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Team Origin
Gets a Cat: Jaguar Designing New
High-Performance America's Cup Yachts
At CupInfo: Interview: Azzurra's Francesco Bruni
Feature Story:
AC34: 2011? 2013? |
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July 22: Television Evaluation Trials continue in Valencia: Read GGYC Press Release July 21: 3D? HD? Dolby? "Television Trials" test new broadcasting approaches and technologies for next America's Cup. Fans can view daily footage this week, offer their reactions: Read GGYC Press Release July 20: America's Cup Video Competition Results "A Bit of Hawai’i": View contest winners and more entries July 1: America's Cup and BMW Oracle Racing Visit White House: Press Release July 1: America's Cup Visits Newport, RI. Public display in town and at Fort Adams, plus Victory Luncheon and presentation from BMW Oracle team members: Preview | Schedule and details July 1: Restoration of 12-Meter
Lionheart K-18, 1980 America's Cup Challenge Candidate: June 30: Letter Perfect:
Engraving the America's Cup Trophy: June 30: BMW Oracle's
Cup-winning team rings opening bell for NASDAQ before visiting Newport: June 29: Prada/Luna Rossa will
skip the next America's Cup? Initial Reports say that's
the case: June 28:
Venezia Challenge emerges as potential entry for 34th
America's Cup: June 17: Brits
Improving at MedCup Marseilles May 19: Training underway for
Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena, Italy: Apr 25: Grassroots Multihulls in
San Francisco Bay: Apr 19: BMW Oracle returns to
racing. Well-earned vacation over, the RC44 Cup in
Austria will see Spithill, Coutts, and Ellison back on the water: Apr 17: Yacht Racing Photos on your iPhone? Yes, there's an App for that: Juerg Kaufmann at iTunes Store (in German) Apr 12: USA-17's
birthplace: Great reception for America's Cup as BMW Oracle
returns to Anacortes to celebrate with the builders of their
incredible multihull: Apr 6: BMW Oracle Tech Details:
How to get a grip on 90 million data points for every hour of
sailing USA-17? Data mining to the rescue: Apr 6: America's Cup History in
3D: GGYC and SNG agree to dismiss outstanding legal proceedings. Mutual consent at last: Read Press Release plus Richard Gladwell story at Sail-World Mar 21: Emirates Team New
Zealand gets private support to retain crew for next America's
Cup: Mar 10: San Francisco continues
narrowing down potential sites for hosting America's Cup bases: March 2: America's Cup skippers
and hopefuls begin competing today in Omega Auckland Match
Race Series, prelude to Louis Vuitton Trophy Regatta
Auckland, Mar 9-21: Feb 18: Photographer Carlo
Borlenghi's best shots of America's Cup 33, gallery at: Feb 17:
J-Class Regatta in England, 2012, could see nine J-Class
yachts on the starting line. Races in Falmouth, the Solent,
and Round-the Island: Feb 16: Mutiny on the Med?
Harold Bennett, Principal Race Officer for the 2010 America's
Cup, talks about SNG Race Committee's attempted strike to prevent
Race 2 from starting: Bruno Troublé Says America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Trophy could cooperate in next defense: Story at Sport Telegraph
Valencia Notes:
One Week to Go: 3 days to go: Alinghi: May the Best Team Win Feb 6: Regatta Rules |
Coming July 31-Aug 10: BMW Oracle
to race Team Origin around the Isle of Wight at
Cowes Week |
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Evaluation Trials between multihull and monohull types using pairs of X40s and RC44s will be held in Valencia July 22-25 to consider the sporting and television appeal of both yacht types along with various race formats and broadcast technologies: San Francisco Now Only US Venue Being Considered for America's Cup Newport, San
Diego are out: Golden Gate YC today announced that SF is the only American city being considered for the historic sailing event. The move appears intended to strengthen San Francisco's chances of securing the broader government cooperation needed to make it feasible for the city to host the next defense of the America's Cup, especially clearing California and Federal regulatory and legal hurdles that will permit the necessary infrastructure to be built. From GGYC: San Francisco has put forward a strong, well-rounded venue proposal, and is now the only city in the USA under consideration to host the 34th America’s Cup match. “Our team has said from the outset that San Francisco and the Bay Area have the potential to provide a superb stage on which to host a memorable America’s Cup,” commented Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW Oracle Racing. “Our team owner, Larry Ellison, has called the Bay ‘a fantastic natural amphitheatre’.” In being granted status as the sole venue candidate in the USA, San Francisco can forge ahead with plans to provide the necessary facilities for the America's Cup along the City's waterfront, south of the Bay Bridge. It also now allows San Francisco to “nationalize” their efforts and to seek support from the State of California and the federal government in Washington, D.C. Also:
Read Story at SF Gate.com New High-Performance America's Cup Yachts Golden Gate YC has engaged US Sailing and the RORC to author design rules for mono-hull and multi-hull classes that could represent a new "High Performance" yacht to be used in the next America's Cup. GGYC reveals that the mono-hulls will aim for a crew of 13, possibly with unlimited gennaker sail area and canting keels, while the multi-hull design would have a target crew of 11 and possibly a wing mast. Ian Burns: “These boat concepts are all about similar performance between competing yachts throughout the wind range,” said Burns. “Unique configurations are the expensive part of the America’s Cup. We don’t want a light-air boat taking on a heavy-air boat. The rule should ensure close racing while being able to sail in a wide range of conditions.” Read Concept Papers (pdf): Read Golden Gate YC Press Release The new boats of either design are intended to be much more physically demanding on sailors, and though a canting keel would use mechanical power, trimming sails would still rely on human effort. GGYC states that the overall size of the new yachts has been scaled down from approximately 82 feet (26m) to 72 feet (22m) for reasons of cost. The mono-hull design could allow bow rudders and up to two stern rudders in addition to the canting keel, though the concept eliminates a trim tab. The canting keel technology including power, controls, and mechanicals would be standardized among all boats. Canting, rotating, or wing masts would not be permitted. The multi-hull concept would potentially use a wing mast of 144 feet (44m) (!), allow unlimited sails downwind. Mechanical power could be allowed to raise and lower appendages. In either case, interpretations sought by teams from the Technical Director regarding compliance of design features with the Class Rule would now be an open public process and "private" interpretations would no longer be allowed. Also see: America's Cup Video Talent Competition Are you a moving picture visionary? A artist with Adobe Premiere? An Avid expert? The America's Cup wants you! Enter the Video Talent Contest and change the way the next America's Cup is seen. If you were born after the NYYC's 132-year winning streak ended, you can enter.
Read GGYC Press Release or
Watch Video Draft Protocol for Next America's Cup Released June 23: Preliminary draft of rules and power structure for the next America's Cup match is circulated to interested parties for review. The draft outlines provisions for neutral race management, cost control via limiting sailing time and number of yachts and components, and media and business initiatives including revenue sharing, while also delineating the competitive and political balance of the event. Notable Provisions in the Draft:
The draft hedges on nationality requirements, proposing either no requirements for crew and designers, or possibly a 20% requirement based on criteria also used for Olympic competition.
Read draft protocol (pdf)
Reactions: Rumors Swirl on Next America's Cup Venue Defender GGYC and Challenger Club Nautico di Roma have said that the location of the next defense will be announced by December, 2010, and that presently they are evaluating the feasibility of San Francisco. Perhaps they've been too quiet, as the sort of speculation that thrives on the internet has lately stepped in to spin up some other scenarios. San Francisco? Okay. Newport? Maybe. San Diego or New London? Possibly. But rumors of "a nearly done deal" involving €500 million for GGYC to defend the America's Cup in Italy? Surely not? From Kimball Livingston's blog: "...Which is how I came to be rattling the doors at BMW Oracle with a message on the order of: I know you can’t tell me anything, but tell me something anyway. They didn’t, exactly. The responses were a mix of the calming and the cryptic.
Read more at Blue Planet Times Simmer Becomes Origin CEO
Grant Simmer, who served as Alinghi Design Team Coordinator from 2000 onward, and became Managing Director during their 2010 campaign, has left the Swiss team for an appointment as CEO of TeamOrigin. Simmer, whose America's Cup roots go back to serving as navigator on Australia II in 1983, will take the reins for the British team in the wake of Moose Sanderson's departure. The loss of such a keystone in the management department at Alinghi, following Cup-winning helmsman Ed Baird who has stepped onboard with Prada, is another confirmation that Alinghi's plans for the future lay elsewhere. Read more: America's Cup to Visit Newport May 22: Newport, RI, and Washington, DC, will be among the stops for the America's Cup trophy on a tour of the East Coast in late June and early July. The Providence Journal reports that the America's Cup will be the centerpiece of a celebration in Newport, part of a public show of support for the possibility of hosting America's Cup races there in coming years as the city did from 1930 to 1983. The Auld Mug is reportedly going to make a trip to the White House on June 29th, presumably with the winning sailors in tow.
Read story at Providence Journal Sanderson Out as Changes Coming for TeamOrigin Mike Sanderson, who has served as Team Director of since 2007, has been let go by the British America's Cup hopeful and Louis Vuitton Trophy competitor. Some degree of re-organization is expected to follow in the wake of his departure. Team Statement, May 18: TeamOrigin announced today that Mike Sanderson has left the team following the decision by Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, to restructure the organization. This decision has been taken to ensure that the team functions as effectively and efficiently as possible, in order to improve the team’s performance and ultimately win the America’s Cup. Mike has been with the team since it was formed in 2007. He has made a huge contribution to establishing what has been a relatively new team and has worked hard to keep the team together over the last three years while the America’s Cup was in the courts. Sir Keith and the team wish Mike every success in the future.
Explanation from Skipper Ben Ainslie plus read stories at
Telegraph.co.uk and by
Stuart Alexander at The Independent New America's Cup Class Meetings “The teams want a new boat; the fans deserve one too,” commented Russell Coutts, four time winner of the America’s Cup. “It will not be a ‘defender’s boat’. It will be the product of genuine discussion and dialogue,” Coutts added.
Read GGYC Press Release and
Watch Video America's Cup Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Named Five Kiwis and one American will be inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame this fall. Press Release: The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located in Bristol, Rhode Island, is pleased to announce the selection of Simon Daubney, Warwick Fleury, Murray Jones, Dean Phipps, Mike Drummond, and Halsey Herreshoff for induction on September 18, 2010. The 17th Induction Ceremony, presented by Rolex Watch USA and hosted at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court in Newport, Rhode Island, will be held in conjunction with the America’s Cup 12-Meter Era Reunion weekend.
Read America's Cup Hall Of Fame Press
Release America's Cup 2010 On TV in the USA (Finally) On Friday, May 21, NBC's Universal Sports channel will broadcast a 1-hour highlights show of both America's Cup Races from February 2010. Even America's Cup fans who saw the racing "live" on the internet back in February may enjoying seeing this condensed coverage of the match since the races have been edited to include onboard video from each boat that was not available in the web-streamed video. The race call for this show will be the international team of PJ Montgomery, Andy Green, and multihull expert Cam Lewis. Universal Sports is available as a cable channel and is also broadcast as a digital over-the-air signal by many NBC affiliate stations. Update 5/15: Air time has been rescheduled to Friday, May 21, at 3:00am ET (from Wednesday afternoon). Update
again 5/20: Additional showings are now scheduled for
Monday May 24 at 12:30 pm PT, Sunday May 30 at 12:00 am PT,
Monday May 31 at 10:00 am PT, and Wed June 2 at 8:00 am PT. New: Next America's Cup: Some Details From GGYC/CNR
Press Conference: New protocol due in August 2010, new design rule to be selected by the end of September 2010, and the venue announced by December 31, 2010, along with Sailing Instructions and Notice of Race. Challenger entries open October 1, 2010, through January 31, 2011. Designers Bruce Nelson and Morrelli&Melvin are drafting monohull and multihull concepts for review at an upcoming open conference in Valencia. Coutts says restrictive wind limits will be gone, the boats will be more exciting and more physical, and the defense would welcome a second US defender candidate to compete with BMW Oracle Racing in a Defender's Selection Series. The media and television presentation of the sport is getting a "bow-to-stern rethink" along with online and mobile accessibility aimed at making the fans feel they are onboard. It is hoped that the new America's Cup class will see racing in regular 2012 events. There was no commitment yet to nationality rules for crew, but Coutts said personally that he favored a nationality component in the long term, even though some balance is needed to help cultivate new teams around the world. No definitive announcement was made about Louis Vuitton's return as sponsor of the challenger selection series in addition to their support of the WSTA through the Louis Vuitton Trophy, but Russell Coutts did make hints that point toward another Louis Vuitton Cup. “We think a lot of these changes are going to make it more fun and much more compelling for commercial partners to come into this event," Coutts said. "And by the way there are some fairly major commercial partners of the past that are now really enthusiastic about this event again.” Coutts emphasized that quantity of challengers isn't as important as the quality of competition, having teams that are very competitive, and citing a fleet of eight-to-ten great teams as "fantastic". Vincenzo Onorato and Coutts reaffirmed their pledge of a fair and neutrally-conducted event, and many of the specifics of the rules and format will be sorted out with the prospective challengers over the coming months. Some discussion with potential teams will take place in La Maddalena during the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta this month, as it did in Auckland last March. The Protocol of the 2007 America's Cup has been circulated to potential teams to serve as the starting point for comment on the new agreement. Asked whether Golden Gate YC wanted to amend the Deed of Gift to solidify some of the changes they intend for the event, Coutts suggested that altering the Deed would probably be a difficult process. With a politician's dexterity, the question of where the next Defense will be held, and when, was discussed but little was revealed. 2013 or 2014 were termed by Coutts as realistic dates for the match itself, depending on the venue selection. Read Golden Gate YC/CN di Roma Press Release Also: Replay webcast at Official America's Cup site Read Selected Stories: Onorato made an effort to point out that the Challenger of Record and the Defender had "a responsibility to preserve the tradition and make the competition even better in the future," adding that he and Coutts were united to serve the Cup, not to have the Cup serve them. An underlying theme to the presentation, extending even to the location of the press conference in the Challenger's home town, was the return of the America's Cup to a Challenger-driven competition. The Challenger Candidates will determine the format of the Challenger Selection Series, not the Defender. And repeating February's affirmation that the Defender will not sail in the Challenger Selection Regatta, a rejection of one of the most obviously offensive changes proposed for the previous match, yet again brought applause from the gathered journalists. Asked if the Defender needed to
seek extra advantage for themselves, as was the source of so much
unrest following the 2007 America's Cup, Coutts replied: "I
didn’t think that the fact that the Cup’s difficult to defend is
necessarily a bad thing," Coutts said. "It’s probably a good
thing. I think many of the people on our team love a good
challenge, that’s for sure. And we look forward to racing
against strong teams. If the changes that we’re proposing
make it more difficult for us to defend the Cup, so be it." Running Hot
May 4: BMW Oracle Racing's RC44
crew swept both the match racing and fleet racing competition at
the
RC44 Austria Cup 2010, edging past other RC44
teams that included John Kostecki and Paul Cayard. BMW
Oracle was also the victor in their previous regatta last
February. Racing Like It's 1851? May 1: Billed a a "grudge" match, racing this summer will pit Defender BMW Oracle against America's Cup Challenger hopeful TeamOrigin in a USA vs. GBR match around the Isle of Wight, retracing the original race course sailed by the schooner America in 1851 to first win the trophy that became known as the America's Cup. The new around-the-island race will be sailed in America's Cup Class yachts, presumably one of BMW Oracle 2007 boats and Origin's SUI-75, built by the Swiss for the 2003 Cup and purchased by the British team in 2007. The winner of the match will be awarded a new trophy called The 1851 Cup. Origin says that the competition could expand in coming years to include many more America's Cup-related teams.
See details at TeamOrigin site and
Read more at Times Online Major Announcements for Next Defense of the America's Cup Coming May 6th Apr 26/28: Defender Golden Gate YC and Challenger Club Nautico di Roma will hold a joint press conference in Rome at 12:00pm local time (6:00am ET US) on Thursday, May 6, to announce details of the 34th Defense of the America's Cup. According to the invitation, "Important announcements will be made concerning the next competition for one of the world’s most iconic events and the oldest trophy in international sport" by Russell Coutts and Vincenzo Onorato. The presentation,
which will also be
streamed via
live webcast, is not expected to cover all details of the
next Defense, but based on recent statements by Coutts the
schedule for key milestones in shaping the regatta, along with
some of the process for reaching them, will likely be the core of
the presentation. Baird Speaks Ed Baird, newly Skipper of Luna Rossa/Prada, spoke to Scuttlebutt recently about his expectations for the Italian team and the next America's Cup: Question: If you were king, tell us your plan for the 34th America’s Cup. Ed Baird: "Seems like it would be fun to have a lot of teams, all in the same place, that could train, socialize and compete with each other for a couple of years before selecting a challenger that would race in the Cup against the defender. Monohulls for close racing. A fair race course that doesn't heavily favor any one side. Didn't that work pretty well once or twice before? I'm sure there's a place where that can be done."
Read interview at Scuttlebutt News Crunching Numbers Apr 23: It was long speculated among Cup watchers that gathering and analyzing performance data to accelerate development of America's Cup boats could be taken to another level. BMW Oracle did just that with winning challenger USA, outfitting the trimaran with myraid sensors turning out a flood of data. Being sponsored by Oracle founder Larry Ellison helped the team tap the serious tech horsepower needed to make sense of all that information, processing some of it in real-time on a nearby support boat. Making monster wave-piercing hulls and the brilliant wing mast work together in time to win the America's Cup relied on designers and sailors knowing more about the boat, and knowing it faster, than ever before. From Oracle: "The USA generates almost 4,000 variables 10 times a second," says [Ian] Burns. "Sometimes the analysis requires a very complicated combination of 10, 20, or 30 variables fitted through a time-based algorithm to give us predictions on what will happen in the next few seconds, or minutes, or even hours in terms of weather analysis." Like the deeper analysis that [Peter] Stengard does back at the Austin Data Center, this real-time data management and near-real-time data analysis was done in Oracle Database 11g. "We could download the data to servers on the tender ship, do some quick analysis, and feed it right back to the USA," says Burns. Plans for Next America's Cup to be Announced in May: Coutts Apr 22: "It will be in 2013 or 2014. As for the location, everything is still open. San Francisco is appealing, but other sites in the United States and elsewhere in the world are as well," Coutts told AFP.
Read more at Agence-France Press Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena, Italy Starts May 22 From the Press Release (Apr 21): "The Louis Vuitton Trophy is coming to Sardinia in May, with 10 elite sailing teams set to race for two weeks on the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean Sea off La Maddalena." Prada Signs Baird for Louis Vuitton; America's Cup Challenge Likely The Italian team sponsored by Patrizio Bertelli has signaled that they will compete in the Louis Vuitton Trophy, likely as a prelude to a full America's Cup effort. American Ed Baird, the America's Cup winning Helmsman for Alinghi in 2007, will come aboard as skipper, and the team could be in the Louis Vuitton mix as soon as the LVT in Dubai this fall. Prada/Luna Rossa was the Challenger in 2000, dominating much of the selection series and beating out AmericaOne in a legendary nine-race match. The team was also a challenger candidate in 2003, and in 2007 lost in the LVC Finals to Team New Zealand. Round the World: ETNZ Will Enter Volvo Ocean Race for 2011-2012
Emirates Team New Zealand will field a Volvo Ocean Race entry for the upcoming around-the-word race, to bear the name of sponsor Camper, a Spanish footwear manufacturer. Along with commitments to other race series, the VOR effort will help to provide an arena for ETNZ to test their resources. Grant Dalton, Managing Director, ETNZ: ""With Louis Vuitton, the team started the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Dean Barker and the team campaigned successfully on the Audi MedCup TP52 circuit last year and now we have a Volvo ocean race campaign to organize from scratch. "The team has no shortage of experience with the Volvo ocean race and the Whitbread before it. It's no secret that I have never lost my enthusiasm for racing around the world." Fielding a VOR team lets ETNZ return to an event in which Dalton has enjoyed great success, racing six times and winning twice, but the project also allows the team to diversify in both sporting and financial sense, and will serve as a useful outlet for team members while plans are taking shape for the next America's Cup expected in 2013 or 2014. Mascalzone's Gavin Brady Plans for the Next America's Cup On the Crew: "...As the yachts get faster, and when this new breed of boat comes out, whatever it might be, all of a sudden in a good spinnaker set, you'll gain three boatlengths -- whereas on the Version 5 boat, a good spinnaker set gets you 15 or 20 feet. So I think the technology game is going to be very important, the fast boat is going to be very hard to beat, but I think for the first time in a long time crew work is going to have a huge impact on the outcome of the America's Cup. And the faster the boats get, the more that will come into play." Designing the new America's Cup yachts: "You can either go down, and make the keel real deep, and then you can't fit anywhere and you can't race them in the harbors because they're too deep. Or you can put a big bulb on them, a heap of lead, but that's what you've got now and it's time to move on from that. Or you can cant them, and if you go canting, you can keep the draft up, moderate-sized bulb, and you can tip it out the side. Or you can go wide, but then you don't fit, so logistically, it's a real pain."
Read more from Gavin Brady at CupInfo NYYC to Host 12-Meter Era Reunion Regatta and more in Newport, Sept 16-19 Mar 30: In September 2010 the New York YC will host a 4-day event celebrating the era of the 12-Meter yachts in the America's Cup. The much-loved class raced for yachting's historic trophy ten times from 1958 though 1987. America's Cup winning skippers Dennis Conner, Ted Turner, Bill Ficker, Ted Hood, and Buddy Melges lead a list of legendary sailors planning to be in Newport for the festivities. The reunion weekend will also include the America's Cup Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the premiere of a new documentary film on the 12's by Gary Jobson. Cayard: New Cup Yachts Could Debut for LVT in 2012, Sharing Design and Performance Data to Ease Start-up Mar 24: Paul Cayard detailed plans under consideration for the next America's Cup, with a central concept being a shared adoption for the Louis Vuitton Trophy of four yachts of a new America's Cup class, possibly sailing in 2012. Design and performance data could be shared among all teams, with each team to build and sail their own boats in 2013, and the America's Cup to be defended in 2014. Talking with Azzurra's Skipper Mar 24: Francesco Bruni, Skipper of the Italian team Azzurra, has been storming to the top of the Louis Vuitton fleet, winning in Nice and finishing fast on the heels of the established teams both this year and last in Auckland. CupInfo caught up with Bruni at the Congressional Cup and talked with him about pulling Azzurra together, what's needed for the next America's Cup, and the value of racing in the Louis Vuitton Trophy. "Everyone is very competitive, especially on the sailing team side," Bruni said of this month's Louis Vuitton regatta. "I think that racing with the same boats, equal boats, the sailing teams learn a lot more."
Read more from Francesco Bruni at CupInfo RC44 Class May Add US Circuit in 2011 The high-performance monohull design could be racing a North American circuit as soon as next year. Restricted to amateur helmsmen, but often including top sailors on the crew, the RC44 has been cited by BMW Oracle's Larry Ellison for the close competition usually featured in its regattas, and may have some influence on decisions made for the next America's Cup. Bertrand Favre, RC 44 Class Manager: "One thing is sure: thanks to the easy logistics of the Class, it will be possible to sail in great locations in the US, both on the East and West coast and even on lakes." Ellison Talks About Goals for the Next America's Cup Larry Ellison, interviewed by Fortune/CNN: "It shouldn't be about money. It should be a little bit about technology and a lot about sailing. And it's got to be a great experience for viewers. It's got to be something kids want to watch. Quite frankly when I'm watching the Olympics I watch downhill racing. My kids watch the snowboarders. Okay. We've got to pay attention to that. I kind of like monohulls. "All my racing experience is on monohulls. But if what the kids want to watch is multihulls because it's more exciting, we'll go multihulls. We've got to make this a great sport from the point of view of the participant, especially the kid who's just getting into the sport, and from the point of view of the viewer on television." Louis Vuitton Auckland Final Emirates Team New Zealand Wins the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland! Louis Vuitton Trophy Final: ETNZ wins Race 1, Saturday, and wins Race 2 on Sunday, to take the Best of Three contest. Mascalzone finishes in second place, but the Italian team, who is also the Challenger of Record for the America's Cup, looks forward to hosting the Louis Vuitton regatta in La Maddalena, Italy, starting May 22nd. Petit Final, One Race: LVT Final coverage, video and
radio plus Virtual Eye, available at
Louis
Vuitton Trophy site and
Louis Vuitton Trophy coverage on ESPN360 Louis Vuitton Semifinals Emirates Team New Zealand races Italy's Azzurra, and Sweden's Artemis races Italy's Mascalzone Latino in a best-of-three elimination Friday March 19 in Auckland. Britain's TeamOrigin lost to
Artemis, and All4One lost to Azzurra, in elimination races to set
up the Louis Vuitton Trophy Semifinal. Video replay of the
races, along with live coverage, is available at
ESPN360.com and
Louis Vuitton Trophy site New Rainbow Advances
Mar 17: The aluminum hull of the new build J-Class Rainbow, a tribute to the 1934 America's Cup defender, was turned on March 12 and prepared for shipment by barge before being completed. Designed by Dykstra & Partners of Holland, the replica of the original Starling Burgess Cup-winner will carry sail number J-H2 and is expected to compete in J-Class and Superyacht events in 2012.
Read more at
the Rainbow J-H2 web site
America's Cup is Back In New Zealand Mar 14: Russell Coutts, BMW Oracle Racing CEO, is bringing the famous trophy back to his home country, for a visit, during the Louis Vuitton Trophy Regatta being held through March 21 in Auckland. The America's Cup, just won last month in a magnificent 2-0 victory by Golden Gate YC and BMW Oracle, is returning seven years after it was lost by Royal New Zealand YS, and will be on public display at the Voyager Museum this week. Also see:
Read Louis Vuitton Trophy Press Release Russell Coutts Debating his America's Cup Future Mar 7: The New Zealand Herald reports that Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW Oracle Racing and a four-time winner of sailing's most historic trophy, is taking time to decide on his future role in the America's Cup. A redefined or reduced role, including retirement, is a possibility as Coutts helps plan the next edition of the famous competition. From the NZ Herald: "I'm still deciding what to do in the future. I don't want to rush things on that," Coutts said. "I've got a young family now and that's definitely a consideration." When pressed as to whether that might mean leaving Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing team before defending the trophy won in Valencia, Coutts said: "Honestly, I'm really not sure. "Right now I'm just doing the best job I can for Oracle and trying to speak to some of the other teams to create some good processes [for the next America's Cup], but I haven't made a decision on my future yet." Mariette and the Herreshoff Schooners
Feb 18: Capt. Nathanael Herreshoff, the most innovative and successful of American naval architects, won the America's Cup six times, crafted the lines of over 400 yachts, and built more than 2000 in his career. Yet, at a time when the Schooner was the pinnacle of the undisputed genius of American yachting built only 15 schooners in his lifetime. A forthcoming book from yacht historian Jacques Taglang explores the 1915 schooner Mariette, beautifully restored and a rare Herreshoff survivor. With the help of many contributors including Maynard Bray, Luigi Lang, and Llewellyn Howland III, this book documents Mariette's own history, along with the stories of her built and unbuilt sisters, on the way to illuminating the evolution of Capt. Nat's design process over the course of his career. BMW Oracle Music
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July 1: The America's Cup returned today to Newport, Rhode Island, the scene of America's Cup history for much of the famous regatta's life, including the 12 Defenses held there from 1930 to 1983, along with the construction and trials of Cup defending yachts stretching back to the 19th century. A day filled with public display of the trophy, a harbor cruise, and a Victory Luncheon culminated in a team presentation for over 400 young sailors from the Narragansett Bay community. The celebration wrapped up the East Coast Victory Tour for the America's Cup-winners that also included a visit with President Obama.
See Photo Gallery and Also: Bow Surgery at LVT La Maddalena
ETNZ wins Louis Vuitton Trophy Regatta in La Maddalena (Sardinia), Italy, May 22-June 6 June 6: ETNZ comes back to win Louis Vuitton Trophy beating Synergy 3-2
May 25: Aleph and Azzurra collision damages both BMWO boats,
DSQ for Aleph:
33rd Defense
of the America's Cup Challenger USA wins the America's Cup Match 2-0!
Tuesday, Feb 23:
Sunday, Feb 21:
Saturday, Feb 20:
Thursday, Feb 18:
Monday, Feb 15:
Monday, Feb 15: America's Cup Race 2 Results: Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW Oracle Racing Win Race 2 by 5:28 Quotes: Larry Ellison: “It was really tough on the first beat because they got the right hand side, did a bit of a split and we covered a little late. They got some leverage, we hit the layline perfectly, just dipped him, got underneath him, sailed in front of him, rounded the weather mark first, and sailed away on the reach.” Jimmy Spithill: "This is the best part, coming in to see your teammates, seeing how they react. The guys just put in so much work. It’s been such a really, really, hard campaign, so to come back in and share it with the rest of the team is just awesome. Full credit to the engineers and boat builders and designers to get through those races with no issues at all. My hat is off to them. They won it for us. This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. I started 10 years ago -- I thought it would never come." Larry Ellison: "I am so proud of this team, proud to be a part of this team – and I’m proud to bring the America’s Cup, after a long absence, back to the USA!"
USA
Wins Race 2, Feb 14:
Defender Alinghi and Ernesto Bertarelli
Defeated Race 2 Results (Feb 14): Triangular Course, 39 miles
total: 13 miles to Windward, 13 miles to Reaching mark, 13 miles
to Finish Race 2 Recap Early 230m lead to BMW Oracle, but they are in different breeze. Out to 360m, down to 300, and BMWO tacks, losing only 50m. Both now on starboard. 475M lead to BMW. Then breeze favors first Alinghi, then BMW out to 676m as left shift comes in. Breeze building past 8 knots. Alinghi tacks, first cross of the match coming. Alinghi on starboard. Wind helps them, Alinghi gains and BMW Oracle has to tack before they cross. AL5 in 70m lead. Loïck Peyron is now helming. Alinghi to 190m lead. 245m. Breeze appears to be filling from the right. 490m lead. 550m, but wind may be coming back left. Out to 600m and then BMW starts closing on the shift to 300m. Alinghi raises protest flag, reasons unclear. BMW Oracle tacks and the boats come together for a close cross. VERY close cross, Alinghi ahead by 50m, Alinghi goes past, tacks, BMW Oracle rolls them before Alinghi can get accelerated. Top mark nearing, 195m lead for BMW Oracle. Round the Windward Mark with a 28 second delta -- 59 minutes after start. Bearing off for reaching leg. BMW Oracle extends for 450m lead. 575m. 750m. 1000 meters. Halfway down the 2nd leg, 1445m lead to BMW Oracle. BMW Oracle wins the America's Cup by 5:28 and 15:28 in two straight races! Alinghi withdraws protest. Race 2 Preview: If not, this is a best-of-three
series, and the Challenger, Golden Gate Yacht Club, Larry
Ellison, and their team, could today win the storied silver
trophy that has obsessed yachting's best for 159 years! Race 1 Race 1 Results (Feb 12): 2:35: Racing underway Up the course, wind building to 8 kts. BMW gains on Alinghi, cutting into lead, Alinghi swaps foresails, BMW Oracle still gaining. USA pointing higher, going faster, gets ahead into 250m lead. Now 400m lead. BMW Oracle drops headsail. Out ahead to 425m. Then gaps closes, both head right, but down to 160m lead. Speeds about 20 knots upwind. Halfway up the Windward leg, BMW Oracle extends again 300m. 500m. 630m. Wind at 9 kts. Getting toward the layline. Alinghi tacks first. BMWO about 2 minutes later. Lead 900m to BMW Oracle. To 1200m. Nearing the Windward Mark. Wind at top dropping from 10 kts to 7, at 175 degrees. BMW Oracle tacks for the mark. Rounds at 4:04pm. Return Leg: Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, BMW Oracle: “I always thought if we were able to fly a hull we'd be faster upwind, but I was genuinely surprised downwind." Dirk de Ridder, Wingsail Trimmer, BMW Oracle: "Over probably 9-10 knot breeze it’s more efficient without the headsail, and the wing is working at maximum efficiency at that windspeed, and there was no surprise we were better upwind against Alinghi with the wing only....Once we get to over over 10 knots we’re at our absolute best and probably more wind we’d even be better. So good to see in the lighter wind up the first beat we were actually going quite well -- we were very very pleased" Larry Ellison, Owner, BMW Oracle: "I would have sailed today if they weren’t about to call a race in three-and-a-half knots. If it’s very very light, we’ll sail with minimum crew again. I had intended to sail today and I intend to sail Sunday but not if the breeze is three knots of breeze." Ernesto Bertarelli, Owner, Alinghi: "The wing seems to be quite a weapon." Brad Butterworth, Skipper, Alinghi: "What do you want me to say, they sailed from behind us to in front of us." Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, BMW Oracle, on the pre-start: "I was approaching it pretty aggressively because the wind was quite light -- we did a great job on the entry. We were able to get a piece of ‘em and a force a penalty which was good, but then pretty soon after -- we’re sort of learning all the time -- we had a hard time sorta stopping the boat. We ended up rolling forwards and getting overlapped to windward.... "We sort of had a hard time to try and stay out of irons. We got stuck in irons. We had an issue with one of the winches, we couldn’t get the sail on ‘em, and obviously we couldn’t get the bow down. So it was a bit frustrating, you know, as we really had him on the back foot there." Question: As you came across the
line, how did you feel when you started chasing Alinghi down? Read more quotes plus Race Summary Report BMW Oracle:
Race 1 Crew List America's Cup Match Preview: Offset by race boats that are as beautiful, high-tech and quite literally lethal as any ever built, the sailing portion of the match takes over today from the designing and building. And nobody has ever built boats like these for inshore racing. 79 miles of straight line racing, today's 20 nm to Windward and Return, plus Race Two's 39 miles around the Triangular course, as the crow flies, and some issues could finally be settled. Not the least of these issues is the Battle for the Soul of the America's Cup that has raged increasingly hot since July, 2007. The near future of the event, if not its entire future, may ride on the outcome. There are some who think there is something wrong with a match between the two most advanced sailboats on the planet, two yachts indeed conjured into being just for these few races and cast into shape according to a spell written in 1887 by George Schuyler. The truth is that this is the closest the Cup has come in some time to what it was originally. This is not a pageant, this not a participation event to satisfy sponsors, it's not intended to be done on the cheap or for the thrill of competing, and there are no intentions of parity for the sake of entertainment. This is about winning. It's about excellence and pushing the limits to get there, and this is what made the America's Cup big, brave, and famous in the first place. It is serious, serious, sport. It's taken imagination, some real guts, and cubic money to get to this point, nearly unlimited except by constraints of time. Win or Lose, this match could well be the last time we ever see the America's Cup unleashed to this degree. This is a match race in the original sense, the boats at mythic proportions, the competitors have real anger, the stakes beyond mere pride. The America's Cup sails into history today, and Cup fans everywhere should hope it comes out a winner.
BMW Oracle Space Launch
Race Day 1 Postponed: Monday Feb 8: 5:00 pm Chris Bedford, BMW Oracle Met Expert: With a fleet of five boats equipped with 6m masts, updating data every 15 seconds, and a team of local observers as well, Chris Bedford still has one of the toughest jobs around. Namely making the vital call on weather for his team. Get it wrong, and 100 million dollars worth of high tech is worthless. Get it right and you are the road to riches, and he has been there before, twice winning the America's up. Today was a tale of two breezes with the PRO stuck in between. The conflicting winds cancelled one another out in the middle of the course. Bedford felt that even had the course been laid further north or south in either of the two wind bands, setting a course would still have been difficult. His forecasting information for the boat is quite different from normal Cup matches, where the call is normally to go right or left. Here, the racing is more coastal in nature so what he sends over is more of a routing plan, telling the team where they need to be on the track at different points. This might mean ignoring tactical sailing and heading deeper off in search of better breeze. The PRO asked both teams today if they felt it was prudent to call the race off today. Unusually in this America's Cup match, there was an outbreak of both common sense and mutual agreement, with neither side wanting to play the Beaufort lottery. Long may it continue. 2:00 pm: Racing Abandoned But someone forgot to book any wind. Despite all of the best forecasts (even RepCast was a little out!), the predicted breeze failed to arrive and eventually at 2:00 pm the PRO decided to call it a day and enjoy a leisurely trip home in the drizzle. With all the money that has been spent on this edition of the Cup, it's refreshing to know that there is at least one thing left in life that billionaires' money can't buy? 6:00 am First Light: The dock is empty of boats, but filled with expectation. The hands of the clock march
inexorably round. Showtime is not far away. Alinghi Art
Artist Carlo
Perosino - Image: ©2010 Cultwork Jan 29: The beauty of the 32nd
and 33rd America's Cup depicted in limited edition prints,
photographs, and original artwork. For the debut of the
Alinghi Fine Art Collection see more images at
AlinghiArt.com Coutts and Spithill: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead Feb 23: As San Francisco, San Diego, and the BMW Oracle Team celebrated a magnificent victory over the weekend, Diane Swintal checked in with men of the hour Russell Coutts and Jimmy Spithill as they reflected on their stunning win and began to plot the course ahead. From Diane's report: Russell Coutts: "We liked our chances but honestly, I didn’t expect to win it like that. I thought it would be a little closer than what it turned out to be, but it just shows that the team we put in place worked very hard to get the best out of the technology and, really, the technology that was created was pretty special. We’re really proud of what was achieved." "Right now, we’re going to take some time off [from sailing] to get some of these other things resolved and at least give the America’s Cup community a timeline of when the major decisions will be made. We’re committed to independent management of the on-the-water event, rules, etc. I think that will help teams a lot, and help bring back sponsors. We have to decide with the other teams how that will be done, whether it’s a mutually elected group, a regatta director -- we have to decide how that’s going to be done." America's Cup Welcomed Home in San Diego Feb 21: Take San Diego, the schooner America, and the most famous and historic trophy in yachting. How to have the perfect evening? Throw in a harbor cruise, a beautiful sunset, dinner for hundreds of your closest friends, and some very bright plans for the next defense. Diane Swintal reports: In 1995, Russell Coutts sailed up to the San Diego Yacht Club and claimed the America’s Cup for New Zealand. Sunday, he brought it back. Larry Ellison: “We want a defender series -- and we want Dennis to get involved. And we think there could be as many as 16 teams.” James Spithill: "We have to make people stop and take notice, make it exciting to watch.” Ellison reiterated the theme of this tour and his mantra since winning Auld Mug -- and made a bold promise for a whole new future for the Cup. “The next Cup will be governed by an independent body, not dominated by any one team, including the defender. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club, the San Diego Yacht Club -- we want to get everyone involved and have a fair set of rules we can collectively agree on. Read CupInfo report from San Diego
Also see: Celebration in SF Feb 20: The America's Cup arrived back in America Friday afternoon, landing in San Francisco after being held by other countries for 15 years. Friday night saw a festive reception at the Golden Gate YC clubhouse, and Saturday the trophy will be on public display at SF city hall before going to San Diego for a party on Sunday. From BMWOB: Mike Drummond, design director, was asked what the top speed of the USA would be. He said while it would be hard to get to 50 knots, he would expect in perfect conditions, you could approach that number. The fastest the USA has been sailed by the team is 42 knots, in about 15 knots of wind. Picturing the America's Cup
Photographers Jürg Kaufmann and Daniel Forster have teamed up for the 33rd Defense. CupInfo talked to them about what they've seen at the America's Cup over the years, plus how they approach the art and technique of sailing photography. CupInfo: You have both been to many America’s Cups, Daniel going back to 1977. Which was your favorite as a photographer? Daniel: My favorite one as a photographer was the 1987 Cup in Perth/Fremantle. Every day by 11:00 am the “Fremantle Doctor” arrived: 25-30 knots of wind with big waves and bright sunshine and the 12mJI yachts sailed, unlike here! Rest Day Stories for Tuesday Feb 9 BMW Oracle Skipper Jimmy
Spithill's heads-up display glasses: "The 30-year-old
Australian hides behind a pair of sunglasses but not to deflect
any glare from the Mediterranean Sea or to hide any pre-race fear
from Oracle's bitter rivals aboard Alinghi 5. The sunglasses
house a futuristic fighter pilot-style heads-up display to supply
the Sydneysider with vital wind and sail load information aboard
Oracle's 90x90-foot trimaran USA-17."
stuff.co.nz When USA's wing is up,
the yacht wants to sail, 24 hours a day. So she has a
skipper and crew around the clock, even at her mooring: Magnus
Clarke, relief skipper, BMW Oracle: "We keep her on a short
leash otherwise, on a normal long line, it's easy to get to a
situation when the boat starts to swing and you end up sailing at
20 knots! Sometimes it feels like keeping a leaping stallion in
the paddock."
Yachting World Bob Fisher's Day Off:
Bruno Troublé, Louis Vuitton Trophy, laser wind measuring, and a
showdown on the Race Committee boat about GGYC's representative;
but first things first: "The mandatory rest day after the
cancelled race provided a wonderful opportunity for a decent
lunch."
Sail-World.com
Especially Recommended, as usual: 1) Alinghi wins and bids the venue, and we won’t be surprised if we’re off to a small country east of here that is radically different, culturally, and more known for minarets and camels than for tapas and sangria—but like Valencia is eager for international attention. Yes, there probably would be pre-events in other locations. Technically, of course, the winner is La Société Nautique de Genève, but we already know what that means. 2) BOR wins and the good old
days of Louis Vuitton return. I see little interim
difference whether Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, for example,
becomes Challenger of Record or Mascalzone Latino Audi’s Reale
Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia. There would be pre-events in
select locations, and by holding eliminations along the way it
would be possible to structure the finals so that a compressed
America’s Cup match could be held in San Francisco Bay." Stories for Monday Feb 8 Analyzing Design Details:
Yacht Designer and America's Cup winner Dave Pedrick: "In
virtually any sailboat design, stability buys sail-carrying
power, and sail power buys speed. Stability in multihulls comes
primarily from the distance from the athwartships center of
weight to the leeward hull—true of a proa, a catamaran or a
trimaran. Subject to diminishing returns of construction weight,
more beam is good. Both of the AC33 multihulls have chosen
essentially square proportions of overall breadth to waterline
length..."
Sailing World Cory E. Friedman in Valencia:
"The International Jury has finally handed down its final
decision on measurement and it is not hard to see why it took so
long. Indeed, when I saw the Jury driving out of their
headquarters on Saturday, I was surprised they were not still
holding their noses. The bottom line is that, although
Justice Kornreich ruled, based on the recommendation of three of
the Jury members, that the boats had to be measured with water
ballast on board, the Jury has ratified an absurd measurement
procedure that turns Justice Kornreich’s decision on its head."
Scuttlebutt News ETNZ Will Not Sail VOR:
Grant Dalton, ETNZ CEO, says the New Zealand team will not
enter the Volvo Ocean Race, as was earlier rumored.
Speculation is that they may have an eye on becoming America's
Cup Challenger of Record depending on the match outcome.
And about the match, Dalton says "I just want it to be over with.
But I will predict that it will probably be a trouncing. I mean
there won't be a half-knot difference between these boats."
stuff.co.nz Stories Sunday Feb 7 About Harold Bennett,
Principal Race Officer (PRO): "He is an Alinghi appointment,"
said Emirates Team NZ boss Grant Dalton. "Things like wind speed
will be a quandary and everyone knows he was appointed by Alinghi
because of historical things - and the eyes of the yachting world
will very much be on that guy." Ernesto Bertarelli:
"If the wind comes from the shore, which is what
it is looking like, then the start is going to be almost half way
between here and Ibiza. I think everyone should be careful,
especially spectators who are on the water. Remember we are
not in the summer, but in the winter." Kimball Livingston, Sail Magazine, on the work-up to the Match: "Perception versus reality versus perception versus infinitum": Blue Planet Times Decided by Sailing: "If you're looking for a golden moment, I think it will be two minutes before the gun when the boats have to turn and come back to the startline." Read more at NZ Herald Rolf Vrolijk, Principal
Designer, Alinghi: "...a large part of the development process
has been driving home the point that the crew need to sail within
the limits for which the boat has been designed." Peter Lester at NZ Herald:
"At long last we are going to see some racing in the America's
Cup. With a couple of court cases still pending, next week's
one-on-one showdown between Alinghi and BMW Oracle may not bring
an end to the whole sorry saga, but make no mistake - this is
progress." Dave Pedrick, America's Cup-winning Designer: "This 33rd edition of the famed event is sure to be the most spectacular match of sailing machines ever staged. Other than a basic waterline length limit of 90 feet under the Cup's Deed of Gift, there has been no limit on the competing teams' imagination about performance, design and engineering—nor, evidently, on expense" "Amazing Race" at Sailing World Stuart Streuli: "USA's
wing sail is the largest ever built, by far. How to put it
in perspective: "There's countless ways provide a sense of
the size of this sail. It's longer, for example, than the wing
span of the Airbus A340 on which I flew from Boston to Spain. All
come up short, however, when compared to seeing it in person. IT.
IS. HUGE." Opening Ceremonies, One Day to Go John Crisp: View from the dock.... (Feb 7) It was great to see such a good turnout around the Veles e Vents building for the Opening Ceremony. The Darsena once again had the feel of yesteryear. The Valencians turned out to see what all the fuss was about. Any excuse is good for for a party, beer, and massive Paella, and this one certainly counted.. Somewhere among the music, dance, light, dramatic video footage, and stunning hyper-fireworks explosions of the mascletá, the teams were introduced on stage (though both boats were out training so the core figures were not here) and the America’s Cup itself trotted into view. A ceremonial coin was tossed, BMW Oracle drew first blood and chose starboard for the start. The gloves are off, the lawyers on holiday, and battle is about to commence. You can really feel now that this battle is on. The stunning videos on the big screen accompanied by music at a heart-thumping volume set the pulse racing, and despite the media packaging it delivers a sense of just what an awesome achievement these boats really are. They are unique, a testament to engineering, the result of two years mad scramble to design the ultimate with no holds barred. It's a shame that the ordinary man on the street does not really understand how far these teams have pushed, and won't get the opportunity in person to see them go through their paces. Even in the media, focus on the politics has sometimes obscured a magnificent achievement. But never mind all that now.
The clock is inexorably ticking down to Armageddon. Who got
their design right, and who got it wrong? Not long now until we
find out. I, for one, can't wait. |
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CupInfo's Main
Coverage: 2007 America's Cup The 32nd Defense 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup -- Challenger Selection
Louis
Vuitton Acts 2004 to 2007 2007 Teams:
Defender of the America's Cup: Challengers: |
Results:
Comparing the Best
Boats
ETNZ's Kevin Hall: Dinghies and Cup Yachts
Talking with Peter Isler Teams, Photo
Gallery, Stories, RR1 and 2, More: From Mothballs to Match Racing
Providing two race-ready Cup yachts on short notice on the far side of the world wasn’t smooth sailing, so to speak. "It was a bit of an epic," admits Grant Davidson, of BMW Oracle. Mothballed yachts had to be shipped round the globe, set up to be nearly identical, and now need to be maintained that way day after day of close quarters match racing under ten different teams. Looking Ahead
Ben Ainslie, Terry Hutchinson, Rod Davis and others were in Long Beach last weekend for some hard fought match racing in the Congressional Cup. How are top America's Cup sailors (and some who aspire to be) dealing professionally and personally with the uncertainty and conflict surrounding the Auld Mug?
Read Diane Swintal's report at CupInfo Captain Sarno Returns
The leader of South Africa's America's Cup challenger brings his team back home to his own birthplace, a small Italian town in the hills above Pompeii. NYYC Annual Regatta The New York Yacht Club's annual regatta will sail with a sprinkling of history in the fleet, including 12-meter America's Cup defenders Columbia, Intrepid, and Courageous along with other famous yachts such as the newly restored Dorade. Read more: NYYC Press Release and Regatta Site Italian Style
South Africa's Shosholoza and their ACC RSA-83 stood out among the assembled 200-boat fleet. The team's strong ties to the Italian city were in evidence in the warm welcome they generated at this exhibition event. 2007: Alinghi Defender Trials
CupInfo Visits the Defender Alinghi recently wrapped up their second round of trials in the Gulf, pitting SUI-91 against SUI-64, Ed Baird versus Peter Holmberg as skippers, to hone their preparations for the upcoming defense. Our man in Oman (or is that our guy in Dubai?) was there, talked with the top sailors, and brings you the story. Are there A and B teams? What's going on with the bowsprits? And what's it like when they are all out to beat you? Read Vaughn Woodfield's Alinghi Report More CupInfo Articles: Geordie Shaver's perspective on the America's Cup Talking with Mascalzone's Cameron Dunn Also: CupInfo's Allianz Cup Page And be sure to see the Features Page for many more articles, interviews, history, and fun stuff for Cup Fans
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Visiting Dogzilla
Our West Coast correspondent dropped by the BMW Oracle base in San Diego to check up on giant multi-hull progress and provides this report: Naturally the "dognormous" boat, using nearly every square inch of something that can't really be called a slip, is the focus of the morning's activity. Sails are loaded onto the boat with halyards and pulleys and cables -- cables of a size that get everyone's attention and mean no one has to be told to get out of the way. Even with the sails and sailors onboard, the boat sits elegantly on the water, with very little wetted surface.
Photo Galleries and more below: BMW Oracle
Multi-hull on TV: Also, unrelated to BMW Oracle, enjoy this vintage Walter Cronkite interview with Ted Turner, circa 1977: CBS News Video
Oct 20: Two weeks of San Diego testing complete: BMW Oracle web site Inside the BMW Oracle compound:
It's interesting to note some comparisons between BMW Oracle's boat and the giant new 131-foot ocean racing trimaran Banque Populaire V. See Banque story and photos by Lyn Hines at Sailing World See more photos at the BMW Oracle Racing photo bank. First Flight
9/15 Why San Diego? "Warm weather, the right wind, sea conditions that will give us a good picture and a lot of room." : SignOnSanDiego.com 9/10 Monster Watching: "While sailing upwind in no more than 9 knots of breeze, they heeled the boat enough to sail on only the leeward float, making even speed with our media boat at roughly 26 knots": Scuttlebutt News 9/10 James Spithill: "We're not even at 50 percent yet and it's already pretty impressive.": Seattle Times 9/10 Training moving to San Diego: IHT 9/8 Sailing World podcast with James Spithill 9/3 John Kostecki: "...There isn't anything like this, a multi-hull like this..." Read more at NZ Herald 9/1
First Sail Press Release 8/30 Bob Fisher: 5300 sf mainsail, 3700 sf foresail, and 7500 sf spinnaker to be raised Saturday 8/29 Testing Begins 8/28 First sail Labor Day weekend?
James Spithill: "It's awesome, mate. The first time you see it in real life it's a shock factor, to be real honest." Read more at International Herald Tribune
Step-by-step coverage of launch and rigging nearly live Monday afternoon: Dogzillabuzz Blog
Read Unveiling Press Release at BMW Oracle Site CupTracker 2007 CupInfo CupTracker™ is a powerful tool to analyze team results in the Louis Vuitton Acts, follow changes in the Louis Vuitton Rankings, check head-to-head results between teams at a glance, and track scoring through the Louis Vuitton Cup finals and the Big Match itself ! |
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Inquires please contact: Last update: Thursday July 29, 2010 |
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Some of the features on CupInfo : |
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From the 2003-2007 America's Cup Cycle: Schedule The basic Louis Vuitton Acts, the Louis Vuitton Cup, and the America's Cup: events, places, and dates. Plus a detailed schedule including protocol deadlines in addition to background on the Louis Vuitton regatta plans and how they evolved. Recent America's Cup Class Racing: Information about the UBS Trophy, the Moet Cup, the ACC worlds, plus other vintage and exhibition events that took place between America's Cup Defenses. UBS Trophy Racing: Photo Gallery and Racing Recap. CupLog, our chronology of news stories about America's Cup topics since racing ended in Auckland, with links where possible, through 2005. Valencia: Correspondent Félix García, covered some America's Cup related stories from the regatta's new Mediterranean home, providing a perspective on the event and the city that only a Valenciano can. Shosholoza
Interview Peter
Holmberg Interview J-Class
Revisited
Coutts/Alinghi Our earlier content remains on line for your reference, too, including the 2007 Challenger Details Page: All the specifics we knew about the various teams and hopefuls (and some of the guesses) in one place; "Make Your Point" (a look at ACC bow design in the 2003 AC); and our Guide to the Host City Finalists Cheers! |
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About the 33rd Defense
of the America's Cup: |
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Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), represented by Alinghi Challenge, defeated the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Emirates Team New Zealand (5-2) in June and July 2007, successfully defending the America's Cup. SNG retained the Cup to defend it again in the following match. Spain's Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV), represented by Desafío Español, was accepted by SNG immediately following Race 7 as the Challenger for the America's Cup, commonly referred to as the "Challenger of Record". America's Cup Management (ACM), a separate authority formed for AC32 by SNG, was expected to again administrate the event itself. The rules and regatta structure that the defender selected met with objection from several former challenger candidates, as did the selection of CNEV. Issues regarding the balance of power in the event were raised, and the eligibility of CNEV to even participate in the America's Cup was called into question. A contentious court case ensued, as documented in stories listed above, particularly in the news archives from the 3rd quarter of 2007 forward. The New York State Court of Appeals issued their ruling in early April, 2009, declaring Golden Gate Yacht Club the rightful and legal challenger under the Deed of Gift. 2010 - The Basics: The Thirty-Third Defense of the America's Cup Who?
Société Nautique de Genève is the Defender and Golden Gate Yacht
Club is the Challenger. Alinghi represented SNG, and BMW
Oracle Racing represented GGYC. When?
February
8th, 10th, and 12th, 2010 (see important note below). This date was determined by the
Deed of Gift's 10-month notice period as applied by the Supreme
Court of the State of New York. The 10-month notice period
should have normally begun when the Notice of Challenge was
submitted by the Challenger, but the intervening court activities
lead the court to define the notice period as running from the
date that their decision had become final and taken legal effect.
When the New York State Court of Appeals settled the issue of
which Yacht Club was the proper and legal challenger, the order
was entered April 7th, 2009, and ten calendar months leads the
next possible race date (Sundays and legal-holidays excepted) to
being February, 2010. Though not intended to be flexible,
this date was subject to change by legal action or by the
agreement of the two sides. Where? Valencia, Spain. On August 6, 2008, Alinghi named Ras Al Kaimah (RAK), in the United Arab Emirates as the location for the match between the two clubs. The Defender was required to select a location conforming to the Deed of Gift and the Orders of the New York Supreme Court, and to name that site before August 8, 2008. The challenger, BMW Oracle, after evaluating the site and the legal issues, contested the legality of Alinghi's selection and on October 27, 2009, the court sided with BMW Oracle that RAK, being in the northern hemisphere for a winter match, was not permitted under the Deed of Gift unless both teams agreed, and threw out the selection. Alinghi appealed the court's decision. Alinghi meanwhile offered two locations in Australia as substitutes, and though the teams talked about these options, they did not reach any conclusions and the dwindling time frame until the match made going to Australia difficult. Following October's Supreme Court ruling, Alinghi issued a Notice of Race (NOR) on November 10, 2009, naming Valencia as the location for the match. No sooner did Alinghi and BMW Oracle appear to agree on Valencia, though, than Alinghi stated that if they won their appeal, they would hold the match in RAK. On December 15, 2009, a unanimous decision by the Appellate Court on the appeal rejected Alinghi's appeal and a statement was issued later that day by SNG stating that that the club accepts the decision and looks forward to racing in Valencia. How? Best of Three Races. To quote the Deed of Gift: All such races shall be on ocean courses, free from headlands, as follows: the first race, twenty nautical miles to windward and return; the second race an equilateral triangular race of thirty-nine nautical miles, the first side of which shall be a beat to windward; the third race (if necessary) twenty nautical miles to windward and return. Discussions between the teams in mid-December 2009 raised the possibility that the series could be extended to best of five or seven races, no agreement was ever signed by both sides. What yachts? BMW Oracle tested a giant multi-hull yacht, a trimaran, conforming to their Notice of Challenge, which first sailed in September, 2008. Alinghi built a catamaran boat in Switzerland, launched in July, 2009. The Deed of Gift requires that both boats must be constructed in the competitors' home countries. The Deed was modified in 1956 to no longer require a challenging yacht to sail to the site of the match on her own bottom, so the challenger can be transported by cargo ship. Both boats arrived in Valencia the first week of January, 2010. Where can I watch it? What television network is going to broadcast the match? Live television was announced for Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, among other countries, along with a live Internet feed. In the US, Canada, and several other countries, the internet feed is the only live coverage. ESPN 360 is the US partner for the Internet feed. There was no live or delayed TV Broadcast in the US and Canada. More tv and web coverage info |
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Columbia: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit
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