a crack in it for a long period of time. Since the weld was tested before the part went into the boat, it is assumed that the crack occurred during one, or more, of three grounding incidences that the boat experienced. I witnessed one of these, the boat was going about 8 kts. when it hit the rocks on the south side of the channel to LBYC bringing the boat to an abrupt stop. These cracks significantly weakened the strut and the part failed when Tom was sailing off Huntington Beach. To make sure this doesn’t happen again, I have developed an inspection process to test that area of the keel on all the existing boats. The Green hornet is built to the same design and it has been sailed hard since 1996 without a problem so it does not appear to be a design or construction problem.

 

Breaking News?

We have from a very good source that NZL 82 (yes NZL82 in addition to the known damage to NZL 81) suffered serious structural damage during it's last race and had to ease off completely on the run home to stop the structure mid ships from cracking. Might this explain their lack of action on this leg?

Word is that Cookson have had (under the cover of darkness) 35 people working around the clock to put NZL 82 right for race 3. Word is when everything was tensioned up at 2am before the race, something gave again, and further work was needed.

We now now that nothing broke in race 3, so the boat seems fine. It remains to be seen if the same can be said for the team.

 

Merging

The rumor that started on our forum pages about the possibility of a merger between UK and Doyle seems to have some weight behind it. One of our sources, who is not part of either sailmaker, said he had heard that there had been some high-level meetings between Butch Ulmer and Robbie Doyle on this subject in the past, but hears that things might be heating up fairly soon. In fact one source says it is a go.

With sailmaking consolidation having cooled off, this one makes for some interesting thought. Does it give them too many overlapping products, like D4 and Ultra? Does it make them stronger or blur two companies fighting for market share and position? Would it matter to any of you thinking about sails that these two merge? We'll get you more info as we get it.

02/12/2003

 

Amore!

This from our gal down under, Laurie Fullerton:

BTW, on the press boat today, this lovely Italian woman who is in television in Italy found out I am writing for you and said..."we LOVE it in Italy! We all read it. Tell him that we LOVE him! (said with an Italian accent, capiche??). Hey somebody in the media loves us besides ourselves? And an Italian babe, no less.

2/6/03

 

 

 

......Speaking of Sinking

We get some pretty good info here and most of it is fairly reliable (with a, ahem, certain Schock 40 keel article excepted). While this one was hard to verify, we did get some input from a very credible source that the story had some truth to it. At the very least it does provide interesting consideration for "What if." - Ed

It seems that according to a member of the Stars & Stripes afterguard, after they got down to NZ, he ran into some of the TNZ boys at a bar and got to talking about the sinking of 77. Apparently when TNZ was out testing their first boat, in deep water, they had the rudder and steering system rip out of the boat just like 77. The only reason the boat didn’t sink was a crew member grabbed a bucket floating inside, dove over with it, and jammed it into the hole from the outside. Luckily the bucket fit well enough to stop the flow. They were able to pump out and tow in. This allegedly happened a year earlier than 77's sinking. Imagine the impact on TNZ’s program and budget if they had lost that boat. If true, too bad they didn’t share this with the rest of the sailing world. Although it is easy to see why they would not.

 

 

My Bad

I recently made the mistake of running a letter from a claimed engineer who questioned the methods and materials used in constructing the Schock 40 keel. It appears that the letter contained a number of inaccuracies that I did not research. I have pulled the letter and wish to offer the following:

My apologies to the Schock Corporation. I understand this is a difficult time, and did not mean to cause any harm by printing it. The piece has been discredited, and my apologies for printing it. I appreciate the difficulty in producing such a complex boat, and hope we can better serve you in that endeavor.

A thanks to all of you who were quick to call bullshit on the letter and on me for printing it. I did not perform due diligence, and for that I truly made an error in judgment.

While we do like to stir it up here, we do not go with things that we know are false. The letter on first glance seemed to offer valid criticism. First glance is not enough for an editor, and I should have known that.

Again, apologies are offered to all concerned.

 

Actual child's letter hanging in a pre-school. Courtesy of chief rabble-rouser, Sportscar. 01/27/2003

 

 

Hors des ombres?

This from a source down under - Ed

Alinghi has been slammed with a NZ $10,000 dollar fine for shadowing Team NZ today by the NZ Police. This follows after a meeting between the NZ Police, Alinghi & TNZ (Monday) where the Police apparently read the riot act about breeching the agreement on "Shadowing".

Alinghi issued a statement apologizing, saying it was a result of 2 contractors trying to find another Alinghi chase boat......(yeh & Bill never had relations with the woman in the blue dress right?) TNZ was quoted as saying "Alinghi got themselves into this mess, they can get out of it".

Though not as bad as 2000 when a TNZ chase boat rammed Al Gwyer (Nippon) for getting too close, seems the tactics are heading the same way.

Also revealed here today was a letter from Russell Coutts berating Ross Halcrow (Sailed for Young America with Ed Baird) for his defection from TNZ and stating that he, (Coutts) took this very personally & that his relationship with Ross would never be the same again. Of course we know that later Coutts signed for a reported US$10 million to Alinghi......

As the French would say "Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose."

1/23/03

 

 

What Happened to Dave?

Dave Ullman, that is. He was never really visible to most of us, but he was most certainly a fairly prominant member of the Oracle team. Spending the better part of two years with them, primarily in a coaching and consulting position, we heard that Ullman was back in Newport Beach weeks ago. Weeks ago? Before the Finals? Dave would be one guy I think I'd like to have around during such a critical time.

Rumor has it that he was one of the (many?) who did not like Dickson steering, and apparently his opinion was not much appreciated by either Ellison and probably Dickson. Whether he left on his own or was asked to leave, the result is that Ullman was home well before he should have been. Was this part of the demise of a team that clearly was not nearly as together in the critical final round as they should have been?

We'll ask Dave if he can do an Innerview with us and give us his perspective on his experience with Oracle and the AC.

1/22/03

 

 

How 'Bout a Little 69, Buddy?

The next chapter of the Podmajersky story has just opened, and it is sure to put a smile on a whole bunch of faces. We understand that Chicago-Mackinac Judges have filed a Rule 69 violation against Pod. Apparently he was notified earlier this week. Now this thing gets interesting! It's great to see the organizers call bullshit and throw a little of the shit Pod has created right back in his face. This is gonna get good. Stay tuned

 

A Letter From Tom Schock

Your facts are correct. SchockaZulu lost its center strut, capsized, and turned turtle a few days before Christmas. We were a couple of miles offshore at the Newport River Jetty, demonstrating the boat for a potential buyer. We were going to windward at about 7 1/4 knots in about 8 knots of true wind and southerly seas, having a terrific sail. We had just taken the transom of John Marshman's Peterson 40 when we heard a loud clunk. The boat turned on its side and continued a slow turn until it was completely upside down. Four of us landed in the water. The other three crew members walked across the topside as the boat turned. They didn't even get their feet wet. The crew on the Peterson helped our guys out of the water, dried everyone off, provided dry clothing, and stood by until we got things under control. Our hats off to John and his crew!

It appears that the weld that holds the strut to the torque shaft failed. The torque shaft, which runs on the centerline of the boat, and the strut are 17-4 stainless steel that is heat-treated to 135,000 PSI. This is the same design used on Green Hornet and is identical in size, design, and material to that in Red Hornet. Neither boat has ever experienced a problem.

SchockaZulu turned over at about 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. One of the problems facing us was that we were in about 70 feet of water drifting toward shore, and a big storm was predicted to hit later that night. The decision was made to try to get the boat upright and headed into the harbor before the storm came in.

Two great guys from Vessel Assist arrived at about 5:30. We weren't able to right the boat but did get it floating comfortably on its side by about 10:30 p.m. We towed the boat, on its side with the mast up and sails still flogging, at about a knot and a half. We took the boat clear up to Schock Boats, barely making it through a couple of really narrow spots, but accomplishing the feat without a scratch.

At 4 a.m. Sunday morning, we tied SchockaZulu up to the dock just as it started to rain. By 11 a.m. the boat was upright and ready to have the mast taken out. Aside from the lobster pots, kelp, shrimp, and a billion bits of Styrofoam, the boat was in amazingly good condition. We untangled the debris, pumped her out, and had her ready to haul out at about 5 p.m. The storm delayed the haul out until the following Friday, but she is now at our factory waiting for new instruments and a new center strut.

The torque shaft will be analyzed by a metallurgist to determine the cause of the failure. And we hope to get the boat back into the water by the end of February, ready for another great racing season. The good new is . . . the buyer said he would be back to finish the demo. He wants a chance to go downwind.

All I can say is, Dennis, you're still ahead of me. Yours sunk.

Tom Schock

Schock 40 Follow-Up

We told you last week about the canting keel falling off Tom Schock's Schock 40. (see Rumors and Lies). We also sent Tom an e-mail asking him to shed a little light on the incident. Here's a nice reply

Dear Scot:

Thanks for the note - yes we saw your story. We were stunned about the incident, and we are certainly not happy to read about it, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened. We had a weld failure that should have never happened. We have recognized the problem, have made steps to correct it, and feel confident that Schock 40's will be better than ever. I would like to talk to you a bit further to help you and your readers understand what happened.

Tom Schock

That would have been a good reply. Except it never happened.

You'll notice I said "a nice reply", not "the reply". That's because there wasn't one. It has been a week since we ran the story and sent them an e-mail, and there has not been one word from them. Not one. Now, I don't know about you, but if I am a boat builder with the last name of Schock, and the fucking keel falls off my personal boat, and I read a story and get an email from the guy that wrote the story, I am responding. Immediately. Call it damage control, call it spin, call it saving my company, call it whatever you like, I am on the phone, post haste, trying to get this thing corrected to the best of my ability. I am NOT going to do nothing about it.

But, not Schock. No, I guess you just let that story sink in, and don't worry about getting your version of it out to people. Personally, it bothers me not in the least that he didn't respond. It's not like I am offended. However, If I was a potential buyer or current owner, I'd be quite concerned that they seemingly can't be bothered with addressing the issue. Amazing.
1/17/03

 

You Still Want One, Right?

The Schock 40 has been talked about ad nauseam here at Sailing Anarchy. It's either a highly advanced and ballsy design, or it is a poorly built, illegal POS. You've all weighed in with both perspectives, but it would appear the table is now tilted towards the latter.

According to our sources, Tom Schock and his 40, SchockaZulu, were on a demo sail with a prospective client, when they had a slight problem. The keel fell off. Then the boat tipped over. Then it turned turtle.

That could not have been in the brochure.

Word is that the weld in the keel "just below the rotating part" let go, down went the keel, and over went the boat. We don't think anybody was hurt, and the boat was towed in after dark (so nobody would see it?). Apparently the boat cannot be found at any of the usual yards.

"Bam! Bam! Bam" - The sound of the final nail in the coffin.