Betreff: BRUCE AND HIS AMAZING FLYING MACHINE
Absender: "Aroundalone"
Datum: 27. Apr 2003 22:08
BRUCE AND HIS AMAZING FLYING MACHINE
Bruce Schwab is a man on a mission. He is out to prove that the Europeans do not have a lock on all the good ideas when it comes to sailboat design, especially in the arena of Open Class boats. His own boat, Ocean Planet, is a fairly radical departure from the conventional Open 60s seen competing in solo around the world races and at times it has shown blazing speeds. Bruce may finish this Around Alone in fifth place, but itÂ’s not a fair indication of BruceÂ’s skill as a sailor, nor his boats ability to revolutionize the Open Class scene. For Bruce this race is just the beginning; the Vendee is next. "I am already entered in the Vendee," he said in a satellite phone call. "ThatÂ’s the race this boat was designed and built for and thatÂ’s the one I really want to win." If there is ever a time that Bruce can feel confident he could do well in that highly competitive event, itÂ’s now after his fantastic performance on this last leg of the Around Alone. At the last po ll Schwab was just 26 miles behind Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali, sailing a knot faster. "I think Bernard is out of reach," Schwab said referring to Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor lux who has an almost insurmountable lead, "but I feel that I can pass Tiscali and stay ahead especially if the wind goes light." A second place finish on this leg would be most satisfying for the Californian sailor who has had to constantly defend his design concept since the race started.
Schwab is a typical solo sailor. He is slightly built, unassuming, and very dedicated to his craft as a professional sailor and rigger. He has a quiet intensity about him and is passionate about the narrow boat concept. "I have always been an innovator," he said. "I feel strongly that my concept of a narrow, easily driven hull with a powerful, unstayed rig makes a lot of sense for single-handed sailing. The problem with this boat in this race is that the boat was brand new and we had no money to incorporate even the smallest changes before the race started. We knew how to improve the boats performance before the start in New York and I know now after sailing it 25,000 miles that this boat can be dramatically improved. ItÂ’s just a question of money, and time." During the layover in New Zealand Schwab did some small modifications to the bow of the boat adding bouyancy and changing the profile to a plumb bow. After a few days back in the Southern Ocean he knew that the changes had he lped. "All of these boats are a work in progress. Take Bobst Group Armor lux for example. Bernard has been refining his boat for three years and heÂ’s still not there yet. Ocean Planet is a very different concept. Maybe by the end of the Vendee we will have the boat performing to itÂ’s fullest potential."
While future plans are very much on his mind, Bruce has taken some time to reflect on how far he has come since the idea of building a new boat took hold. In 2000 he traveled to France to check out the Vendee fleet and for the first time was introduced to some of worldÂ’s the top solo sailors. "I met people like Isabelle Autissier, Mike Garside and Josh Hall," he said. "It was really amazing. After the race started I returned to my hotel room and many of the questions I had wanted to solve began to gel in my head and I stayed up most of the night making notes for my own boat. As impressive as the Euro Open 60's were I felt confident that we could make a better boat." Soon thereafter Bruce and Schooner Creek Boat Works started to build Ocean Planet. Fund raising became a way of life and slowly the boat took shape. A few days before he arrived in Salvador Bruce sent a poignant email. He had been flipping through some images of the boat being built and Bruce rea lized how far he had come. The boat he was sailing on was once an empty shell. Now it was alive and romping north towards the finish of the fourth leg of the Around Alone. "I hung out on deck leaning on the runner for a long while, watching the boat slide along effortlessly under a well lit full moon," he wrote. "I could look down at the deck under my feet and see her when she was in the shop at Schooner Creek Boat Works taking shape in many stages. What a time that was! And now here we are sailing on a beautiful night, anticipating landfall and another exciting new country. Yep, good times indeed."
At the last poll Ocean Planet was just over 1000 miles from the finish in Newport sailing on a starboard gybe. "I am trying to sail as low as I can," Bruce said. "Simone is on starboard and it will be interesting to see where we are when we converge. Close I hope. Maybe I will even be ahead." There is a long way to go to the finish and much can happen. While Bruce would dearly like to beat Tiscali to Newport, he knows that he canÂ’t count Thierry Dubois out. "I am watching Thierry every second. If we park up he could be a real threat. As much as I would like to be second, I know I could just as easily end up fourth." Enjoy the last 1000 miles Bruce. They are going to be nerve wracking and tense and no matter how you end up you have sailed a fantastic leg and deserve a good break and a cold beer when you get to Newport.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net
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