Friday, February 11, 2005
Have A Wetass Weekend...
We started the week with Ellen, so we'll finish it with Ellen finishing...
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 11:24 AM 
RIP Jon Mozo...
TWC wouldn't be TWC without all the great photos out there. And one of the guys who was taking some of the best surfing and underwater shots was Hawaiian Jon Mozo. Sadly, Mozo died yesterday doing what he loved doing: shooting in the water at Pipeline. Here's are the key details from a report in the Honolulu Advertiser:
Mozo, 33, was swimming and taking photos of surfers yesterday. About 2 p.m. bodyboarders alerted lifeguards that a swimmer was in trouble, said Jim Howe, operations chief for the city Ocean Safety Division.
An off-duty lifeguard who was in the water dived and found Mozo. He and others brought Mozo to shore at Ehukai Beach Park and tried to revive him with a defibrillator, Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said. Mozo had head injuries and had no pulse, Tejada said. Mozo was pronounced dead at Kahuku Hospital.
"People are just speechless," said fellow surf photographer Bernie Baker, who was shooting pictures from the beach at Ehukai yesterday.
Baker said yesterday was one of those "pristine, perfect kind of photo and surfing days." The surf at Pipeline was not especially big, he said, but the swell was out of the west "and as any North Shore lifeguard can tell you, when you have an extreme west swell you have an extremely strong current and it's very easy to get dragged into a shallow area off the reef.
"He probably found himself caught in the face of a wave, and with the power of these west swells it may have dragged him up and over the face of the wave and flipped him into the shallow water. He would have hit the reef, which at best has 5 feet of water."
You can check out his work here. And buy some of it here. You never know when it will all come to an end, so live it up while you can...
The Dude liked waves...
Mozo, 33, was swimming and taking photos of surfers yesterday. About 2 p.m. bodyboarders alerted lifeguards that a swimmer was in trouble, said Jim Howe, operations chief for the city Ocean Safety Division.
An off-duty lifeguard who was in the water dived and found Mozo. He and others brought Mozo to shore at Ehukai Beach Park and tried to revive him with a defibrillator, Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said. Mozo had head injuries and had no pulse, Tejada said. Mozo was pronounced dead at Kahuku Hospital.
"People are just speechless," said fellow surf photographer Bernie Baker, who was shooting pictures from the beach at Ehukai yesterday.
Baker said yesterday was one of those "pristine, perfect kind of photo and surfing days." The surf at Pipeline was not especially big, he said, but the swell was out of the west "and as any North Shore lifeguard can tell you, when you have an extreme west swell you have an extremely strong current and it's very easy to get dragged into a shallow area off the reef.
"He probably found himself caught in the face of a wave, and with the power of these west swells it may have dragged him up and over the face of the wave and flipped him into the shallow water. He would have hit the reef, which at best has 5 feet of water."
You can check out his work here. And buy some of it here. You never know when it will all come to an end, so live it up while you can...
The Dude liked waves...
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 11:07 AM
A Day In The Life Of The Oryx...
The Oryx Quest is not getting the attention of Ellen, the Vendee Globe, or even Orange II. But don't be fooled. It is a fascinating race not only because it pits three of the best G-Class multihulls against one another, but also because there are some excellent reports coming off the boats. Right now, Brian Thompson's Doha2006 has crept ahead of Olivier DeK's Geronimo, by just over 50 miles (take that, tri-lovers!). Cheyenne is lagging by more than 200 thanks to a failed flyer (full leaderboard here) but there could be a restart coming with the approach of the Doldrums. Anyhow, in the equally important Pulitzer Competition, Doha2006's Paul Larsen is in the lead, thanks to his detailed and insightful daily reports. Here's his latest, which gives a real sense of the life and rhythm aboard these maxi-multihulls:
"Well that was a typical start to my daily update. I got woken up for standby watch. A very deep sleep this time as I had been up for around twenty hours so I could get some filming done in my off watch period (no guilt from non-participation that way). After staggering through the hot and humid hull into the refreshing and instantly cooling breeze on deck it's good to sit down in the little 'cuddy' (coachroof) and wake up properly. It's dark, an hour or so from first light and the boat is driving on at 20-22 knots with its Draught Horse mentality. The new on watch team of Thomas Coville and Sharon Ferris seem pretty calm and under control. Johnny Malbon is up on the foredeck with Andy M. fixing something or other. Looking at everyone’s clothing it seems like no-one is worried about any water coming on decks. I'll stick with shorts. It's good to just sit and feel the motion of the boat, check out the sail combination, ask about the weather trends and consider the next possible gear change. On standby watch you are not required for the general driving and trimming activities. Your purpose is more as a man/woman power resource when a sail change or other such labour-intensive manouever is needed so armed with the aforementioned information you can plan your next four hours. Some breakfast perhaps, some cleaning or maintenance, a little extra sleep or in my case, an update and some photo editing. I sat in the cuddy for an hour or so, sorted out my head torch from the previous night and watched the sunrise. Everything looked cool and the gang. OK then, down to the aft part of the port hull to my little media station, open the laptop, power it up and open Outlook Express all the time thinking what to write about. All comfy, I strike one key and Sharon yells down the hatch (in the most distinctive Kiwi accent there is) "Paul mate, we're reefing". Riiiiight!!! If this situation happened only once then it would not be an issue but it seems to happen all the time. Nature doesn't believe in working to our feeble time schedules. As I made my way back on decks I wondered what had changed in the 35 seconds it took me to get down the to the media station. Sigh.
So the reef has gone in and it seems to be for the better as the numbers are the same and the motion is easier. It's already getting hotter. (right here is where I have to leave this little piece as my time is up and it's now my turn on watch. with 11 minutes to go I'll endeavour to cram in breakfast, find my hat and sunglasses, wake up the next standby and get a quick brief off the last watch). Sometimes it seems like there is not much to do but it is funny how you keep running out of time in which to do it!
Ok, five hours and one watch later and I'm back down in the sweat factory...actually no, the galley is truly the mother of all sweat factories (A good excuse for a naked chef if ever there was one...and therefore a good reason not to let Fraser B. cook) but it's hot down here nonetheless. All hatches are firmly sealed and the boat is off power- reaching under full mainsail and 'Yankee' reacher. Current speed 25 knots, current position, about 250 miles west of the straits between India and Sri Lanka. During our watch we hit some pretty fast speeds and narrowly missed some big long piles of flotsam. We now have someone on the bow spotting full time as some of the logs in the water would take the daggerboards clean off. We are guessing that this is the remnants from the recent tsunami but that's just a guess. Better to be safe than to get the million dollar crunch. So there has been some big hull flying action which makes things go momentarily quiet from where I am sitting. That is until the traveller winch directly overhead makes a noise as pleasant as a catfight at four in the morning (thanks Johnny M for that one) as the load is eased and the hull touches the water again.
So life is continuing at a somewhat different pace than the previous few days. At least at this speed you know that no-one is gaining on you at any rapid rate. Clothes are being customised in an effort to stay out of the sun and all is well. I just hope that we don't hit anything. (having just said that, we just did. I can reach aft with my left hand from where I am now and touch the port rudder stock. It just rang like a bell. Quick check and all seems well. On y va.)
Currently at 4' 47" N with an ETA at the equator around midnight GMT. There's one little bunny on board who is going to get the full wrath of Neptune. The ITCZ (Doldrums) looks interesting and possibly complicated. It's definitely not the Atlantic. Cheers, Paul."
And cheers to you, too, Paul. Thanks for taking the time to write. In the coming days we'll check in on the ever-colorful Tony Bullimore...
Thirty-six knots never looked so easy...
"Well that was a typical start to my daily update. I got woken up for standby watch. A very deep sleep this time as I had been up for around twenty hours so I could get some filming done in my off watch period (no guilt from non-participation that way). After staggering through the hot and humid hull into the refreshing and instantly cooling breeze on deck it's good to sit down in the little 'cuddy' (coachroof) and wake up properly. It's dark, an hour or so from first light and the boat is driving on at 20-22 knots with its Draught Horse mentality. The new on watch team of Thomas Coville and Sharon Ferris seem pretty calm and under control. Johnny Malbon is up on the foredeck with Andy M. fixing something or other. Looking at everyone’s clothing it seems like no-one is worried about any water coming on decks. I'll stick with shorts. It's good to just sit and feel the motion of the boat, check out the sail combination, ask about the weather trends and consider the next possible gear change. On standby watch you are not required for the general driving and trimming activities. Your purpose is more as a man/woman power resource when a sail change or other such labour-intensive manouever is needed so armed with the aforementioned information you can plan your next four hours. Some breakfast perhaps, some cleaning or maintenance, a little extra sleep or in my case, an update and some photo editing. I sat in the cuddy for an hour or so, sorted out my head torch from the previous night and watched the sunrise. Everything looked cool and the gang. OK then, down to the aft part of the port hull to my little media station, open the laptop, power it up and open Outlook Express all the time thinking what to write about. All comfy, I strike one key and Sharon yells down the hatch (in the most distinctive Kiwi accent there is) "Paul mate, we're reefing". Riiiiight!!! If this situation happened only once then it would not be an issue but it seems to happen all the time. Nature doesn't believe in working to our feeble time schedules. As I made my way back on decks I wondered what had changed in the 35 seconds it took me to get down the to the media station. Sigh.
So the reef has gone in and it seems to be for the better as the numbers are the same and the motion is easier. It's already getting hotter. (right here is where I have to leave this little piece as my time is up and it's now my turn on watch. with 11 minutes to go I'll endeavour to cram in breakfast, find my hat and sunglasses, wake up the next standby and get a quick brief off the last watch). Sometimes it seems like there is not much to do but it is funny how you keep running out of time in which to do it!
Ok, five hours and one watch later and I'm back down in the sweat factory...actually no, the galley is truly the mother of all sweat factories (A good excuse for a naked chef if ever there was one...and therefore a good reason not to let Fraser B. cook) but it's hot down here nonetheless. All hatches are firmly sealed and the boat is off power- reaching under full mainsail and 'Yankee' reacher. Current speed 25 knots, current position, about 250 miles west of the straits between India and Sri Lanka. During our watch we hit some pretty fast speeds and narrowly missed some big long piles of flotsam. We now have someone on the bow spotting full time as some of the logs in the water would take the daggerboards clean off. We are guessing that this is the remnants from the recent tsunami but that's just a guess. Better to be safe than to get the million dollar crunch. So there has been some big hull flying action which makes things go momentarily quiet from where I am sitting. That is until the traveller winch directly overhead makes a noise as pleasant as a catfight at four in the morning (thanks Johnny M for that one) as the load is eased and the hull touches the water again.
So life is continuing at a somewhat different pace than the previous few days. At least at this speed you know that no-one is gaining on you at any rapid rate. Clothes are being customised in an effort to stay out of the sun and all is well. I just hope that we don't hit anything. (having just said that, we just did. I can reach aft with my left hand from where I am now and touch the port rudder stock. It just rang like a bell. Quick check and all seems well. On y va.)
Currently at 4' 47" N with an ETA at the equator around midnight GMT. There's one little bunny on board who is going to get the full wrath of Neptune. The ITCZ (Doldrums) looks interesting and possibly complicated. It's definitely not the Atlantic. Cheers, Paul."
And cheers to you, too, Paul. Thanks for taking the time to write. In the coming days we'll check in on the ever-colorful Tony Bullimore...
Thirty-six knots never looked so easy...
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:44 AM
Thursday, February 10, 2005
It's A Weirdass World...
Okay, where to start. We've all had treehouses, and we've all dreamed of living off the grid...at least for five minutes. So let me introduce you to Canadian Tom Chudleigh, who is in the business of making these fantasies come true...at the same time. See, Tom manufactures a product called "Free Spirit Spheres," which are large egg-shaped, err, spheres that are built to be suspended from the trees...and lived in (tag line: "Habitat For The Untamed Spirit"). Really. He calls the design a marriage of treehouse and sailboat technology, and his aim is to give humans a different, very different, perspective on life. According to Chudleigh:
The forest canopy is a magical environment. Break the contact with the ground and the energy seems to shift. Its hard not to think of elves and fairies or to not feel the presence of the forest. That presence seems to dwell in the canopy where it can watch the meanderings below.
I wouldn't mind feeling the presence of the forest, but as for the elves and fairies...
You can order your own from the Free Spirit Sphere web page (no price listed). And if you need to know more before you move in (but why would you?), you can check out the info page (which explains that the thing will swing like a motherf*cker every time someone moves in it), and the FAQ page (which explains that no, there is no bathroom, and suggests that the thing can be hung as high as 120 feet off the ground; wait a minute, isn't that a bad combination?). Anyhow, you can see lots of pics here (umm, why does that Dude have a laptop in the Sphere; I mean, what's the point?). The Free Spirit Sphere. Very tempting for anyone with small children...
"Damn! I really hate delivering the mail to these wackos..."
The forest canopy is a magical environment. Break the contact with the ground and the energy seems to shift. Its hard not to think of elves and fairies or to not feel the presence of the forest. That presence seems to dwell in the canopy where it can watch the meanderings below.
I wouldn't mind feeling the presence of the forest, but as for the elves and fairies...
You can order your own from the Free Spirit Sphere web page (no price listed). And if you need to know more before you move in (but why would you?), you can check out the info page (which explains that the thing will swing like a motherf*cker every time someone moves in it), and the FAQ page (which explains that no, there is no bathroom, and suggests that the thing can be hung as high as 120 feet off the ground; wait a minute, isn't that a bad combination?). Anyhow, you can see lots of pics here (umm, why does that Dude have a laptop in the Sphere; I mean, what's the point?). The Free Spirit Sphere. Very tempting for anyone with small children...
"Damn! I really hate delivering the mail to these wackos..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:42 AM
You Like Big Air...?
Well, check these windsurfing clips (Quicktime only) out:
Monster Air
More Monster Air
They come from a great windsurfing site, called Continent Seven. It's windsurfing clip heaven. Just click on "Moves" if you want to work on your Back Loop or Air Flaka (say what?). Or hit the links on the front page and surprise yourself. Be careful, though. It's easy to start imagining that you can pull this sh*t off...
"Is this a f*cking Flaka...?"
Monster Air
More Monster Air
They come from a great windsurfing site, called Continent Seven. It's windsurfing clip heaven. Just click on "Moves" if you want to work on your Back Loop or Air Flaka (say what?). Or hit the links on the front page and surprise yourself. Be careful, though. It's easy to start imagining that you can pull this sh*t off...
"Is this a f*cking Flaka...?"
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:14 AM
The Wetass Life: Oskar Kihlborg...
He's been up Everest, K2 and Lohtse. He's sailed across the Atlantic twice. He's ridden a bike from Rome to Stockholm. And now Kihlborg, a Swede, is gearing up to bring you the Volvo Ocean Race through the lens of a camera, as the race's official photographer. Bastard. “My job is to show the world what the Volvo Ocean Race is all about. It’s not just the competition between the boats; it’s also about happiness and sorrow, sweat and tears, high tech and mother nature. I want to cover all of that,” Kihlborg says. “I have never been in the Southern Ocean myself, but I know what it is like to sail in tough conditions. When breaking the Atlantic record on Nicorette there was 85 knots in the gusts. I know the feeling when one minute you scream for joy, and the next cry for fear. I think that’s important for me to know, and I hope I’ll be able to put those feelings into my pictures.”
Yeah, me too. You can check out Kihlborg's work at his website. But here's what it looks like:
(Photos: Oskar Kihlborg)
Yeah, me too. You can check out Kihlborg's work at his website. But here's what it looks like:
(Photos: Oskar Kihlborg)
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 9:40 AM
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Wetass Video Of The Week...
Skydiving. Beautifully filmed. Great soundtrack ("Do you ever question your life?"). Want to be enthralled? Click here (hefty Quicktime download; be patient), courtesy of TWC reader "Uncle Bob" Steele...
"Enough with the peace signs, Shroomhead. There's a corporate jet coming right at us..."
"Enough with the peace signs, Shroomhead. There's a corporate jet coming right at us..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:59 AM
Mega-Multihull Roundup...
Orange II is already dodging ice in the Southern Ocean. Their pace around the global track is simply unbelievable, and it's even possible to imagine the prospect--given perfect luck with the weather--of a sub-50 day circumnavigation. It's not likely, but it's also not entirely ridiculous, which tells you something about the potential of this cat. Peyron's maxi-beast is clearly capable of putting up daily averages in the high 20s, and she has hit speeds in the high 30s (during her recent Mediterranean record her top speed was, gulp, 42.7 knots). Peyron missed the Ushant-Equator record, but he just pocketed the Ushant-Cape Of Good Hope record (14 days, 8h and 19 mins, which beats the old record held by Geronimo by 2 days, 06 h 16 mins) and the Equator-Cape Of Good Hope record (7 days 5h and 22mins, which smashes Cheyenne's old time by 2 days, 11 h 05 mins). Orange II is 1860 miles ahead of Cheyenne at this point (details here), and there is a new video up--"Two records and a small incident" (the incident was a wave smashing to pieces the windscreen in front of helmsman Lionel Lemonchoix)--on the video page of the Orange II website. It's all going so well, it's making me nervous...
Meanwhile, much further north in the Indian Ocean, Orange II's maxi-multi cousins (Geronimo, Doha 2006 and Cheyenne) are duking it out in the Oryx Quest. Cheyenne is off on a flyer to the east. But Doha 2006 and Geronimo are locked in an epic battle for the lead. We knew there would be some close racing, but who knew it would be this close. Here's Doha 2006's Paul Larsen with the call:
"As the sun rises once more for the second half of day 4 GMT... There she is again. Ruining, for us, at least what would be a perfect sunrise. For over 24 hours now we have been locked in battle with the big trimaran Geronimo. Yesterday saw us commit an act most foul in the world of multihulls. We gradually reeled in Geronimo and overtook her in light upwind conditions. By all accounts this should be her forte. It was a beautiful moment for all on board and no doubt one that will start many a heated discussion in various yacht club bars. There is a whole host of reasons that De Kersauson would not have enjoyed about this scenario. The sailing was in very light, almost glassy conditions and both boats were snaking along trying to move in sync with the oscillating puffs. As soon as we drew abeam, Geronimo tacked off to windward and then came back on our hip. So the sun rose on Geronimo and in the evening it set on her as well. The sunset was a magic moment which included the legendary 'green flash'. The sea was so calm that it reflected the sky perfectly in places and you could no longer see where the two merged. The two giant multihulls glided along as if joined by a big rubber band a mile long. The night was incredible. I have always been a big fan of full moon sailing and still will be when you are trying to see the waves, but when it's dead flat, well you can't beat the stars of a moonless night. The boat had zero motion but was still maintaining 5-7 knots under full mainsail and Code '0'.
We were trying to cross a high pressure ridge that was blocking our passage into the trade winds and which will carry us down towards the equator. As we headed south on starboard tack we gradually got headed towards the east before choosing our moment to tack across and continue our southing. Once this manouever was completed we watched Geronimos navigation lights slip across our transom going from her green bow light to her white stern light.... and then back to her green bow light as she also tacked across and sat on our hip once more. The seas now reflected the stars which now included the lovely Southern Cross which is always a warming sight to yours truly as well as four other members of the team. So as we glided along barely breaking the water, there were long moments of silence and calm on board. It really felt like we could have been floating through space. It truly was surreal.
The wind continued to back around which put Geronimo in a strong position as she was now inside us and as the first shimmer of daylight broke our trip across the galaxy, there she was again, ruining our perfect sunrise shot.So on the morning of the 9th of Feb, Doha 2006 is to be found peeling between Code '0', 'yankee' and medium gennaker as we follow Geronimo who is now around 1 mile directly ahead. Its not all 30-40 knots and huge seas on these big multihulls. They do other tricks as well. The wind is back and we are through the ridge and heading for the trades. This could be good fight."
Incredible. Match racing these monsters can not be easy on the crew. Just wait until Cheyenne gets back into the frame. Hope they all have their rule books on board...
Dueling Doha 2006: "Sorry, guys. De Kersauson has tacked again, so let's go too. I think I see his strategy now. He's, err, trying to kill us..."
Meanwhile, much further north in the Indian Ocean, Orange II's maxi-multi cousins (Geronimo, Doha 2006 and Cheyenne) are duking it out in the Oryx Quest. Cheyenne is off on a flyer to the east. But Doha 2006 and Geronimo are locked in an epic battle for the lead. We knew there would be some close racing, but who knew it would be this close. Here's Doha 2006's Paul Larsen with the call:
"As the sun rises once more for the second half of day 4 GMT... There she is again. Ruining, for us, at least what would be a perfect sunrise. For over 24 hours now we have been locked in battle with the big trimaran Geronimo. Yesterday saw us commit an act most foul in the world of multihulls. We gradually reeled in Geronimo and overtook her in light upwind conditions. By all accounts this should be her forte. It was a beautiful moment for all on board and no doubt one that will start many a heated discussion in various yacht club bars. There is a whole host of reasons that De Kersauson would not have enjoyed about this scenario. The sailing was in very light, almost glassy conditions and both boats were snaking along trying to move in sync with the oscillating puffs. As soon as we drew abeam, Geronimo tacked off to windward and then came back on our hip. So the sun rose on Geronimo and in the evening it set on her as well. The sunset was a magic moment which included the legendary 'green flash'. The sea was so calm that it reflected the sky perfectly in places and you could no longer see where the two merged. The two giant multihulls glided along as if joined by a big rubber band a mile long. The night was incredible. I have always been a big fan of full moon sailing and still will be when you are trying to see the waves, but when it's dead flat, well you can't beat the stars of a moonless night. The boat had zero motion but was still maintaining 5-7 knots under full mainsail and Code '0'.
We were trying to cross a high pressure ridge that was blocking our passage into the trade winds and which will carry us down towards the equator. As we headed south on starboard tack we gradually got headed towards the east before choosing our moment to tack across and continue our southing. Once this manouever was completed we watched Geronimos navigation lights slip across our transom going from her green bow light to her white stern light.... and then back to her green bow light as she also tacked across and sat on our hip once more. The seas now reflected the stars which now included the lovely Southern Cross which is always a warming sight to yours truly as well as four other members of the team. So as we glided along barely breaking the water, there were long moments of silence and calm on board. It really felt like we could have been floating through space. It truly was surreal.
The wind continued to back around which put Geronimo in a strong position as she was now inside us and as the first shimmer of daylight broke our trip across the galaxy, there she was again, ruining our perfect sunrise shot.So on the morning of the 9th of Feb, Doha 2006 is to be found peeling between Code '0', 'yankee' and medium gennaker as we follow Geronimo who is now around 1 mile directly ahead. Its not all 30-40 knots and huge seas on these big multihulls. They do other tricks as well. The wind is back and we are through the ridge and heading for the trades. This could be good fight."
Incredible. Match racing these monsters can not be easy on the crew. Just wait until Cheyenne gets back into the frame. Hope they all have their rule books on board...
Dueling Doha 2006: "Sorry, guys. De Kersauson has tacked again, so let's go too. I think I see his strategy now. He's, err, trying to kill us..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:21 AM
Mysteries Of The Deep (cont.)...
Well, you can never get enough pictures of strange creatures from the deep. Yesterday, TWC brought you the oarfish. And today we bring you the grotesqueries and freakish fish that were tossed up from the depths by the Indian Ocean tsunami. You can see the full photoset here. But (shiver!) take a peek at these:
Excuse me, I think I might lose my lunch. Okay, I'm back and thinking there has to be a horror movie in here somewhere. Scene 1: Mega-tsunami. Scene 2: A few months later, sunlit beachgoers (played, of course, by very bad actresses and actors in ultra-skimpy swimsuits) start getting chomped, mauled, and zapped (yes, zapped) by an invasion of deep-sea oddities that scientists have never seen before. Scene 3: Hey, I've done my part. Over to you Wes Craven..
(Update: Damn. Snoped again. Spoilsport, I mean alert, TWC readers--Sailing World's Tony Bessinger and Peter Hilgendorff Jr.--write to say that according to the urban legend debunker these fish weren't tossed up by the Tsunami, but were hauled from the deep by the NORFANZ deep sea research expedition. The NORFANZ pics can be found here. Hey, at least the fish are real...).
Excuse me, I think I might lose my lunch. Okay, I'm back and thinking there has to be a horror movie in here somewhere. Scene 1: Mega-tsunami. Scene 2: A few months later, sunlit beachgoers (played, of course, by very bad actresses and actors in ultra-skimpy swimsuits) start getting chomped, mauled, and zapped (yes, zapped) by an invasion of deep-sea oddities that scientists have never seen before. Scene 3: Hey, I've done my part. Over to you Wes Craven..
(Update: Damn. Snoped again. Spoilsport, I mean alert, TWC readers--Sailing World's Tony Bessinger and Peter Hilgendorff Jr.--write to say that according to the urban legend debunker these fish weren't tossed up by the Tsunami, but were hauled from the deep by the NORFANZ deep sea research expedition. The NORFANZ pics can be found here. Hey, at least the fish are real...).
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 9:52 AM
Awesome Internet TV (cont.)...
Okay, now that the celebrations have died down, the hangovers are dissipating, and we can all get on with our lives following Ellen's epic record-setting voyage, I'd like to turn your attention to the latest, greatest, innovation from Ellen and the marketing geniuses at Offshore Challenges. It's called OC (as in Offshore Challenges)-TV, and they slapped it up on Ellen's site in the late days of her voyage. If you didn't notice it, or just passed over it as so much spam, I'm here to help you get back on the mystical path to Internet Nirvana. Simply put, OCTV (which you can access here) is stunning. Yes, they want to sell subscriptions. But judging from the free features you can view right now, those subscriptions might even be worth it. Just click on the "Features" button, and then if you've got a good monitor kick the whole thing up into full-screen "TV" mode, and sit back with a rag to mop up your drool. There's incredible footage in each of the free features I watched. In the intro film to Ellen's record-attempt there's a mesmerizing shot of B&Q's leeward float submarining entirely under water at high speed and smoothly riding back to the surface. In the Transat feature there's classic footage of the early racers, including a comment from Sir Francis himself.
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it until it is true: this is the future of broadcast sailing. We've already got Swedish Match TV. Now we have OCTV. If only Seamaster Sailing and the America's Cup would go this route too, we'd never have to turn on the boob tube and watch boobs try to dumb sailing down for the NACSAR crowd at 2 am...
"No, silly, I'm not a web cam girl in mid-strip. I'm on OCTV...!"
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it until it is true: this is the future of broadcast sailing. We've already got Swedish Match TV. Now we have OCTV. If only Seamaster Sailing and the America's Cup would go this route too, we'd never have to turn on the boob tube and watch boobs try to dumb sailing down for the NACSAR crowd at 2 am...
"No, silly, I'm not a web cam girl in mid-strip. I'm on OCTV...!"
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 9:30 AM
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Wetass Video Vault...
No themes (to speak of). No commentary. Just a few gems from deep in the locker:
Speedboat Racing Can Be A Surprisingly Exciting Spectator Sport...
Glacier Watching Can Be A Surprisingly Exciting Spectator Sport...
Why Aussie Are Such Fast Swimmers... (Quicktime only)
"I train Olympians..."
Speedboat Racing Can Be A Surprisingly Exciting Spectator Sport...
Glacier Watching Can Be A Surprisingly Exciting Spectator Sport...
Why Aussie Are Such Fast Swimmers... (Quicktime only)
"I train Olympians..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 11:25 AM
Mysteries Of The Deep...
Check out this wild-looking sea serpent, which washed ashore at City Beach, off Perth. It's called an oarfish, and they are extremely rare. Last year, a woman in the UK caught a 14-footer that weighed 30 pounds more than she did. Unfortunately for the scientific world, instead of turning it over for research she sliced it up and put it in her freezer...
"F*ck the oceanographers, Dude. Do you still have the number for that sushi distributor...?"
"F*ck the oceanographers, Dude. Do you still have the number for that sushi distributor...?"
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 11:10 AM
Put It In The Books, And Lock The Companionway...
71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds. That's the new standard, and Little Big Mac can be pretty pleased with herself. She also set a bunch of new records for segments of the round-the-world course:
Ushant-Equator 8d 18h 20m 7/12/04 0230GMT (taking 14h 3m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape of Good Hope 19d 9h 46m 17/12/04 1756GMT (taking 10h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Leeuwin 29d 14h 5m 27/12/04 2215GMT (taking 17h 24m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Horn 44d 23h 36m 12/1/04 0746GMT (taking 4 days 2h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Equator 60d 13h 35m 27/1/05 2145GMT (taking 1d 10h 50m off Joyon's time)
Equator-Equator record of 51 days, 19 hours and 15 minutes
To pull it off she and B&Q sailed 27,354 miles through the water at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Not bad at all. So, what did it feel like to finish? Here are Ellen's first thoughts:
"When I crossed the line I felt like collapsing on the cockpit floor and just falling asleep. I was absolutely over the moon but just the fact that you can finally let go - when you cross the line it's over. It's just over, you don't have to worry anymore, I think that was the biggest emotion, elation and one of huge relief...I just feel exhausted but absolutely elated to be here and I've got a mixture of emotions in my mind. There are things spinning round in my head. The fact that I can see and touch people, that I can look them in the eyes, I've not looked anyone in the eyes for over two months. Just to have that look, to be able to see someone is very special. People take that for granted so there's a lot of things going round in my head right now. It's just great to have been able to cross the line, it's great that I can finally switch my brain off and not have to concentrate on wind speed and boat speed or weather for the first time in over two months. And also just to relax in the company of others because that's something that I have missed."
And here is a gracious (though subtly chagrined) tribute from previous record holder, Francis Joyon:
"I always said that Ellen was a serious contender, and I can see today that she has decided to prove me right. The mere fact that she was able to sail around the world non-stop was quite an exploit, but to smash the record at the same time fully deserves my warmest congratulations. Ellen achieved this result through her concentrated efforts. Her team worked hard and backed her before and during her circumnavigation, and she did not ever lose her resolve. Being well supported is one thing, but when you find yourself in the middle of the southern lows in this type of boat, you really feel very alone. Having experienced the deep south in a multihull, and with this memory still fresh on my mind, I know full well that this can be very tough on the nerves. I am sure that at times, it must have been very hard going, and I often thought about Ellen, when she was in some difficult patches with south westerly winds and squalls violently pouring down on the boat. Her trimaran is big, there is a large surface area of sail, and in times like those, it is not her shore team that was able do much for her.
I was hoping to keep the record for a bit longer, but it was not something that I put on a pedestal either. During the press conference following my arrival, I pointed out that in my opinion it was possible to improve on my time, taking into account my damage and the times when I was becalmed. However, I did not think it would be Ellen beating me so soon, and so magnificently. Once again, well done to her!"
Both Joyon and Ellen have taken this sort of sailing to an entirely new level. Their solo times are in the ballpark or better than all the fully crewed times up to the launch of the latest generation of supermultihull. What's next? Ellen says she's after the transatlantic record. Fine. But have a beer first...
Ellen Returns To The "Real" World: "Uh-oh. Look at all those journalists. Maybe I should just turn around..."
Ushant-Equator 8d 18h 20m 7/12/04 0230GMT (taking 14h 3m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape of Good Hope 19d 9h 46m 17/12/04 1756GMT (taking 10h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Leeuwin 29d 14h 5m 27/12/04 2215GMT (taking 17h 24m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Horn 44d 23h 36m 12/1/04 0746GMT (taking 4 days 2h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Equator 60d 13h 35m 27/1/05 2145GMT (taking 1d 10h 50m off Joyon's time)
Equator-Equator record of 51 days, 19 hours and 15 minutes
To pull it off she and B&Q sailed 27,354 miles through the water at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Not bad at all. So, what did it feel like to finish? Here are Ellen's first thoughts:
"When I crossed the line I felt like collapsing on the cockpit floor and just falling asleep. I was absolutely over the moon but just the fact that you can finally let go - when you cross the line it's over. It's just over, you don't have to worry anymore, I think that was the biggest emotion, elation and one of huge relief...I just feel exhausted but absolutely elated to be here and I've got a mixture of emotions in my mind. There are things spinning round in my head. The fact that I can see and touch people, that I can look them in the eyes, I've not looked anyone in the eyes for over two months. Just to have that look, to be able to see someone is very special. People take that for granted so there's a lot of things going round in my head right now. It's just great to have been able to cross the line, it's great that I can finally switch my brain off and not have to concentrate on wind speed and boat speed or weather for the first time in over two months. And also just to relax in the company of others because that's something that I have missed."
And here is a gracious (though subtly chagrined) tribute from previous record holder, Francis Joyon:
"I always said that Ellen was a serious contender, and I can see today that she has decided to prove me right. The mere fact that she was able to sail around the world non-stop was quite an exploit, but to smash the record at the same time fully deserves my warmest congratulations. Ellen achieved this result through her concentrated efforts. Her team worked hard and backed her before and during her circumnavigation, and she did not ever lose her resolve. Being well supported is one thing, but when you find yourself in the middle of the southern lows in this type of boat, you really feel very alone. Having experienced the deep south in a multihull, and with this memory still fresh on my mind, I know full well that this can be very tough on the nerves. I am sure that at times, it must have been very hard going, and I often thought about Ellen, when she was in some difficult patches with south westerly winds and squalls violently pouring down on the boat. Her trimaran is big, there is a large surface area of sail, and in times like those, it is not her shore team that was able do much for her.
I was hoping to keep the record for a bit longer, but it was not something that I put on a pedestal either. During the press conference following my arrival, I pointed out that in my opinion it was possible to improve on my time, taking into account my damage and the times when I was becalmed. However, I did not think it would be Ellen beating me so soon, and so magnificently. Once again, well done to her!"
Both Joyon and Ellen have taken this sort of sailing to an entirely new level. Their solo times are in the ballpark or better than all the fully crewed times up to the launch of the latest generation of supermultihull. What's next? Ellen says she's after the transatlantic record. Fine. But have a beer first...
Ellen Returns To The "Real" World: "Uh-oh. Look at all those journalists. Maybe I should just turn around..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:13 AM
Monday, February 07, 2005
All Hail Ellen...!
She's across the finish in 71d 14h 18m 33 seconds, beating the unbeatable by 1 day 8 hours 36 minutes and 49 seconds. It took a superhuman effort, but she is now the fastest solo circumnavigator...EVER. In the South Atlantic it looked as if she would be done in by generator problems. At Cape Horn it looked as if she might smash the record by 3-4 days. At the Equator it looked as if she was the unluckiest sailor ever to cleave a wave and might not break the record at all. And in the Bay Of Biscay, as fate teased her with the possibility of breaking the record, it threw a vicious, North Atlantic storm into her path, as if to test her seamanship, and the durability of her tri, before deeming her worthy of an epic, record-breaking finish.
It was quite a ride, and I'm not really sure where she can go from here. There's no solo sailor and boat out there--other than Francis Joyon and IDEC should he care to make another run at the record--who can challenge her time in the forseeable future. Sure, she can go out and nail the solo transatlantic record and the solo 24-hour record to take the Triple Crown, but compared to the Big One, it will be a bit anticlimactic. Should she go back and try to win the Vendee in 2008? Should she go back to maxi-multihulls? Who knows. Ellen reminds me of a sailing Alexander the Great, who in his twenties is said to have broken down and wept because he had no worlds left to conquer...
Ellen Triumphant: "But I'm crying inside. Really..."
It was quite a ride, and I'm not really sure where she can go from here. There's no solo sailor and boat out there--other than Francis Joyon and IDEC should he care to make another run at the record--who can challenge her time in the forseeable future. Sure, she can go out and nail the solo transatlantic record and the solo 24-hour record to take the Triple Crown, but compared to the Big One, it will be a bit anticlimactic. Should she go back and try to win the Vendee in 2008? Should she go back to maxi-multihulls? Who knows. Ellen reminds me of a sailing Alexander the Great, who in his twenties is said to have broken down and wept because he had no worlds left to conquer...
Ellen Triumphant: "But I'm crying inside. Really..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 4:51 PM
Maximum Maxi-Multihull Action...
These are heady days for high-speed sailing fanatics. In addition to Ellen closing in a new solo global record, and Orange II on course to destroy the outright record (see below), we've got the rest of the world's maxi multihulls racing non-stop around the world from (and back to) Qatar. The Oryx Quest got underway Saturday, and it's pitting Olivier De Kersuason's mega-tri Geronimo against her feline cousins, Cheyenne and Doha 2006 (former Club Med). Tony Bullimore is also in the mix on an endlessly updated older boat, Daedalus (former-Enza), but he won't be in the frame long (sorry, Tony, your boat belongs in a museum).
This race is interesting for three reasons: 1) it's a sailboat race; 2) it's the first non-stop race around the globe that starts and finishes in the Middle East, so for the first time we're going to learn about the Indian Ocean and the Monsoon; and 3) it's the first time that Geronimo has lined up head-to head with Cheyenne and one of the Ollier first-generation cats. So maybe we'll get some insights into the relative merits of a maxi-tri versus a maxi-cat.
For the moment, Geronimo appears to be out front, and the boats are in the Gulf Of Oman (see, I told you we were going to learn about some new places). Latest daily report is here. And here's Zelig-like multihull sailor Paul Larsen (of SailRocket fame), who's sailing with Brian Thompson's Doha 2006, on the early cat vs. tri duel:
"As expected of the upwind,12-14 knot start, the big tri was gaining some height on the rest of the fleet. Although we led across the line we were a lot closer when we tacked across onto starboard. Geronimo slipped across in front by a boat length or two, and then proceeded to tack right on top of us which may have worked if they had of got their canting rig sorted out at the same time. They were left going upwind with the rig hanging off to leeward and hence no sheet tension on the headsail and we quickly slipped by leaving them no option but to tack back. Around the first mark we changed to a reaching sail and quickly began to pull out some more as night settled in. Geronimo wasn't backing off and kept coming at us. Her masthead strobe light was a clear indicator and was watched intently as conditions began to build. Reefs were dropped in and headsails constantly changed as we surfed down hill heading for the exit. With Geronimo three miles directly behind we hit something with the port rudder which caused concern and the decision was made to drop the headsails, turn the boat head to wind and reverse it for a bit to help the offending object to float free of the rudder. During this manouever Geronimo went by only a couple of hundred meters away doing 25+ knots no doubt watching with interest. The object turned out to be a shark of some sort whose number had come up. We were quickly back up to speed and off after Geronimo who was now well ahead. With winds peaking at 40 knots it didn't take long to reach the Straits of Hormutz where... we promptly parked up."
The Oryx website has some very cool performance pages that are worth checking out. Let's see, we've got a 24-hour speed graph (Cheyenne is coming on); instrument displays (De Kersauson, true to his old-school, super-secretive nature, seems to have ripped the wires out of his); and a map display (that has links to global, leader, fleet and leg charts). Not bad. This is going to be fun (well, any race that features Olivier De Kersauson is bound to be fun)...
"That bast*rd De Kersauson can black out his nav data all he wants. I can tell you exactly where he is right now, and I hope he's enjoying the view..."
This race is interesting for three reasons: 1) it's a sailboat race; 2) it's the first non-stop race around the globe that starts and finishes in the Middle East, so for the first time we're going to learn about the Indian Ocean and the Monsoon; and 3) it's the first time that Geronimo has lined up head-to head with Cheyenne and one of the Ollier first-generation cats. So maybe we'll get some insights into the relative merits of a maxi-tri versus a maxi-cat.
For the moment, Geronimo appears to be out front, and the boats are in the Gulf Of Oman (see, I told you we were going to learn about some new places). Latest daily report is here. And here's Zelig-like multihull sailor Paul Larsen (of SailRocket fame), who's sailing with Brian Thompson's Doha 2006, on the early cat vs. tri duel:
"As expected of the upwind,12-14 knot start, the big tri was gaining some height on the rest of the fleet. Although we led across the line we were a lot closer when we tacked across onto starboard. Geronimo slipped across in front by a boat length or two, and then proceeded to tack right on top of us which may have worked if they had of got their canting rig sorted out at the same time. They were left going upwind with the rig hanging off to leeward and hence no sheet tension on the headsail and we quickly slipped by leaving them no option but to tack back. Around the first mark we changed to a reaching sail and quickly began to pull out some more as night settled in. Geronimo wasn't backing off and kept coming at us. Her masthead strobe light was a clear indicator and was watched intently as conditions began to build. Reefs were dropped in and headsails constantly changed as we surfed down hill heading for the exit. With Geronimo three miles directly behind we hit something with the port rudder which caused concern and the decision was made to drop the headsails, turn the boat head to wind and reverse it for a bit to help the offending object to float free of the rudder. During this manouever Geronimo went by only a couple of hundred meters away doing 25+ knots no doubt watching with interest. The object turned out to be a shark of some sort whose number had come up. We were quickly back up to speed and off after Geronimo who was now well ahead. With winds peaking at 40 knots it didn't take long to reach the Straits of Hormutz where... we promptly parked up."
The Oryx website has some very cool performance pages that are worth checking out. Let's see, we've got a 24-hour speed graph (Cheyenne is coming on); instrument displays (De Kersauson, true to his old-school, super-secretive nature, seems to have ripped the wires out of his); and a map display (that has links to global, leader, fleet and leg charts). Not bad. This is going to be fun (well, any race that features Olivier De Kersauson is bound to be fun)...
"That bast*rd De Kersauson can black out his nav data all he wants. I can tell you exactly where he is right now, and I hope he's enjoying the view..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:23 AM
Orange (II) Crush...
Okay, that's an obvious headline. But it's spot on. Bruno Peyron and his crew on Orange II are absolutely mashing, smashing and pulping (okay, that's it for the juicing jokes) their virtual rivals--Cheyenne and Geronimo--as they power into the Southern Ocean during their outright, non-stop circumnavigation record attempt. They left two weeks ago hoping to leapfrog the St. Helena high in the South Atlantic--a major roadblock during record attempts--and they did exactly that. Now they are into the Roaring Forties and putting up monster daily runs: 686 miles yesterday (just 20 miles short of Orange II's 24-hour record) and just 640 miles today. The result is that Orange II is a whopping 1790 miles (or more than 4 DAYS!) ahead of Cheyenne's time to the same point (comparative chart and stats here). Go to the video page of the Orange II website and check out the latest clip ("Orange II: course in the south") to get a sense of the speed this giant is traveling at (nice flat seas, too). So far, they report no issues with the boat. But there will without doubt be any number of crises ahead (no world record attempt has ever come off without some major problem), and how they handle whatever pops up will affect their record chances much more than inherent boat speed (there's no doubt this thing is the fastest ocean racing yacht in the world). Bonne chance, Bruno...
"Holy Merde! If we hit a whale or chunk of ice at this speed, we'll rip the legs right off this cat..."
"Holy Merde! If we hit a whale or chunk of ice at this speed, we'll rip the legs right off this cat..."
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 10:02 AM
Ellen Is In The Home Stretch...
She survived the worst storm of her voyage, and now she's gliding home at 13 knot-plus, with just 142 miles to go. Unless her mast falls down, she should be across the finish later this evening, and looks set to break Joyon's solo, non-stop record by just over a day. Pretty incredible, in light of the fact that most pundits thought Joyon's record would be around for about a decade. But it wasn't easy, and after witnessing Ellen's drive, resilience and physical and mental stamina over the course of this record run I feel comfortable saying that if it had been any other sailor in the world aboard B&Q (except perhaps Joyon himself) the record would not be falling. She's that special, and that good. Here's the latest daily report. And here's what Ellen had to say on her most recent call:
"The last 24 hours have been absolutely horrendous. We've had everything from full on gusts of 40 knots in the tail end of a storm, we've had huge sea states at the end of yesterday after the storm in the north, we sailed out of that sea state during the night still with some very strong gusts and we had to tack in a small low pressure system, off the north of Spain and that's proved very, very complicated. What we thought would be one tack on a shift off to the north ended up being seven tacks during the night. I had 100 degree wind shifts which lasted for 45 minutes which meant I had to tack and then came back again. It's been very, very variable very, very tough. And unbelieveably cold out here...
I'm absolutely exhausted, I had about 15 minutes sleep I think through the night, there has been ships everywhere, rain squalls. We had the wind direction changing. At one point the boat tacked itself because the wind shift was so great so! It's been a full on night and I am very, very tired. I was hoping to be in before sunset tonight but that looks absolutely impossible now, so I'm just going to have to hang in here and just try and hold on until the finish.
Getting to land is a strange thing to say because it's been a long time since we've even seen land. We didn't see Cape Horn, all I've seen have seen are the Islands in the South Atlantic. There's not been a lot of land sighted from B&Q so the thought of coming back to land is pretty novel in itself. I'm very much looking forward to getting in, to seeing all the team, my friends and family and all the supporters. I can't wait to get in. It's been a very, very long trip and an exceptionally hard one. I'll be glad to be crossing that finish line and finally feeling a little bit of relief."
Sailing a multihull solo is so much more stressful than a monohull. I wonder if Ellen was surprised by the difference, and whether it will affect how much more she goes on to do in this boat. She certainly didn't seem to having much fun. Anyhow, here's what she looked like crossing the Bay Of Biscay, thanks to a rendevous with the Royal Navy...
"The last 24 hours have been absolutely horrendous. We've had everything from full on gusts of 40 knots in the tail end of a storm, we've had huge sea states at the end of yesterday after the storm in the north, we sailed out of that sea state during the night still with some very strong gusts and we had to tack in a small low pressure system, off the north of Spain and that's proved very, very complicated. What we thought would be one tack on a shift off to the north ended up being seven tacks during the night. I had 100 degree wind shifts which lasted for 45 minutes which meant I had to tack and then came back again. It's been very, very variable very, very tough. And unbelieveably cold out here...
I'm absolutely exhausted, I had about 15 minutes sleep I think through the night, there has been ships everywhere, rain squalls. We had the wind direction changing. At one point the boat tacked itself because the wind shift was so great so! It's been a full on night and I am very, very tired. I was hoping to be in before sunset tonight but that looks absolutely impossible now, so I'm just going to have to hang in here and just try and hold on until the finish.
Getting to land is a strange thing to say because it's been a long time since we've even seen land. We didn't see Cape Horn, all I've seen have seen are the Islands in the South Atlantic. There's not been a lot of land sighted from B&Q so the thought of coming back to land is pretty novel in itself. I'm very much looking forward to getting in, to seeing all the team, my friends and family and all the supporters. I can't wait to get in. It's been a very, very long trip and an exceptionally hard one. I'll be glad to be crossing that finish line and finally feeling a little bit of relief."
Sailing a multihull solo is so much more stressful than a monohull. I wonder if Ellen was surprised by the difference, and whether it will affect how much more she goes on to do in this boat. She certainly didn't seem to having much fun. Anyhow, here's what she looked like crossing the Bay Of Biscay, thanks to a rendevous with the Royal Navy...
Posted by Tim Zimmermann @ 9:37 AM
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