April 11, 2011

Photo:©2012 Chris Cameron/ETNZ
 

From America's Cup Event Authority:

Thrills, Spills and Close Racing to Open America’s Cup World Series in Naples

Naples opened in spectacular fashion on Wednesday as strong winds and big waves created menacing racing conditions.  The AC45 catamarans, powered by their powerful wing sails, were leaping out of the water, launched into the air by the heavy sea state.

“It's cool, the sailing is pretty awesome, you can't complain when you're sailing in conditions like that,” said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, who sits at the top of the leaderboard after two fleet races.  “But it's very challenging for the boats and very taxing for the crew.  The goal was to get back to the dock in one piece, which we did - it’s nice to be back in good shape."

Barker and his team clawed back from deep in the fleet in race one to finish in third place.  In the second race, they were able to secure a win, putting them on equal points with Oracle Racing Spithill who also have a 1-3 on their scorecard.  Barker’s team gets the nod on the tiebreak by winning the last race.

Close behind are two teams who put in an outstanding performance on a challenging day.  Team Korea, with young skipper Nathan Outteridge sailing his very first AC World Series regatta posted a 4-2 to sit equal on points with Energy Team, who mirrored their score.

“We couldn't expect much more than that,” Outteridge said.  “The big guns are ahead of us.  But we're overachieving compared with expectations, so we’re very, very happy.”

Not surprisingly in the difficult conditions, there were teams who finished the day less content.  Terry Hutchinson was leading his Artemis Racing team to a solid second place in the first race when both bows buried in impressive fashion as he rounded the top mark.  The front of the boat kept going down, the wind pushing the wing over, until they capsized.

"It was a balance between racing the boat hard and not putting ourselves in a position of risk,” Hutchinson explained.  “I don't really feel like we put ourselves at risk but still we ended up on our side.  It’s just very frustrating Luckily no one's injured, but the wing is absolutely broken It's a real bummer, the boat was so well prepared and sorted for the regatta, and we've been going well in training, so all in all a pretty big disappointment."

China Team too suffered minor damage to its wing and didn’t finish the first race, or start the second.  Oracle Racing Bundock suffered some damage to one of its hulls after flying off a wave and landing hard in race one, which ended their day.  But skipper Darren Bundock said he was confident his shore team would have them ready to race for Thursday.

Both Luna Rossa crews, making their AC World Series debut turned in solid, if not spectacular performances to sit mid-fleet after the first day.

The program for Thursday starts with Match Racing, the pairings determined by today’s results, followed by two Fleet Races and the Fleet Racing Championship continues.  The first Match Race start is 1330 CEST.

Provisional Standings after Day One:

1.  Emirates Team New Zealand (Skipper: Dean Barker)
2.  Oracle Racing - Spithill (Skipper: James Spithill)
3.  Team Korea (Skipper: Nathan Outteridge)
4.  Energy Team (Skipper: Yann Guichard)
5.  Luna Rossa - Swordfish (Helmsman: Paul Campbell-James)
6.  Luna Rossa - Piranha (Helmsman: Chris Draper)
7.  Oracle Racing - Bundock (Skipper: Darren Bundock)
8.  Artemis Racing (Skipper: Terry Hutchinson)
9.  China Team (Skipper: Fred Le Peutrec)

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From Oracle Racing:

Spithill Ties for Win on Day 1

Oracle Racing Spithill picked up the resumption of the America’s Cup World Series where it left off some four months ago with a win in Fleet Race 1 of ACWS Naples.

At ACWS San Diego last November, Oracle Racing Spithill pulled the enviable double, winning both the match racing and fleet racing championships.

Today in rough conditions on the Bay of Naples, Oracle Racing Spithill won the first fleet race going away.  The quintet followed it up with a 3rd in Race 2 and finished the day tied for the overall lead with Emirates Team New Zealand.

“It was pretty bumpy out there, pretty challenging, but once again I was really impressed by these boats.  I think they give the best racing in the world in these conditions,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill.  “We had two really good starts and after that it was about the tacks.  You had to pick a flat spot.  That's where there were huge gains and losses.”

With the wind blowing steadily in the 20s and a choppy sea running at 6 to 8 feet, the conditions were rougher today than even in the more sheltered Plymouth, U.K., last September, widely considered the windiest regatta.  Oracle Racing Spithill wasn’t without its own troubles.

“We broke a couple of wing frames in the first race so we backed off a bit in the second race,” Spithill said.

A few crews were hurt by the conditions: Artemis Racing retired late in the first race after capsizing and suffering damage to the top of the wingsail, China Team also withdrew late in the first race and Oracle Racing Bundock didn’t start the second fleet race after placing fifth in the first.

“Tacking well, not capsizing like Artemis Racing, and not breaking your boat like some of the other teams was the key for success today,” said Oracle Racing Spithill tactician John Kostecki.

Oracle Racing Bundock had a good start in the first race and slipped around the leeward mark in second place, but was penalized twice on the first upwind leg for crossing outside the racecourse boundary.

The crew retired in between races because of damage to its hull caused by the large waves.

“The massive waves were the main issue,” said skipper Darren Bundock.  “For us, we didn’t hit anything but we buckled the hull from the hatch cover down about 20 cm.  It came from the impact of bouncing off the waves.”

Oracle Racing Spithill will be ready to race tomorrow.  The shore team was working on Oracle Racing Bundock, mindful that low air temperatures were not ideal for repairing high-tech epoxy and carbon-fiber race boats.

“We have one of the best, if not the best, shore teams here,” commented Spithill.

Today’s two fleet races served as a seeding for tomorrow’s match racing.  In QF1, Oracle Racing Spithill races Oracle Racing Bundock in a heat scheduled for approximately 16 minutes in length.  The winner advances to the second semifinal match on Saturday while the loser is assigned 7th place for the match racing championship.

Three match races are planned tomorrow ahead of two fleet races.

America’s Cup World Series Naples Overall Standings

Team (Country) R1 R2 Total

1.  Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 3 (8) 1 (10) 18 points
2.  Oracle Racing Spithill (USA) 1 (10) 3 (8) 18
3.  Team Korea (KOR) 4 (7) 2 (9) 16
4.  Energy Team (FRA) 2 (9) 4 (7) 16 16
5.  Luna Rossa Swordfish (ITA) 7 (4) 5 (6) 10
6.  Luna Rossa Piranha (ITA) 6 (5) 6 (5) 10
7.  ORACLE Racing Bundock (USA) 5 (6) DNC 6
8.  Artemis Racing (SWE) DNF DNC 0
9.  China Team (CHN) DNF DNC 0

(Note: Standings reflect race finish and (points scored) in parenthesis)

--©2012 Oracle Racing

Also from Oracle Racing:

US Ambassador to Italy visits the America’s Cup World Series Naples

Naples, Italy, Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Ambassador David Thorne experienced the first day’s racing at the America’s Cup World Series Naples today, watching the two races up close from the support boat of America’s Cup champion Oracle Racing.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the America’s Cup organizers and the beautiful city of Naples for hosting this prestigious event.  It is a great honor to see this exciting racing, so I also sincerely thank Oracle for this opportunity.  My grandfather sailed an America’s Cup defender many years ago, so sailing is in my blood,” said Ambassador Thorne.

His family connection is with the yacht Whirlwind, a trialist for the defense of the America’s Cup in 1934.  Oracle Racing is the official defense team for the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco.

As a keen sailor himself, the ambassador was disappointed when the sea conditions prevented him from competing in Race 1 aboard the Oracle Racing boat skippered by America’s Cup champion James Spithill.

With the wind blowing over 20 knots and a rough sea, Regatta Director Iain Murray made the prudent choice that no additional crew would be carried in the “Guest Racer” position aboard the race yachts.  But prior to the race the ambassador got an opportunity to go aboard for a short time and experience the AC45 race boat firsthand.

Nonetheless, the ambassador donned full sailing gear and, having witnessed one race from the water aboard the Oracle Racing support boat, he asked to stay out for the second race.

The America’s Cup World Series comprises the 2011-12 and 2012-13 championships, staged in cities around the world and raced for in high-speed, next-generation AC45 Class wingsailed catamaran sailboats.  It features the best sailors and fastest boats in the world.

The ACWS is a precursor to the America’s Cup itself, the oldest trophy in international sport and an iconic event which origins as far back as 1851.

The America’s Cup finals, staged in Oracle Racing’s home city of San Francisco in September 2013, will be contested in even bigger and faster AC72 class boats, but like the AC45 there is a special provision in the rules for one “Guest Racer” to be aboard each boat in every race.

“To have the U.S. ambassador visit our team and race on our boat made it a proud day for us,” said Spithill.

The Naples regatta is the third event of six in the 2011-12 America’s Cup World Series.  Previous rounds were held last year in Cascais (Portugal), Plymouth (UK) and San Diego (USA).  After Naples the 2011-12 championship moves to Venice (Italy) next month and then Newport, RI (USA) late in June where the championship will be decided.

--©2012 Oracle Racing

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From Emirates Team New Zealand:

First and a Third Kicks-off Naples Regatta

Emirates Team New Zealand finished the first day of racing in the Americas World Series at Naples with a win and third in the two races sailed.

Racing was called off for the day as the wind got up to a steady 22 knots with gusts and the seaway increased, making conditions potentially dangerous.

Artemis capsized in the first race, damaging its wing and returned to base for repairs; after racing shore teams carefully checked each of the nine yachts for signs of hull damage.

Emirates Team New Zealand finished the day on equal points with Oracle Racing.

The first race was won by Oracle racing 4, with Energy Team (France) second and Emirates Team New Zealand third.

Having spent little time in the AC45 since the last ACWS  regatta was  raced at San Diego in November Barker said before leaving the dock that it might take a little time to settle in to fleet racing.

His prediction looked like coming true in the first race when, after rounding the first mark in third place, they were overtaken and were in seventh place at the third mark.  Then the trademark comeback began and Barker and crew of Winston Macfarlane, James Dagg, Ray Davies and Glenn Ashby stated picking off the opposition to finish third.

In the process, Macfarlane was slammed in to the forward beam and suffered severe bruising to his upper legs and will be rested for a couple of days.

If the first race belonged to James Spithill and Oracle 4, race two belonged to Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand.  With Jeremy Lomas on board, they started well, rounding the first mark in second place.  They overtook Spithill on leg 2 and then sailed away leading around every subsequent mark.  Korea was second 1m 21s adrift and Oracle Racing 4 third.

The Emirates Team New Zealand blog  is here and on our Facebook page.

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From Artemis Racing:

Day 1 Report

It was an action packed start to the Americas Cup World Series Naples, with winds gusting upwards of 25 knots as the nine crews headed out on the race course this afternoon.  Less than an hour before the start, Regatta Director Iain Murray recalled the VIP guest racers, a good call judging by how things turned out.

In Race 1, it was all on at the start with plenty of penalties and boundary calls.  Oracle Racing Spithill led for most of the race, with Artemis Racing close behind.  But at the last windward mark Artemis Racing dove into a wave after rounding and within seconds the bows dug in and the AC45 capsized.

"It was all going well, and it will be interesting to watch the video, because we bore off, both hulls went down, it felt relatively safe, then up on her nose and she went over.  Luckily no one's injured, but the wing's injured.  The wing is done.  It is absolutely broken, really broken.  I'm hoping that there's a spare around, potentially we can use the Aleph one that's not being used.  The boat was so well prepared and sorted for the regatta, and we've been going well in training, so all in all a big disappointment," said Skipper Terry Hutchinson.

"It was a balance between racing the boat hard and not putting ourselves in a position of risk.  I don't really feel like we put ourselves in a position of risk, but still we ended up on our side.  Just...  frustrating," continued Hutchinson.

The team has hauled out the AC45 and it's all hands on deck to replace the wing in every effort to ensure that the boat is in perfect working order for tomorrows match and fleet racing.

Oracle Racing Spithill claimed the victory in Race 1, with Energy Team (FRA) in a close second followed by Emirates Team New Zealand.  In Race 2, Emirates Team New Zealand were first, Team Korea second and Oracle Racing Spithill in third.  Oracle Racing Spithill and Emirates Team New Zealand are now tied for first at the end of day one.

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