Table of
Contents
Main Stories
Short Tacks
Rowing Reporter
Watery World News
Finish Line
|
Around the World of Sailing
31 January 2001
This weeks features:
Rick Deppe one of the crew who stepped off Team Adventure in
Cape Town, "Anyone who says there not scared is lying."
The Rowing Reporter is a weekly column of commentary and
observations by Ike Stephenson, Marine Informationist. It
concentrates on the home waters of Around the World of Sailing Lake
Michigan and Muskegon Lake.
Readers Write
Sharon King emailed asking what S.S. stands for. S.S. stands
for ship, as in S.S. United States. Another common ship type acronym
is RMS, which has various meanings including Royal Mail Ship, Royal
Mail Steamer, Royal Merchant Ship. This abbreviation is remembered in
connection with the RMS Titanic. I found some of these answers at one
of the Internet's most practical sits, Acronym Finder. It's at:
http://www.acronymfinder.com/
Greg Smith wrote with a comment, "Thanks you all for you
assistance in promoting and supporting the NorthU seminar." He adds
that sailors from as far away as Detroit and Battle Creek attended.
North U will again be at Muskegon Yacht Club March 3rd for a
Cruising and Seamanship Seminar. More at: http://www.northu.com/
Sherry wrote about a map covering a voyage from Detroit to
Toronto. A Lake Erie and a Lake Huron chart would get you started.
For Lake Erie the chart # is 14820. For Lake Ontario its chart
# 14800. You'd also want 14822 covering the Welland Canal.
You can call the Torresen Marine Ships Store to order a print
on demand version which ensures the latest information. Call
231 759 8596.
Art Plewka said in his email, "Your coverage of the Vendee
Globe and The Race has been excellent." Thanks Art! He goes onto
ask about TV coverage of The Race.
The best answer I have is that Team Adventure has been
featured several times on ABC News. Other than that I have not
heard of North American TV coverage.
**************
Speed Notes
From the two ongoing around the world races,
The Race and the Vendee Globe.
Tuesday Innovation Explorer became the second Race Class cat
to set a record for the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Leuwin passage.
Her time was 7 days 4 hours. This broke the record that Club Med had
just set of 7 days 8 hours.
A speed snapshot from Tuesday. In the Vendee Globe the jury
rigged Aquitaine Innovations is fastest at 14.9 knots. The Race
position report gave this breakdown of Innovation Explorer's speed:
30.3 knots current, average last hour 23, average over 23 hours 25.2
knots.
Then there's the opposite of high speed, low speed. From
Friday to Saturday Team Legato was literally stuck to the Atlantic
Ocean. She made only 33 miles in 24 hours or, 1.4 knots average.
Just a reminder that all these records are brought to us by a
combination of wind, boat and crew.
*************
Sails and the Vendee Globe
Last week I emailed Kingfisher project manager Mark Turner
with some questions on sails. For one, was Kingfisher going to break
out a new stay sail for the home stretch. He said no, the main reason
being: "we went with 3DL to maintain shape for the last leg, the 3DL
shape is still excellent." I also asked about the overall condition
of Kingfisher's sail inventory. Turner's answer: "Kingfisher is in
good shape at present, she lost a few sails but not because of the
sails, 2 halyard breaks and resultant damage to sail in water accounts
for the 2 major losses. We lost our Code 5 in one of those (not a sail
the others had anyway apart form Golding)."
*************
Notes from a Sunday Drive around Muskegon Lake
Open water near the Cobb Plant and the Muskegon River. Muskegon
Lake home to multiple coal docks.
One boat is bubbled in at Pointe Marine.
More of an ice field on Lake Michigan to the north of Muskegon.
Combine the chunky bits of ice in the ice field and the blue water
which is hard to see in details due to the ice field, and the horizon
seems further and narrower.
The Muskegon Pierheads viewed from the north. The north light
is white with ice. The red of the south light stands out.
A few iceboats out sailing. Not a big breeze. Ice fishermen
out on the ice.
Three tugs at the Andrie Dock. The smallest of the tugs has
been pulled and is on the hard. It has a rusty bottom.
Looking at the wind instruments at the water plant. Wind is
SouthWest. Flag is waving. Not starched, but certainly constantly
flapping.
************
Rowing Reporter Interactive- The Rowing reporter seeks
comments, questions and suggestions. Send email in a bottle to
ike@torresen.com. If readers write we can start a dialogue about
rowing reporter writing. Send challenges, remarks, queries and they
will make you a part of this column.
Watery World News is dedicated to our watery planet and the
things that people do on the water other than sail. Whether it's
tug-barges, kayaks, rowing shells, PWC's, swimming or other water
activities Watery World News will attempt to give the sailing audience
of ATWOS a look at other water activities.
Here is an update on the subject of ballast water. Ballast
water assists large seagoing ships in staying balanced while underway.
The United States receives more than 79 million tons of ballast water
each year of foreign origin.
Scientists believe that ballast water often contains foreign
organisms such as zebra mussels and viruses such as Vibriio Cholerae.
This spring the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation will
begin a program that attempts to cleanse the ballast water. Chlorine
will be used to treat the water. Should this treatment approach prove
effective, it will become mandatory for all vessels enter the Great
Lakes System.
For the original Ballast Water Article see:
http://www.torresen.com/sd/november00/1115_frw.htm
|