Around the World of Sailing

19 June 2002

Event News: Chicago NOOD
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/ju/0619/ms.htm

275 boats sailed Lake Michigan's largest inshore regatta the
past weekend off Chicago. Conditions ranged from full on
squall conditions to mind bending shifty. Despite numerous
postponements, racing took place on all three days.

There were several classes with close finishes. The Mumm
30's ended in a tie between two West Michigan sailors. Dan
Cheresh's Team Intermec won out by virtue of 2 wins in 4
races to Eric Wynsma and Asylum's one 1st.

Another West Michigan boat that faired well was Ragged Edge
which won the Farr 395/Sydney 38 class by 3 points winning 2
of 4 races.

From the not so close side came Noble Buffalo winning the J
35 class by 11 points winning 3 of 4 races.

The biggest fleet- Tartan 10's- was won by Nuts skippered by
Heidi Backus Riddle.

Note: Several classes including the Great Lakes 70's have
not finalized their results, due to factors such as pending
protest, scoring errors etc.

Links:
Results
http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/NOODRegatta/2002results.htm
Reports
http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_nood_subcat.php?sectionID=2505

Theme Article: Anchoring- rodes
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/ju/0619/ms.htm

Once you have selected an anchor or anchors appropriate to
your boat and anchoring conditions you'll need a rode. The
rode runs from boat to anchor.

Anchoring is a form of docking and there are similarities
between desired characteristics of an anchor rode and
dockline. These are: strength, so the rode can resist the
strain your boat produces, and stretch so when waves come up
it can stand the stress of the movement. Three strand nylon
has these characteristics and so maybe good for small boat
rodes or a light weather or inshore rode.

A further characteristic needed is abrasion resistance.
When the 'hook' is on the bottom it must resist things like
rock and coral. The best material for this is chain.

However, chain is not the lightest material. An all chain
rode can add hundreds of pounds to a boat, lessening
performance.

Probably then for most situations a combination of chain and
3-strand nylon is best.

Starting at the anchor you'll want a length of chain up to
30 feet. This will handle the chafe issues on the bottom.
The three-strand nylon is strong and stretchy enough without
the sapping weight of chain.

A rule for choosing the proper size line is 1/8" of diameter
for every 9 feet. For a 30 foot boats that equates to
7/16". For the chain utilize a size that is half the line
diameter. Shackle this together with shackles a size larger
than the chain.

As for length, this has to do with scope, which is the water
depth + freeboard in relation to anchor line paid out. The
ideal ratio is 7:1 or 70 feet of rode in 10 feet of water.
Since there may not be room for such a ratio a 4:1 ratio is
perhaps more realistic.

Next week we will look at the setting of your anchor and its
rode.

Event News: New 24-Hour record
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/ju/0619/ms.htm

The new standard for the 24-hour sailing record is 697
miles/29.04 knots by Maiden 2. Closing with 93 miles in the
last 3 hours, the Race Class cat added 10 miles to the
record Playstation set last fall. Brain Thompson described
this closing rush: "The high point for me was driving the
last 3 hours into the finish, level pegging with the record
at first and then slowly pulling ahead of the pace
required."

The attempt began at 1858 GMT/1458 Wednesday from a position
of 38 41.64N 68 14.28W. This was approximately 250 miles
south of Newport RI. Once at this location boat and crew
waited nearly 8 hours for the proper weather conditions.
Paul Larsen describes their record sail: "Our run appears to
be hugely different to the one that was established by
PlayStation, where they just sat on a high average that
didn't fluctuate very much."

Playstation's record has been won back by the boat that
previously held the 24-hour record twice as Club Med. Club
Med first set the record in June of 2000 and then again in
February 2001. So, three seasons and 3 24 hour records for
this Ollier cat!

After completing an Atlantic crossing Maiden 2 will sail in
Britain's Around the Island Race. This is part of their
next goal the race record, currently held by Rodney
Pattisson's trimaran, Dexia Eure et Loir at 3hr 8min 29 sec,
set in 2001.

Links:
Maiden 2
http://www.maiden2.com/
24 Hour Sailing Record
http://www.torresen.com/sailingrecords/24his.htm
Post Record Report
http://www.farrell.me.uk/maiden2/news.php?id=20020615122535

News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/ju/0619/ms.htm

Boat Smart is a weekly column written by Chief Tom Rau,
Group Grand Haven, U.S. Coast Guard and appears in a number
of newspapers. Chief Rau has been writing and promoting safe
boating since 1986. Many of his columns are taken from real
life experiences from Station St. Joseph/South Haven, where
Chief Rau is currently serving.

Recent rash of recreational boating fatalities alarming

By Senior Chief Tom Rau, Coast Guard Group Grand Haven, Mi

Since March 31, 2002, in Coast Guard Group Grand Haven
related cases, seven recreational boaters have already died.
When you consider that during the 2001 boating season along
the entire eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, Group Grand
Haven recorded only eight fatalities, these figures are in
deed alarming.

So why this sudden surge in fatalities so early in the
season? Is it just a fluke? It would be nice to believe
so. However, after reviewing the details of each case the
same old sad reasons surfaced, revealing not flukes but
human folly at play.

The first incident occurred on Sunday, March 31, 2001.
Coast Guard Group Grand Haven received a telephone call from
a woman in Chicago reporting that her two sons and a friend
had failed to show up for Easter dinner. The three males
between ages 28 and 31, had departed Hammond, Marina Chicago
the previous day aboard a 16-foot fiberglass boat, to Coho
fish a mile off shore. The weather on Saturday offered
sunshine, calm seas, 5-knot winds, and a water temperature
of 35 degrees.

The Coast Guard along with other rescue agencies launched a
massive search covering the south end of Lake Michigan. On
Tuesday the Coast Guarded called off the search, after
finding several lifejackets; a family member identified one
as belonging to one of the victims. On April 4, the 16-foot
fiberglass boat was discovered at the bottom of the Calumet
Harbor shipping channel with no apparent damage to the boat
or malfunctions with the trolling motor and stern outboard.
The 31-year old boat did lack built-in flotation material
required of newer boats. The flotation prevents the boat
from sinking.

A month later on May 2, the first body was discovered on
shore, the other two bodies by a tug boat crew on May 11,
less than a quarter mile from where the boat sank. Some
officials suspect that a wake from a large vessel may have
swamped the boat. One thing is for certain, the reportedly
experienced boaters were not wearing life jackets.

The next fatality occurred on May 19, when a 51-year old
male drowned while fishing on the Saint Joseph River. The
man's wife called authorities after he failed to return from
a fishing trip near the (researching) dam. Rescuers two days
later found his body. Reportedly, six of the dam' s flood
gates were open at the time of the incident, with river
currents exceeding 10 knots near where the man drowned. He
was aboard a 14-foot bass boat. The water temperature was 49
degrees and the air 43. He was not wearing a lifejacket.

On June 6, a 52-year-old male drowned in Glovers Lake,
Manistee County. According to Manistee County Sheriff Dale
Kowalkowski the 5/8 inch bolts attaching the seat to the
wood frame of his pontoon boat separated. "The bolts were
new but the wood they were attached to was punky," said
Kowalkowski. A witness said the man fell backwards, yelled
out, hit the water, and didn't come up. His body was
discovered in six feet of water about 50 feet offshore. The
water temperature was in the fifties, the weather calm with
air temperatures in the low 60s. He was wearing a medium to
heavy wool blend jacket, heavy boots and trousers. He was
not wearing a life jacket. "He would have had a much better
chance of surviving had he worn one," said Kowalkowski.

On June 7, a 31-year-old Muskegon man moments after
launching a 16-foot boat drowned in Muskegon Lake within
fifteen yards of shallow water. Shortly after he launched,
the boat began taking on water; rather than head back to the
launch ramp the fisherman and a friend continued out into
the lake and soon rolled and sank. A nearby boater pulled
the lone survivor from the water. Neither victim was wearing
a life jacket- none were aboard.

On June 8, an 18-year-old girl drowned in Mona Lake, after
the 24-foot boat she was aboard was struck from behind by a
twenty-six foot power boat. The accident happened at night.
According to Muskegon Marine Deputy Gary Berdinski, the
operator of the boat she was aboard flicked his boat lights
a number of times as he lay dead in the water. The speeding
boat slammed into the stern throwing the victim along with
others into the dark lake. "We determined the impact speed
was about 25-miles a hour. The two boat operators - cousins-
shared many hours underway. They were not inexperienced
boaters nor was alcohol involved," said Berdinski.

It could happen to anyone operating a boat on dark waters
with an elevated bow obstructing forward vision. What a
lesson the young lad learned the hard way- at night in dark
waters bring back the throttles.

Each accident, although different, shared common traits that
underscore many boating fatalities. One, none of the
victims wore life jackets. Two, the weather was not a
factor. Three, the accidents happened less than a mile from
shore, in fact, several happened within yards. Except for
the boats involved in the collision, all the other boats
were less than 18-feet in length. These conditions mirror
nationwide figures regarding recreational boating
fatalities. They do not happen, as most assume, during
heavy weather, but in mild conditions and most involve small
unstable boats with operators who refuse to wear lifejackets
especially around cold water.

Regardless of the season, my advice to boaters who resist
wearing life jackets is- until humans grow gills, life
jackets are the next best thing- Boat Smart- wear your
gills.

Links:
Boat Smart
http://www.boatsmart.net/