February 5, 2001
Photo of the DayFebruary 5 – Fort Lauderdale What we’ve got here is a photo of some of the boats at the starting |
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Racing News Flash!
February 5 – Approaching Montego Bay
Email from our Reporter on the scene:
‘Windward Passage’s’ 1971 record grows increasingly mythical….
‘Pyewacket’ should finish first, probably about 1 or 3 tonight.
No record possible now. ‘Sagamore’ is a few miles behind them.
Both about 160-170 miles away still (noon Monday). ‘Magnitude’
is third, with ‘Zephyrus’ right behind. ‘Blue Yankee’ is next,
and looks to be doing well on corrected time. ‘Strabo’ (PHRF boat
of the week at KWRW) hit a coral head earlier in the race and
has retired to Nassau. ‘Gemini’,’a yellow Polish one-tonner, is
last by miles. Getting ready for an all-nighter as the first boats
come in. It seems surreal that the record (3 days, 3 hours, 40
minutes) will stand. Last time ‘Pyewacket’ missed by a few hours;
before that ‘Sayonara’ missed. All that money can’t buy a record
unless that wind cooperates! There should be an update on www.montegobayrace.com
shortly. Will try to send something tomorrow when the boats are
in.
That Just About Covers ItFebruary 5 – Pacific Ocean In the February 2 ‘Lectronic, Lonnie Spencer of ‘Bahalana’ down in Puerto Escondido, Baja, Here’s how the dinghy happened to be back there in the first Seeing how unpleasant the conditions had become, the only We hate to set a terrible example, but the irresponsible tow Nonetheless, it was only moments later when we got our karmatic |
 Photo Latitude/Richard |
Oracle Racing
and the St. Francis YC – What Happened?
February 5 – San Francisco
Several days ago, ‘Lectronic reported that Larry Ellison’s Oracle
Racing and the St. Francis YC weren’t able to reach an agreement
on an America’s Cup effort, and that Oracle Racing is now negotiating
to possibly run their campaign under the burgee of Marina del
Rey’s California YC. We’ve since talked further to Commodore Steve
Taft of the St. Francis YC, and Bill Erkelens, the COO of Oracle
Racing, who is currently down in New Zealand.
Taft and Erkelens both reiterated that all the negotiations
between the two groups had been and remain amiable, and that it’s
been a huge disappointment to both that they weren’t able to reach
an agreement. What prevented an agreement is who would control
such a campaign. On the surface, you’d think it would be Oracle
Racing, which is putting up $80 million to fund the campaign.
But under the terms of the America’s Cup Deed of Gift, the control
actually belongs to the yacht club. As Commodore Taft said, “Under
the current Deed of Gift, the guy who puts up all the millions
and wins the event is entitled to a handshake from the Commodore
and that’s about it. Under the current Deed of Gift, he certainly
doesn’t get much out of it.” Taft also notes that the St.
Francis took the lead several years ago in trying to get the dated
Deed of Gift revised, but couldn’t get all the other yacht clubs
to agree.
According to Erkelens, Larry Ellison is really excited about
his America’s Cup campaign, but also about the America’s Cup itself.
So the goal of Oracle Racing is not just to win the America’s
Cup, but to change it to make it more attractive to spectators
and sponsors. You may recall that this was also a big theme of
Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne campaign for the St. Francis. Erkelens
says the only way to improve the event is to get control out of
the hands of the yacht clubs, which have a long history – starting
with the New York YC – of not exactly playing fair or of necessarily
making it as good an event as it could be. In order to make these
changes and achieve these altruistic goals, Oracle Racing feels
they need control of their America’s Cup effort.
According to Erkelens, Oracle Racing presented the St. Francis
with a proposal that would give Oracle the control they felt they
needed. It would have required some changes in the club’s by-laws.
Commodore Taft said the club and its lawyers studied the proposal,
and decided that wasn’t something that the club – a California
corporation – could agree to. Taft also said there was a part
of it that the club’s board didn’t think they could legally do.
This totally exasperates Erkelens, whose family has a long association
with the St. Francis. “Oracle Racing’s lawyers did the due
diligence, and we absolutely weren’t asking the club to do anything
illegal.”
As frustated as Taft and Erkelens are that the two sides weren’t
able to reach an agreement, neither one is interested in speaking
badly of the other. They view it as a case of friends who were
unsuccessful in reaching a mutually satisfying business agreement,
and who now wish each other well.
Erkelens reluctantly confirmed that Oracle Racing was in negotiations
with the California YC about the privately-owned Marina del Rey
club becoming the sponsoring club for Oracle Racing. He also said
that if that happened and if Oracle Racing did win the Cup, the
subsequent Cup would not be held in Santa Monica Bay – because
it wouldn’t be consistent with making the America’s Cup the best
event it could be. Our conversation with Erkelens concluded with
him saying that Oracle Racing had been very busy in Auckland,
that they had a terrific group of really talented people, and
they were all looking forward to opening their base in Ventura
in March. While visitors won’t be allowed into the Ventura compound,
they’ll be able to see the boats as they’re towed through the
harbor each day and while out practicing.
Tom Vance of the
Freya 39 ‘Vanessa’.
February 3 – Mill Valley
On Saturday we were eating at the coffee shop across the street
from our office, when one of the waitresses mentioned she used
to have a boyfriend who sailed. When we asked who this might have
been, she replied Tom Vance, who used to build Sonoma 30s and
Freya 39s in the Northwest. He also owned the Freya 39 ‘Vanessa’
that he alternately kept between the Northwest and Sausalito.
But that was years ago, and it got us to wondering where he is
now. If we remember correctly, at last report he was cruising
‘Vanessa’ somewhere in the South Pacific. Can anybody give an
update?
The Race
February 5 – The Southern Ocean
It turns out that ‘Innovations Explorer’s’ many hints that they
would stop in Wellington to pick up sails and fix a damaged daggeraboard
were a ruse – to try to get leader ‘Club Med’ to make a stop to
repair their lesser damage. ‘Club Med’ didn’t fall for it, and
is now back down in the Southern Ocean charging through icy conditions
and 40-knot winds – but as little as six days from Cape Horn.
Once they reach the Horn, they will have survived the tough stuff,
and they will soon be shedding clothes in the warm South Atlantic
and thinking of the pleasures of arriving at the Marseilles finish
line. Despite a smaller and tattered sail inventory, ‘Innovations
Explorer’ continues to hang tough approximately 680 miles behind.
They cut off the damaged part of their daggerboard, flipped it
over, and put it back in its case.
Here’s Grant Dalton’s latest from ‘Club Med’. “It’s really
windy, it seems we are destined to sail in strong winds all the
time, all the way around the world. Right now there are 40-50
knots out here, the waves are not too bad yet. We wanted the South
and we have kept going South. Right now we are at 52 South and
it isn’t over yet, we’ll be going deeper still. We are becoming
more and more confident in handling our boat in these conditions.
Our last gybe was executed with the spinnaker set in 40-knots
of wind, something we would never have done a few weeks ago. It
takes about half an hour to gybe the boat, even with two reefs
in. The hairy bit is when the main is on the centreline before
we go through the wind.”
Vendée
Globe
February 5 – The Atlantic Ocean
Michel Desjoyeaux is only 1,935 miles from the finish, while diminuitive
Ellen MacArthur – quickly becoming everybody’s darling – is just
36 miles back. It’s a great battle and a great story. Check it
out at www.vendeeglobe.com.
YOTREPS
February 5 – The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace
Who is out making passages in the Pacific and what kind of
weather are they having? Check out YOTREPS – ‘yacht reports’ –
at www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/
Weather Updates
February 5 – Pacific Ocean
San Francisco Bay Weather
To see what the winds are like on the Bay and just outside
the Gate right now, check out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.
California Coast Weather
Looking for current as well as recent wind and sea readings
from 17 buoys and stations between Pt. Arena and the Mexican border?
Here’s the place – which has further links to weather buoys and
stations all over the U.S.: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/stuff/southwest/swstmap.shtml.
Pacific Ocean Weather
Today’s University of Hawaii Department of Meteorology satellite
was not available again this morning. You can try it yourself
at http://lumahai.soest.hawaii.edu/cgi-bin/satview.cgi?sat=g10®ion=hus&channel=uI4&anim=no&size=large.
Pacific Sea State
Seas are normal in the Pacific. But you might check out the
Pacific Ocean sea states at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.
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