Around the World of Sailing

18 September 2002

Event News: Melges 24 Nationals
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0918/ms.htm

September is a month that sees several quality one design
class championships visit the Great Lakes. One of the first
was the Quantum Sails Melges 24 U S National Championship
hosted by Grand Traverse Yacht Club. 29 boats sailed 9
races.

A breakdown of encountered conditions is as follows: 1 race
on Friday in light and variable; 5 on Saturday in great
conditions, 10-15 SW-W; and 3 on Sunday in gusty and shifty
12-15 N-E.

US National Champion Tom Freytag

After an 11th place in the first race, Tom Frytag's team,
which included Harry Melges, went onto win 5 of 7 races.
Mike Dow's Flying Toaster sailed an excellent regatta with
no finishes outside the top 10, but ended up 3 points out in
2nd place! Dow was the events top amateur skipper. Jeff
Jones' Kilroy was 3rd. Other race winners were Tommy Bahama
and Frequent Flyer

Links:
Results, Pix and Info
http://www.floridacar.com/tcmelges24/2002nationals.html
Melges 24 Class
http://www.melges24.com/
Quantum Sails Report
http://www.quantumsails.com/products/onedesign/cni.asp?NID=460&CID=30

Theme Article: Varnishing Part 2
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0918/ms.htm

We'll start this article with a simple statement. Varnish
maybe used on the exterior of a boat on items such as toe
rails and coamings and on the interior on the cabin sole,
galley etc.

For these different applications you'll want the appropriate
varnish. Interlux offers varnishes for each situation.

If you are planning on doing interior varnish there are
several Interlux products to chose from. One is Goldspar
Satin 60 which they recommend solely for interior use. It
produces a low luster finish and resists scratches. Their
Jet Speed Varnish is a fast drying product to be used to
quickly build up multiple coats. It lacks UV inhibitor and
should be kept inside.

When you varnish exterior surfaces you must take into
account the effect of the sun and it's UV rays. In extreme
cases wooden varnished boats sometimes have a canvas cover
from waterline to mast to stay out of the sun.

Interlux's Goldspar 95 is a 1-part varnish with high UV
prevention capability. Schooner Varnish 96 also works well
against UV, and is highly water resistant another good
characteristic when varnishing things like toe rails that
often are submerged.

Links:
Goldspar Satin
http://us.yachtpaint.com/usa/product_guide/varnishes/US_goldspar_satin.asp?ComponentID=6566&SourcePageID=6671#1
Jet Speed
http://us.yachtpaint.com/usa/product_guide/varnishes/US_jet_speed.asp?ComponentID=6602&SourcePageID=6671#1
Goldspar 95
http://us.yachtpaint.com/usa/product_guide/varnishes/US_goldspar.asp?ComponentID=6565&SourcePageID=6671#1
Schooner 96
http://us.yachtpaint.com/usa/product_guide/varnishes/US_schooner.asp?ComponentID=6539&SourcePageID=6671#1

Event News: Around Alone Leg 1 starts
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0918/ms.htm

The 2002-03 Around Alone race began by starting from New
York for the first time ever. The start served as an
exclamation to Sail For America, the water borne 911 tribute
event.

Thirteen boats crossed the line- 7 in Class 1, 6 in Class
II. Alain Paris and BTC Velocity were 1st over. Early on
Class I Open 60's Bobst Group and Hexagon flashed double
digit speeds.

The early parts of Leg 1 across the Atlantic to Torbay
England are about settling in and getting with the rhythm of
the race. This is true even for Brad Van Liew who finished
the prior Around Alone. Tuesday morning he reported,
"however daybreak and a cup of coffee makes all seem much
nicer." Also the fleet was in crowded waters with Open 40
sailor Derek Hatfield saying, "Not much sleep so far."

By this morning more typical racing was occurring. Bernard
Stamm and Bobst Group led Class one by 10 miles. Stamm's
strategy: "am heading North, the further up the better."
Emma Richards from 5th place was a little disconsolate
writing, "Not looking great...hoping for a more positive day
tomorrow." Class 2 was led by Brad Van Liew's Freedom
America, 30 miles ahead of 2nd place.

High pressure has taken over the rhythm of the race. This
means slow and testing conditions such as leader Bobst Group
at 4 knots and 3rd place Ocean Planet at 3.6. There's still
another week of racing with many more developments to be
reported before a winner is seen.

Prior to the New York start the fleet sailed a crewed
prologue race from Newport. Winners were Tiscali in Class I
and Spirit of Canada in Class II.

Links:
Start Report
http://www.aroundalone.com/raceviewer/archive/20020915/2399.html
BTC Velocity
http://www.aroundalone2002.com/
Freedom America
http://www.tommy.com/freedomamerica
Positions Chart
http://www.aroundalone.com/raceviewer/position_chart/

News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/news/atwos/2002/se/0918/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.

There will be no Boat Smart this week. I'm out on the water
working on several upcoming Boat Smart stories.
Senior Chief Tom Rau

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