|
|
|
BMW Oracle Racing’s Cup Boat Arrives in Valencia Valencia, January 4, 2010
The BMW Oracle Racing team is opening the new year at full pace. In the early hours of Monday, its race boat arrived in Spain as the team completes its move from San Diego back to Valencia for the 33rd America's Cup Match next month. Monday morning, CEO Russell Coutts addressed the team at its Base in the Darsena, thanking everyone for their commitment to date and urging the team on through the final stretch. "It's important that today, with just over a month to go, we keep our focus tight and narrow in on what we have to do to win the Cup," he said. "I think we have assembled a really good team. We have a lot of expertise and skills in our group and we have to apply that over the next few weeks in the best way possible." Just hours earlier, the Oceanlady cargo ship arrived in the commercial port of Valencia after 20 days at sea, carrying the BOR 90, the trimaran the team has built to challenge for the Cup. The Oceanlady transported approximately 200 tonnes of equipment from the team's training and development base in San Diego, including the BOR 90 trimaran, the main element of the wing sail, four custom made boxes containing the wing flaps, spare masts, 19 shipping containers, and 10 other boats (RIBs etc.). The ship was unloaded over the course of the day. With the BOR 90 trimaran, the wing sail and the other cargo now safe on shore, the trimaran and all of its components will undergo a thorough work-up by the shore team to ensure the boat is match fit before the Valencia training session begins. In the meantime, the sailing team has scheduled several days of multihull match-racing practice in the Extreme 40 catamarans beginning on Thursday. The first race of the 33rd America's Cup Match is
scheduled for February 8.
|
