Thunder Down Under?

Most of the Aussies have believed for some time that both the 98' Skandia (Wharrington), and the new maxi Nicorette have consistently overstated there weight on their IRC certs to bring them below the Sydney Hobart limit.

There is also a lot of doubt as to the canting keel boats sticking to the 10 degree static heel that they are allowed to under Sydney Hobart rules.

George Snow (Brindbella) wrote a letter to CYCA about these two issues and called for a meeting of the top 15 boats to discuss this issue, Konica Milolta (the 98' Zana) also wrote a letter backing up George's claims.

At the moment Zana has to give Skandia time around the track.

The meeting was held during the Rolex regatta over the weekend and the decision was made to re measure all of the boats, mainly weight and to put stoppers on the canting keels etc.

Apparently there were 15 skippers there, all the big boats and all the canting keel boats. Surely someone will have more details. Apparently measurement will take place today or tomorrow.

12/21/04

12/20

More info leaking out about the new 115' Maiden Hong Kong has the boat hitting 20 knots of boatspeed in 12 knots of breeze. If true, those numbers surely must represent the top end of big boat monohull speed potential, no?

12/21/04

We Like Going There

During the UBS in Newport RI, a radio commentator alluded to the infamous crash involving Brad Butterworth and Dawn Riley. Riley shut the door on him with a "Don't even go there" comment.

A bit touchy? Perhaps if Dawn and Brad hadn't "gone there" in the first place, there wouldn't be a "there" to not go to, eh Dawn?

12/13/04 

The Reign in Spain?

There are very High Expectations for a last minute AC Challenge from a Spanish Team prior to the Challenge Deadline on the 17th of December (A Challenge after the 17th is possible with a penalty on entry fee). Amazingly, most of the crazy Spanish Politics have apparently finally worked out. Stay tuned.

12/9/04

Disney VOR?

We have heard that there is possibly an American VOR entry in the works with Disney sponsorship? Anybody?

11/23/04

Captain Wallet

I think if any of us had Larry Ellison's money, would we not spend it in much the same way he does? Maxi boat, AC team, huge powerboats, nice cribs, ad nauseam . We hear that along with everything else, he has bought a couple of the mini AC boats for training, bringing them to Frisco for a match race regatta, and flying in people from everywhere and paying them all very well to sail. The cost for this event? We hear close to $80,000. For a regatta? He's spending that kind of money? Amazing and excessive and perhaps no end in sight to either. Here's a little peek into his financial world. Amazing and excessive indeed.

11/12/04

Big Trouble?

We are hearing that a certain well-known builder of scows here in the states is the target of a state and possible federal investigation of restriction of trade and other violations that have got investigators attentions. Apparently subpoenas have been served to a number of people and businesses, and this likely to take on some potentially big implications. Stay tuned.

11/04/04

Ben Over? 

We're hearing that Team New Zealand has, in fact, relieved Ben Ainslie of his America’s Cup duties altogether. Anybody have any other info on the subject?

11/02/04

Big Boat Tales

As found out, the deal for Morning Glory being sold to Philippe Kahn fell out in the 11th hour. Hasso Plattner has hinted at having Russell Coutts head the back of the bus (and is likely a done deal) and will compete in the Spring Cabo race and the Transpac. To up the ante some more, Randall Pitman has also entered his '90 Genuine Risk in both the Cabo and Transpac. The trick for GR is to slow it down to the speed of Pyewacket in order to rate for the race. No doubt Robbie Haines and Company are not happy about the latest turn of events. GR has found a little more speed lately and is certainly faster than their average performance in the Great Lakes. They are hampered somewhat with the coming departure of at least one of the McKee brothers and possibly more heads in the back of the bus are going to roll shortly. Something about that program just doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.....

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On a very serious note, GR’s navigator of record, all around good guy and one of the top navigators in the world, Mark Rudiger has stage IV lymphoma and is being treated in Northern California. His spot on the GR has been taken over by Matt Wachowicz.

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Finally, after a successful 20 months of sailing Dick and Mary Compton’s Andrews designed, lifting keel Alchemy 77 is going up on the auction block in time for someone to pick her up for Cabo and Transpac.

10/08/04

Dynamic Duo?

We are hearing that Russell Coutts and Paul Cayard have started employing people for their own AC effort, and word is from some that they are fully expecting them to be there in 2007. There might get an announcement on it next week, but definitely before the end of the year.

10/06/04

For The Love of Dee?

This one is particularly strange, but we've seen stranger things come to be. We thought that Philippe Kahn was buying Morning Glory, and he still likely is. The new rumor however is that the boat is not being sold at all but is on its way to San Diego, Russell Coutts is going to be in charge of the program and will be racing against Pyewacket and Genuine Risk in the Cabo Race. The "selling" of the boat was to get Dee Smith off the program. If so, nice move!

09/23/04

The Wizard?

We hear that Bill Lee has agreed to become the Offshore Director at US Sailing, replacing Bruce (I refuse to communicate) Eissner.

We think he's a weirdo, but Bill should be able to get some clarity and direction around handicapping rules that sometimes lacks with Bruce. How he deals with the blue blazers will be the real challenge.

And the real irony is guess who was the guy who pulled the plug on a SC 70 that caused Bill to lose SC Yachts?

09/15/04

Samba Gate?

The Farr 40 Worlds are hotting up and they haven't even started yet. We hear that Jeff Madrigali, John Kilroy’s sailmaker (spelled SALE maker) measured in their sails for the Farr 40 World’s and then evidently Madro went to the loft in Oakland and re-cut the No 2 (that would be the medium) after the sail was measured and buttoned in. “Re-cut” will have varying degrees of definition. There have been allegations flying back and forth. It is not a simple situation where you can “re-measure the sail” as that you must present only a certain number of sails which are buttoned in. Kilroy might have to sail the World’s without a Medium! He is out of his tree angry. He and his team have sown so much ill will the past few years he is getting no sympathy at all from many of the other teams. He would be considered the one to beat in this event, and yet he may have very well beaten himself.

09/09/04

California Volvo

Normally that title would raise eyebrows about as much as saying I'm opinionated, but this one is bizarre. We are hearing that a SoCal RO (rich owner) and a couple of his boys are planning to put together a VOR effort! There is talk of either doing it as their own syndicate or perhaps joining forces with someone else. Either way it seems particularly folly - it is really too late in the game to start now, and they will have zero chance of winning. It is however a great way to throw a bunch of money away!

09/01/04

About Time

The much awaited (for various reasons) 115' Maiden Hong Kong built for Frank Pong is leaving DK Yachts, Malacca on Aug 8th, shipped over road to the water's edge, and will then be barged to Wavemaster, Langkawi for the final fit out. The boat will sail by Singapore on the way to Hong Kong, likely at the end of September/early October.

07/30/04

Select Approval?

The Beer Can Series here in Dago finds itself in a bit of a bind. Turns out that they limited the size of boats that could race this year to 60 feet. Boats larger than 60' would need "special approval" in order to be accepted. Any guess as to who would get such an "approval?" Why none other than Big Bad DC and his new Santa Cruz 70! Did the Tanton 73 Velos, a boat that has raced regularly in the series get approved? Uh, no. How about the two AC boats that have raced in this event? Afraid not.

Amazing, isn't it? Love to know the reasons why regular past participants in the series are not allowed in, but DC shows up with his new to him SC 70, and he's ushered right in. There are rumors of a protest.

And who says the good o'l boy network isn't alive and well?

07/23/04

Hawaii Five-0h

Team Pegasus has been in blitzkrieg mode on their (Philippe and Sam) attack on the 505 Class for the upcoming worlds later this summer in Santa Cruz, Ca. They started off by shipping three boats to Hawaii for training last winter. They took a Rondar, a Waterat, and another hull, digitized them, then ran a bunch of CFD (someone from a noted California NA firm is thought to have helped them). They then developed a hull form and contracted a builder in Oz to make the plug/mold, and now VM is making three boats for them. Apparently, they really wanted to change the layout to make it easier for Philippe (who's about 130 pounds more than an average 505 helm), and Sam (who's still not quite strong enough to deal with the mainsheet).

Oh yeah, they also have another 4 or more new standard hulls coming. They think nothing of putting holes in new boats and rigs to try things. Recently, it was discovered there was a wait for a new spar because Pegasus had bought nearly the whole stock! Apparently Philippe and Sam really like the boat, and they sail a lot. Nothing like lots of money, lots of time, and lots of desire to put together a total effort.

07/01/04

Dumb and Dumber

Two huge SA fans, designer Lief Beily and my very popular and friendly ex-partner Sinclair Bishop, have apparently teamed up for a project that is sure to be a winner. A 20 year-old Doug Peterson "beer can boat" beater recently bought by Bishop being fixed by Beily. Jesus Christ, is that a match made in heaven? It's almost too good to be true.

Apparently PHRF has already told Mr. Happy no to the trapezes the boat had for anything other than Cat 4 races. Bummer. Anyone with more info, please share. We need a good laugh.

06/16/04

Banned in the USA?

We hear that PHRF SoCal is about to decide whether or not to ban a SoCal sailor for his shenanigans at this year's Newport-Ensenada Race. He weighed his boat with full offshore gear and reported the new weight to PHRF, which changed his ULDB factor so he got bumped into a displacement class. They're reportedly going to try to nail him on the "Corinthian" rule in the PHRF bylaws. Rumor is he's moving to Texas anyway, so will the ban, if effected, follow him there? We'll get you the latest when we hear it.

06/15/04

Gift Horse

We hear that Big Bad DC has unloaded his R/P 50' Stars & Stripes (ex-Morning Glory) to fellow SDYC member and long time friend Dennis Pennel, a fixture on the San Diego big boat scene for what must be thirty years. He supposedly gave his slow-from-the-day-he-bought-it N/M 46 "Titan" to some sort of donation to DC's foundation ( We didn't know he had one. We're sure it's very alruistic) as part of the deal. Purchase price for the 50 is rumored to be $300k. I'd say DC got top dollar for the quick, but aging 50'.

Now here comes the weird part: We originaly thought that DC would race the Titan but apparently even he has the good sense to stay away from it. (You might recall his foray into the same Nelson-designed CM 1200 that I sailed was not too much fun, and he likely and rightly sees the 46 as just a bigger version. Who needs that?)

So what does DC do? He has chartered (and may be purchasing) the modified Santa Cruz 70, Mongoose!!! Huh? Oh but it makes sense, because the boat has been handed a gift rating of -63, right up DC's alley. So will he now take the 70, cherry it out, put his posse on it, and then win everything in town?

Is this the continuation of his all-conquering PHRF Cherry Picking Legend? And do the masses still bow at his feet for continuing to beat up PHRF weekend warriors?

06/07/04

AC in Dago?

Not bloody likely, but there is a rumor that San Diego, home of the 7 knot sea breeze and ball of kelp on the bulb keel, is actually under consideration for a February 2005 ACM regatta (like the ones in Marseille and Valencia, coming this September-October). Apparently the other venue being considered besides Dago is Miami. Give it to Miami. On the other hand, remember the fun and games when the blustery SD weather helped cause OneAustralia to break and sink in 1995? Bring it on!!

06/1/04

Cant Can

Well whatever we're calling the big canting maxi's these days, there is one that is not content to simply sail around with their canting keel. Not only do they have plans to do a development rig after the existing one that they currently have, there are plans for configuration No. 3 that will feature a rotating carbon spar! Interesting to see how some of the boats, like the maxZ 86's, will stay pretty much as they are, and how some really are looking to push the envelope, which to us truly does seem in keeping with what the spirit of these things really are all about. More as we can.

05/27/2004

Cal 35?

Remember the old line of Cal boats? No, they're not being resurrected a la Columbia, but there is word of a new Cal 35. Okay it's not exactly new, but a reinvention of sorts, of an existing boat. There is talk that the 1D 35, which surely has peaked as an OD, may be also made into a racer/cruiser version and called a Cal 35. Not a bad idea actually, and if they do it right, and price it right, it could be a success. Gussy up the inside a little bit, add a nice looking window, throw a sprit on it, and maybe add some cockpit seats and you might have a cool thing. We'll see if something materializes.

04/23/2004

Garden Party?

We think we know that Russell Coutts is what is known as a is on "garden leave" from Team Alinghi. We've also indicated that we have heard about problems within and without Alinghi, notably that Russell and the ACM don't see eye to eye.

He might still be on Alinghi and perhaps sailing in the next cup, but we think he's looking for a bigger payday. If one reads all the stuff that ACM published, when you get to the fine points of how money is made, you see that ACM stands to make a great deal of money, probably a bigger pay day than the sailing team.

Then think of the psychology of Russell and why he left TNZ. It looks like basically the same fight....the guys who put the deals together got more money than the sailors. Is Russell willing to sit this cup out while looking at perhaps a much bigger picture?

04/07/2004

What Are They Up To?

Does anybody know what Russell Coutts and Paul Cayard are up to with their "We're in Dubai & Malta Pimping Ourselves This Week" tour?
One guess, and it could be way off, is that Coutts is gone from Alinghi? We all know Team Alinghi is not what it once was.... might they be forming a Dubai AC team, and then training in Malta? Perhaps C & C are going to set up the biggest prize money race on the planet in Dubai......

They might be doing both. Dubai can write checks all day long for whatever they want. Interesting times indeed.

04/06/2004

Cayard Done?

If you read Seahorse magazine, then you know that Paul Cayard mentioned in the most recent issue that he was contemplating retirement. Apparently, it is much more than contemplation

Word has it that after the Olympics, win or lose, Cayard is indeed going to hang it up. Our spy at the Olympic Trials tells us that Cayard is "tired of chasing corporate America for money that isn't there" for America's Cup campaigns, and dealing with "rich asshole owners." on circuits like the Farr 40 class.

Never shy about his abilities or accomplishments, Cayard also alluded to "making more money in this sport than you could imagine" and not needing to work again.

Anybody who can add to this, please do.

04/01/2004

Plug Pulled on Juan K 115'

Citing an "unacceptable product, from every conceivable aspect", owner Frank Pong has apparently refused to accept delivery of the nearly finished 115' sloop designed by SA favorite Juan K and built by DK Yachts.

This is all being kept very hush hush, but the project has been rife with problems from the outset and our amazing spy says that now there is no communication among any of the parties, and that Pong's army of lawyers are getting involved as we speak. Hoo-Haw - this is going to be a beauty!!!

04/01/2004

SA/AC?

From what we hear, it looks like South Africa is going for the America's Cup as they have brought one of the Prada boats, and will be looking at getting a local boat yard to build a boat once funds are in place. Geoff Meek and Paul Stanbridge are kind of in charge underneath a chap called Salvotre Sarno who might be the money man.

The designer for the new South African cup team is likely going to be Jason Ker. He had his Ker 55 "Aera" built there and has had on-going discussions. He is moving from Lymington this week to live there, so it would seem to be something to all this.

Must be interesting trying to get sponsorship money in a country with much of its population living in shacks.

02/27/2004

All Aboard

Now we hear that Ullman Sails has arrived to the string sail party, albeit a bit late. They claim however that the new sails will be on the market before Quantum or Lidgard have theirs ready. We also understand that Ullman's string sails will sell for about 15% less than their current Carbon sails and will be available to the consumer by the end of March. Stay tuned.

02/04/2004

Tough Crowd

We all know how tough it is in the Farr 40 Class, and to play at or even near the top, a boat with the maximum amount of paid pros is an evil necessity. Former Farr 40 World Champion Steve Phillips (La Renard) is getting rid of his amateur crew after repeated poor performance and coming back to the pro/am combination that brought him previous success. His new crew will be in place for SORC in three weeks. Bummer.

02/03/2004

New Canuck at Quantum

We've been speculating about who the new guy at Quantum Frisco would be, and we have to admit that our guesses were wrong. Who'da thunk it?

Turns out that confirmed rumors in Vancouver have it that Jason Rhodes has given up his job at Walker Bay Boats and is waiting for his US Visa to be approved before he moves to San Francisco to join Quantum to replace the dogged Norman Davant. Might a lot of big boat owners in Frisco be asking "Jason who" when he comes calling?

01/26/2004