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Race Reports, Stories, Results: |
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America's Cup in San Francisco 2013:
Watching the ACWS: Animated Live Racing and
Replays: More Television Info: Also: Watch "America's Cup
Uncovered" Weekly Video Magazine: More America's Cup News: Dec 15: Think you are busy for
the holidays? Captain Nat Herreshoff spent his Decembers
designing and building some of the greatest America's Cup
defenders in history: Nov 12: GreenComm adds new sponsor Malama Composites: Press Release Oct 20: Geoffrey Mason,
America's Cup television producer, to be honored: Oct 17: ACWS in Naples, Italy: Read Press Release Oct 14: Tom Slingsby, Laser World Champ and respected tactician, joins Oracle Racing: mysailing.com.au Oct 11: Oracle Racing is back on SF Bay with their AC45's: Read Press Release |
Jan 24: SF Board of Supervisors
unanimously affirms America's Cup Environmental Report |
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(Jan 24) Certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the 2013 America's Cup was affirmed by unanimous vote of the City of San Francisco Board of Supervisors late Tuesday night, following a long hearing in which the Board took public comment from objecting groups, along with testimony from staff and event organizers. The biggest lightning rod Tuesday was the proposed giant floating television screen intended to be moored in the middle of the Aquatic Park during racing, which drew opposition from swimmers concerned about safety, inconvenience, and environmental contamination from disturbed sediment. Representatives of the organizers agreed to eliminate the floating screen and to explore shore-based options instead. Other objections covered in testimony and response by both sides focused on whether funding for mitigations would be available, while the appellants also worked to raise doubts on procedural issues. Staff responded that the issue of assuring funding for mitigations is properly a subject for agreements to be created in the upcoming approvals process, and that the procedural issues cited were less uncertain than alleged. Now that it has been affirmed, the EIR serves under state law as the legal basis for the City and related agencies to push forward on finalizing the discretionary permits and approvals that are needed for San Francisco to host the America's Cup. The SF Port Commission approved the start of some pre-construction activities last month, the day after the EIR was certified. Read more: San Francisco to Hear Environmental Impact Report Appeal Tuesday (Jan 24) The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is scheduled to address the appeals of the America's Cup Environmental Impact Report (EIR) certification which was granted last month. The city can affirm or reverse the EIR's certification, or the EIR and associated plans can be modified to appease groups that have filed appeals. City staff has pointed out that much of the detail which the appellants contend is insufficient in the EIR, such as the specifics of the mitigations that would be intended to offset to expected environmental impacts, are not required to be laid out in full at this stage in the process. Staff also notes that if the certification is upheld by the Board, that any later court challenges to the EIR's certification would likely be limited to issues raised in public comment for this hearing. Tuesday's hearing, re-scheduled
from earlier this month to consolidate all appeals into one
action, is set for for approximately 4:00 pm PT, and will be
broadcast online at
SFgovTV.org Protocol Amendment Passed (Jan 23) Amendment 11 to the Protocol for the 34th America's Cup has been formally approved. Two separate issues are addressed. The first is a provision for wing-spar extensions, to be provided by ACRM. The second is the more controversial "Protecting the Reputation of the Cup" provision (Article 60). While the Article explicitly restricts statements or conduct detrimental to the best interests of the America's Cup, the dividing line between the unreasonable attacks that are prohibited and the permitted "responsible expressions of legitimate disagreement" could be open to interpretation. It's not unusual for a professional sport to have some requirements against conduct by participants that would disparage the events or bring disrepute. And there is no reason to expect that the present America's Cup Jury would not apply the rule fairly, but concern for the America's Cup isn't just centered on how the rule will be enforced by the current event management. Especially with 2013 serving as a re-boot for the historic regatta, the precedents which might be set in this edition are important for the long-term health of the event. By nature, some interests of the Challengers diverge from those of the Defender, and the needs of the Challengers themselves do not always align with each other. Rules restricting speech cannot help but bring the risk that such rules could be used to stifle discussion, criticism, or dissent. Competitors in the past have always been able to make their concerns public, which might not always have been pretty, but has been open. Inevitably, vital issues will need to be confronted in this or a future America's Cup. Had such a requirement been in place in 2007, would teams that objected to the Defender's behavior at the time been penalized or disqualified? What sort of disagreement is "responsible or "legitimate" and what isn't? There is not an easy answer.
Download Protocol Amendment 11 (pdf) ETNZ Ready to Work with Luna Rossa (Jan 14) Members of Italian challenger Luna Rossa have come to Auckland to begin working with Emirates Team New Zealand on development of new ZC72 yachts for both teams. Grant Dalton, Head of ETNZ, mentioned that the arrangement is a financial boost to his team which helps make them competitive in an arena where they face opponents with immense private backing. Despite comment from other teams, particularly Artemis Racing (see story below), raising the question of compliance with the America's Cup rules in light of recent interpretations from the America's Cup Jury, ETNZ is confident that their planned cooperation is within the boundaries of the Protocol. Grant Dalton: "We're allowed to race train against each other." Collaboration Disputes Heat Up (Jan 12) Artemis Racing has issued a statement explaining their position on issues outlined in a recent America's Cup Jury decision. What's being contested, especially among some of the top teams including Oracle Racing, Artemis Racing, Emirate Team New Zealand, and Luna Rossa, is the degree of shared design, construction, and testing that is possible under the Protocol for the 34th Defense of the America's Cup. Full text of Statement from
From Artemis Racing: ETNZ's public announcements and submission to the Jury on 26 November 2011 stated that:
The Jury Decision in Case AC06, clearly states that if an agreement exists between two teams, one which contains A, B and C; then there would a violation of Protocol 33.4. Artemis Racing has received the clarification it was seeking. Artemis Racing knows that ETNZ and Luna Rossa have done A and B and plan to do C. Artemis Racing is confident that the teams will modify their plans so as not to violate the Protocol. Ainslie to Sail with Oracle and Race His Own AC45
(Jan 10) Ben Ainslie announced Tuesday that he had signed with Oracle Racing for the 2013 America's Cup, and that he would be competing his own AC45 entry in the America's Cup World Series. “I’ve always tried to have a plan of what I’m doing next after the Olympics. The 2012 Olympics has been the focus, but from that has come the opportunity to be able to build a team which we hope can ultimately go on to challenge for the 35th America’s Cup.”
Read
Ben Ainslie Racing Press Release Report: Ainslie to Join Oracle (Jan 9) Kate Laven at The Telegraph reports that Britain's Ben Ainslie is set to join up with Oracle Racing after the Olympics, but that Larry Ellison will also fund "Ben Ainslie Racing" as a non-challenger AC45 entry to begin competing in the America's Cup World Series regattas starting with San Francisco following the London Games. The AC45 exposure and experience may help Ainslie lay the groundwork for a full-fledged challenge in the 35th America's Cup. Tuesday: Watch Ben Ainslie's
Press Conference webcast live here on CupInfo, for more details. Loïck Peyron Smashes Round-the World Record (Jan 7) Loïck Peyron, Skipper of America's Cup challenger entry Energy Team, and crew have set another ocean-racing benchmark, sailing the giant multihull Banque Populaire around the world in a record 45 days. Their efforts on the 40m (131 ft.) trimaran again earn the Trophy Jules Verne, an award Peyron is familiar with having first broken the fabled 80-day circumnavigation barrier in 1993 by less than 24 hours. The record reaffirms the expertise of the Peyron brothers with large multihulls, and their team will now return their focus to the design, building, and delivery of the team's AC72 catamaran for a launch later this year in preparation for the 2013 America's Cup.
Read more at americascup.com and at
Banque Populaire website (in French, but with photos and
video) Ben Ainslie Racing AC45's? (Jan 6) British sailor Ben
Ainslie is set to make an announcement Tuesday, January 10, about
his post-Olympic sailing plans. As skipper, Ainslie was a
core member of Team Origin before backers of the British
America's Cup hopeful pulled the plug in the face of the upcoming
2012 London Olympics. Could an AC45 campaign be in
Ainslie's future? Or even an AC72? Courses Published for 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup (Jan 1) America's Cup Race Management has published the courses for the 2013 LVC and the 34th America's Cup match. There are four courses shown, with variations between a finishing leg set from the leeward gate or from a mid-course mark, and target race times of 30 or 60 minutes. Windward and leeward legs are 3.0 nautical miles each. The shortest course is approximately 10 miles total, essentially 1.5 windward/leeward laps plus start and finish legs (Course 1). The longest is approximately 22 miles and 3.5 windward/leeward laps plus the start and finish (Course 2). The layout of the courses is an important factor for the design teams to confirmed now so that the optimal balance of upwind and downwind performance can be sought for the new AC72 catamarans taking shape, with launchings beginning this summer.
Read Regatta Notice 81 (Courses) (pdf) Iain Murray Profiled at New York Times (Dec 25) Iain Murray is now the Regatta Director for the 2013 America's Cup, but few other people have had as much responsibility and success in the America's Cup so early in their lives. Murray was skipper and designer of the first non-US defender in history, Kookaburra III, in 1986, facing challenger Stars&Stripes. Murray was in his mid-twenties at the time. The New York Times' Christopher Clarey caught up with Murray as he prepared to race in this year's Sydney-to-Hobart, and talked with him not just about where the America's Cup is going, but about where Murray came from: Iain Murray: "We had little dinghies on top of the roof of cars and rigged them up on the grass there together and off we’d go.” Artemis Racing's Sean Clarkson (Dec 21) Sean Clarkson, Trimmer for Artemis Racing, is a veteran of five previous America's Cup challenges. Diane Swintal got Clarkson's perspective on what the team has learned in their transition to multihull racing, and what they are doing to prepare for the AC72: Adapting from monohulls to
the multihulls: On the demands of the AC45: Cayard Looking Ahead (Dec 21) Michelle Slade talked with Paul Cayard and got his views on Artemis Racing's progress in 2011, and their outlook for 2012 and 2013. Looming largest is the effort it's going to take to manage the beast of a multihull that will be the new AC72 class: Paul Cayard: "It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that the handle-ability of this seriously over-powered boat which is under-crewed on an extremely short course in the windiest venue in the world — you multiply all that together and you have a s---fight on your hands." San Francisco Groups Appeal Environmental Report Certification (Dec 16) In the wake of Thursday's unanimous vote by the San Francisco Planning Commission to certify the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the 2013 America's Cup, several local groups have filed appeals of the finding. Their objections mean that the elected body for San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors, will by law need to respond within 30 days. Opponents claim that the "Final" EIR as certified is not "...adequate, accurate or objective," which are statutory terms that an EIR must meet. Opposition centers on whether complete details of mitigation plans have been provided and found sufficient, along with a position that some significant impacts have not been included in the study. In Thursday's board meeting, Commissioners responded to such criticisms by pointing out that CEQA, the state law which requires the EIR, does not also require the details of mitigation plans be included in order for an EIR to be considered adequate, and that many of the specifics for mitigation are intended by CEQA to be addressed during the approvals process still to come with the various authorities. An EIR is an informational document about the impacts which serves as the basis for considering discretionary governmental approvals, and not an actual approval of the project itself. Depending on public and private actions over the next 30 days, it is too soon to gauge whether the appeals will mean any actual delays in America's Cup preparations for 2013. Even those who asked Thursday to delaying the certification vote were at pains to stress their overall support for the event and their appreciation of the efforts that both city and America's Cup officials have made to address their concerns. "This is part of the process, it's not a lawsuit and we have no intention of pursuing litigation," said Jon Golinger, President of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, in the SF Appeal. "We just want more eyeballs on these issues." Read more at SF Chronicle and at SF Appeal In related news, with the EIR
certified, America's Cup organizers cooperated with the city to
modify the Host City Agreement (HCA) so that organizers will
receive long-term leases on Pier 54 rather than Piers 14-1/2 to
22 as planned. Development on the original site risked
obscuring what is presently an open stretch of water views, the
politics of which led the city to seek the change.
Read more at SF Chronicle America's Cup Environmental Report Approved (Dec 15, 7:24 pm) The San Francisco Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to certify the Environmental Impact Report for the 2013 America's Cup. Once certified, the individual agencies, more than a dozen in all, who need to grant approvals for holding the regatta in San Francisco can proceed to consider the issues within their jurisdictions. Such business gets underway Friday, at a meeting of the Port Commission to negotiate terms with the America's Cup Event Authority and approve contracts for the pier improvements. Also: San Francisco Plans May Face Opposition (Dec 14) The "Final" Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco, a necessary document under California's Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) allowing the city and related agencies to provide the approvals the event requires, will be considered for certification by the San Francisco Planning Commission on Thursday. The EIR which has been in process for much of the past year, and subject to a mandatory public review and commentary period for 45 days last summer, acknowledges the expected consequences of staging the regatta on the Bay, and the steps that are proposed in mitigation. Despite widespread cooperation from local environmental groups, some of those groups say that the "Final" EIR does not sufficiently detail the scope of mitigation programs, and does not guarantee the sources of funding under certain scenarios. One alliance of twelve groups has written a letter seeking delay of the Commission's certification vote. The big question is what impact any delays might have on preparations for the 2013 event, and whether delays could threaten holding the event in San Francisco at all. If the Commission does vote to certify the Report, the groups in opposition have 20 days to file an appeal. Under state law, an appeal would then require the City's publicly elected body, the Board of Supervisors, to take action within 30 days of the appeal. If the Board does not satisfy the objections, opponents could take the matter to court. Though the environmental groups are at this point asking primarily for more time to review the contents of the FEIR, and for more details about the mitigation efforts, in any case the time needed to file an appeal and schedule it with the Supervisors could be two or three times longer than the period elapsed since the FEIR was issued December 1. Certification is the likely outcome for Thursday. What follows an appeal, if one is made, is harder to define. The combination of the appeal and response periods means that the Board would have to take action on or before early February. The Board could uphold the FEIR, or request modifications before eventually voting to uphold the FEIR, while a settlement could also be agreed between the parties before or after the Board takes up the matter. Such back-and-forth on certifications and appeals is not unusual in the CEQA process, and does not mean a lawsuit is imminent. And the language of the various members of the coalition asking for delay is not entirely hostile. "I think it will be approved in a timely fashion," Jon Golinger, President of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Other projects have come in with a high-handed manner. That was not the case here. We're mostly happy." While a cloud of uncertainty would not be welcome, even if a lawsuit did result it does not necessarily mean a court would issue an injunction preventing the event from going forward. More likely, the length of the process and the uncertainty of the outcome will prompt negotiation. Read Stories: San Francisco Planning
Commission: North Carolina Group Sues to Become Defender (Dec 14) According to a report from the Associated Press, an entity named African Diaspora Maritime Corp. (ADMC) has filed suit against Golden Gate YC, claiming that GGYC should be forced to accept the North Carolina entity as a candidate to defend the America's Cup in 2013, and be allowed to compete in defense trials against Oracle Racing. Read AP story at Wall Street Journal Notes: On the face of it, claims reported in the Associated Press story appear to be at odds with the provisions of the Deed of Gift, let alone the Protocol for the 34th Defense. Golden Gate YC as trustee and defender is under no legal or protocol obligation to include anyone as a defender candidate unless GGYC chooses otherwise. "We believe the lawsuit is utterly without merit and that GGYC will prevail," said a club representative. The claims as reported would also appear entirely unrelated to the issues decided in court from 2007-2010, which centered the Swiss defender's acceptance of what the court ruled was a illegitimate challenger. African Diaspora Maritime was also the name of an effort that explored becoming a defender candidate for the 1995 America's Cup Defense in San Diego. That undertaking was headed by a Charles Kithcart. The same name appears on incorporation documents from October 2011 for ADMC that were filed with the North Carolina Secretary of State, and on an ADM-related US trademark registration. The situation of an unsolicited and unaccepted would-be defender candidate is not unprecedented in the America's Cup. In 1901 Thomas Lawson, despite being unaffiliated with the New York YC, built a radical but uninvited boat, Independence, which he intended would defend the America's Cup. The NYYC saw it otherwise. Then, as now, under the Deed of Gift it was the domain of the defending yacht club to select their representative.
See article at CupInfo: Lawson,
Rockefeller, and the America's Cup for more background Chris Draper to Leave Team Korea (Dec 13) Korea's White Tiger Challenge will name a new skipper shortly in the wake of the departure of Chris Draper, who led the team to fourth place in the ACWS standings after the first three regattas. Chris Draper: "It has been a huge experience and one that I will always look back on with pride, however there are other opportunities that I cannot overlook, and so I would like to wish Team Korea all the best of success and good luck for the future." Emirates Team New Zealand and ACEA Reach Agreement on Blog (Dec 6) Following several months of discussion, ETNZ and the America's Cup Event Authority have mutually accepted that a team blog can be considered as "social media" and can be permitted to exist outside of the official America's Cup website. This appears to settle a dispute that had been brewing since last June, when under the rules of the Protocol for the 34th Defense, all teams were to have made americascup.com their "sole online presence." An exception to this requirement, however, was carved out for social media. ETNZ believed that the rule frustrated the efforts of teams like themselves that rely on the support of corporate sponsors, and who maintain presences in other sailing arenas. Among other efforts, ETNZ has active programs in the Volvo Ocean Race with their Camper entry, and in the Extreme Sailing Series. ETNZ was reluctant to fold all of their online content under the americascup.com domain address. The ACEA in turn, even if willing to allow ETNZ room to publish an blog, still held concerns whether the rule was being appropriately applied, and raised the issue with the America's Cup Jury. Today's notice memorializes the agreement between both sides to accept ETNZ's conduct as being within the rules, and the Jury "..considers the matter closed." Also: Read (Brief) Jury Notice (pdf) On the face of it this dispute was a seemingly minor matter, but the manner of resolution does take the measure of the balance of power and the willingness of the people involved to find a workable solution to the needs of the teams and the event overall. The AC72 Cats are Coming: A Preview from Paul Cayard (Dec 1) Kimball Livingston spoke with Paul Cayard of challenger Artemis Racing, and got some tantalizing hints of what the big 72-foot multihulls for the 2013 America's Cup are going to be like. "Big and Complicated" is the theme here. Excerpt: But when you scale up to a wing 130 feet tall, how do you control the beast? The first Artemis wing is under construction in a special facility in Valencia, Spain, Cayard says, and to control the moving parts in that wing, “We have 38 hydraulic cylinders. We want to avoid running hydraulic piping to each of them, because that would be heavy, so we have electro-valves embedded in the wing to actuate the hydraulics. But if you had two wires, positive and negative, running to each electro-valve, your wing would look like a PG&E substation, and that’s heavy too, so we use a CAN-bus [controlled area network] with far fewer wires. Still, it’s incredibly complex."
Read
more at Blue Planet Times Impact Report Published, Awaits Approval from City of San Francisco (Dec 1) The Final version of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the 2013 America's Cup has been published, as the process advances to obtain the discretionary approvals required from the City of San Francisco in order to host the 34th Defense of sailing's most historic trophy less than two years from now. Required under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the EIR documents the expected impacts of the activities associated with the event, and also outlines measures that will be taken to mitigate those impacts. It remains for the Planning Commission to certify the report, which they will consider at a meeting on December 15. Then a period for appeal of the certification will run during which it can be asserted by possible opponents that the EIR's assessment of impacts or the sufficiency of proposed mitigations are inadequate. If the City upholds the certification despite the appeal, then the EIR findings remain standing. An opponent that loses an appeal would have the option of filing a legal challenge which, were that to occur, is still not an automatic stop to the America's Cup projects. Among several possibilities a court can potentially dismiss the objections, while organizers also have the option to further modify plans to satisfy criticisms. The current EIR has already been through a round of public comments and modification, which included removing some temporary berthing of visiting yachts that met with opposition from local residents. At this point, the bar for a successful objection that would significantly slow down preparations for 2013 is fairly high, but that doesn't mean disruptions can be ruled out yet. As the approvals process nears the latest finish line, fingers are crossed hoping for some smooth sailing.
Read and download 2013 America' Cup EIR from SF Planning
Department (8 volumes, pdf) Changes for ACEA and ACRM (Nov 23) Scuttlebutt reports that management shuffle has taken place among event organizers for the 2013 America's Cup. Some of the duties of the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) will be transferred to America's Cup Race Management (ACRM) under Iain Murray. Richard Worth, Chairman of the Event Authority, will focus on the commercial and marketing aspects of the event while Craig Thompson, CEO, will seek opportunities elsewhere. Worth will remain Chairman and assume Thompson's title. America's Cup World Series San
Diego Fleet Race Championship
Final: Fleet Race: Oracle rounds the last mark and wins the Fleet Racing Championship Race, making a sweep for Spithill this weekend. ETNZ 2nd, Energy 3rd, Aleph 4th by bare meters, Korea 5th, Artemis catches China on the last leg for 6th, China 7th, GreenComm8th, Oracle5 9th. Oracle4 wins the San Diego Fleet Race Championship, to bookend their Match Racing Championship victory yesterday, and now trail Emirates by just one point in the combined 2011-12 Season standings. Conditions: America's Cup World Series San
Diego Match Race Championship
Final: Also Placing Matches
preceding the Final: First race start scheduled for 1:05 pm PT. Race 1 (7th-8th Placing): Race 2 (5th-6th Placing): Race 3 (3rd-4th): Finals: Conditions: America's Cup World Series San
Diego
Match Race Championship: Semi-Final Match 1: Semi-Final Match 2: First Race Start Scheduled for
1:05 pm. Friday Races: Energy and Oracle4 (Spithill) will meet in the Match Race Final Series on Saturday.
Thursday Outlook: Preview: ETNZ vs. Oracle4 (Spithill) is a good pairing, too, a rematch of the Cascais Match Race Championship Final, which Spithill won 2-0 over the Kiwis. Race Reports, Stories, Results,
and links to more: Swedish Entry Ask Jury to Review ETNZ-Luna Rossa Agreement (Nov 16) Artemis Press Release: Challenger of Record Artemis Racing representing Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet (KSSS) has filed an application to the Jury requesting an interpretation of the Protocol governing the 34th America’s Cup with regards to the cooperation agreement between Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) and Luna Rossa Challenge 2013. Artemis Racing believes that it is in the best interest of all competing teams to understand if all of the elements of the agreement are permissible before any party makes a significant investment. KSSS/Artemis Racing welcome the
involvement of Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 in the 34th America’s
Cup events and look forward to competing against the Italian
team. Luna Rossa Officially Accepted as Late Entry for 2013 America's Cup (Nov 2) A late entry from Circolo della Vela Sicilia of Palermo and the team Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 has been accepted by the Golden Gate Yacht Club, bringing to eight the number of challenger candidates for the 2013 America's Cup. Luna Rossa's late start will be mitigated by an effort to work with Emirates Team New Zealand on design and technology development to the extent permitted by the rules of the Protocol for 2013. The development agreement parallels ACEA's own shared design program that all teams were invited to participate in. Read ACEA/Luna Rossa Press Release Also: Video from Grant Dalton on
the ETNZ-LR arrangement. Dalton says that the first boats
for each team will be identical, and that 50-70,000 man hours
will be spent in NZ building the Luna Rossa boat, an example of
generating returns on the financial support the Kiwis team
received from the national government:
Watch at
YouTube Luna Rossa Rises Again (Oct 29) According to a report at LiveSicilia.it, Luna Rossa has been accepted as a challenger for the 2013 America's Cup. Max Sirena is expected to Skipper, and Ben Ainslie is mentioned as helmsman. This effort would be the fourth challenge for the Italian team, with previous campaigns in 2000 (Lost to TNZ 5-0 in the America's Cup), 2003 (as Challenger of Record), and 2007 (LVC Semi-Finalist).
Read more at LiveSicilia.it (In Italian) Protocol Amended (Oct 26) Amendment number 10 to the Protocol for the 34th America's Cup has been approved by a majority of challenger teams in addition to the Defender and Challenger of Record. The primary impact on racing is the modification of the duration of each America's Cup World Series regattas, no longer requiring nine race days. Most of the other changes are related to internal financial and reporting regulations for the Event Authority, and adding mediation to the scope of the Jury's powers.
See Amendment #10 Notice (pdf, 766KB) The Little Blue Book
(Oct 26) Peter Isler has spent years racing and winning in virtually every sort of yacht racing imaginable, and in his new book he shares stories and sailing expertise from his America's Cup victories, and beyond. The book also includes chapters from the likes of America's Cup winners Buddy Melges (1992) and John Bertrand (1983), plus ascending sailing talents like Ben Ainslie and Jonathan McKee, among others. Coutts Steps Off the Boat (Oct 24) In a crew change that he discussed previously, Russell Coutts will not be helming one of Oracle Racing's AC45 catamarans in the America's Cup World Series Regattas in San Diego next month. Instead Darren Bundock will skipper Oracle 5, with Australian Tom Slingsby join him to sail with bowman Simon Tienpont and trimmers Murray Jones and Simon Daubney. Slingsby, the #1 Ranked Laser sailor in the world, replaces Matthew Mason. Bundock has two Olympic silver medals in the Tornado. Oracle 4 will keep skipper James Spithill's powerhouse combination of John Kostecki as tactician, Dirk de Ridder as wingsail trimmer, Joe Newton on headsail trim, and Piet van Nieuwenhuijzen as bowman.
Read more at Oracle Racing site Prada Comes Back? (Oct 20) A press release via the Hong Kong stock exchange, where Italy's Prada recently became a publicly-traded issue, suggests the fashion house may return to America's Cup racing by sponsoring a Luna Rossa campaign for 2013 to the tune of €40 million. The document describes the negotiations between the company and the sailing team as ongoing and not finalized, however. One curiosity is the description of the regatta as being the XXXIII edition of the America's Cup, although XXX plus III equates to the 33rd Defense that entered the history books 20 months ago in Valencia, while Golden Gate YC's defense in San Francisco will be the 34th (or XXXIV for those of you keeping score in Rome). Possibly some of the finer points are getting lost in translation, but anything that holds out the promise of an Italian team becoming a challenger sounds exciting, and Luna Rossa's return to the America's Cup for 2013, even at a late date, would be an unexpected bonus for fans. Read Prada Announcement (pdf) Read Stuart Alexander's story at The Independent An additional question arises as to whether Luna Rossa would be a full-fledged challenger, entitled to compete in the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup and potentially race Golden Gate in the America's Cup Match, or whether LR's immediate ambitions would be built around the America's Cup World Series. A €40 million sponsorship over the 20 months that remain in this Cup cycle surely seems on the order of magnitude of a full challenge effort, making the Prada news intriguing, but considering the difficulty that existing teams face in order to get new AC72's designed, built, and launched, Luna Rossa will have a lot on their plate if they become a challenger. The Protocol for the 2013 event
was modified this summer to allow additional teams to join up and
compete solely in the ACWS, but, depending on how the Protocol is
interpreted, by missing the first two ACWS events an intended
challenger might seem to have lost their eligibility for the LVC
and America's Cup before they started. The rules, though,
don't explicitly address the scenario for entries once the ACWS
regattas have begun, and in any case the Protocol can be amended,
if necessary, providing that a majority of the challengers, plus
Artemis (as the Challenger of Record) and Golden Gate/Oracle
Racing (as the Defender) agree. Cayard Outlines Artemis Plans (Oct 14) Interviewed by Vsail.info, Paul Cayard explained some of the team's current plans for 2012 and 2013, including their intention to expand beyond Valencia and test their first AC72 yacht against Oracle Racing in San Francisco next year. Paul Cayard: "We decided we needed to stay close to our design team and test some components on the ORMA. We decided it would be more convenient to be [in Valencia] this year and go to San Francisco next year. We will in fact go there in July with our AC72 and train together with Oracle. So, we plan to get a little of both. Also, some components of our AC72 are being built right here in Spain. The hulls will be obviously be built in Sweden but the assembly and lots of bits and pieces will be done around Valencia, that’s why it’s convenient for our design team to stay in touch with all of that. "As you can imagine there are a lot of factors influencing where we go. The truth is that Valencia in the winter time is a much better place to sail than San Francisco. There is a lot of current and not much wind in San Francisco in winter time. Hopefully, we will have nice conditions here through the winter and spring and then we’ll go to San Francisco." Note: The AC72 yachts won't compete in earnest until 2013, but under the rules of the America's Cup Protocol, teams may launch their first AC72 boats July 1, 2012 (or even earlier in some cases), and spend up to 30 days sailing them before the end of January, 2013. Though under the NYYC's reign, the defender would have avoided sailing against a challenger even in practice for fear of giving away vital performance information, there have been no formal rules against doing so. It has always been a point of
contention the extent to which a defender and challenger are
benefiting each other by trialing against each other, and whether
the defender and a challenger meeting in advance of the actual
Match is appropriate given the challenge nature of the America's
Cup, not to mention whether such activity favors the
participating challenger over the others. It's in a sense a
mitigating factor here that Oracle and Artemis will be training
very early in their AC72 experience, a year before the actual LVC
and the 34th Defense. Also to be considered is that none of
the teams will be launching their second AC72 until February 1,
2013, making the alternative of solo testing a single boat not
nearly as helpful to a development program. Still, the
prospect of two of the best funded and fully staffed campaigns
comparing notes may not be very reassuring to other 2013
challenger candidates. Sunday:
Sunday Schedule: One 40-minute
Fleet Race. Race 1:
Complete No serious injuries reported from the collisions and capsizes today. Andy Fethers was the Artemis crew who went feet first through the wingsail, and is all right. Teams have until the next regatta in November, in San Diego, to repair the boats. |
Race Reports, Stories, Results,
and links to more: See Full San Diego Results and Standings
Ed Wright, crew on
GreenComm: "On these boats, it’s pure multitasking. You have to
be able to pick up one second and put it down the next second, do
it very quickly, and have your head both inside and outside the
boat. So it’s very physical and you have to be very aware."
More ACWS Stories: Sailor and Broadcaster Peter Isler: "...For me it’s great to have been a part of it and to continue being part of telling the Cup story but I’m in awe of the America’s Cup and it keeps changing and it continues to evolve. It’s unlike any other event anywhere and that’s the thing about the Cup." Read more at SailBlast Guests Onboard the AC45s:
"Some of (the guests) probably wanted to scream, but they are not
allowed to," said Vasilij Žbogar, skipper of the Spanish team
GreenComm. "There was one guy who was with us, he was doing
this ..." Žbogar bowed his head and muttered furiously, then
looked up smiling. "When we looked at him, we thought he was
praying." Tricks of the Bay - Local
Knowledge Helps Kiwis: Rod Davis: “All the little
tweaks of San Diego Bay started coming back to me last spring
when we raced the RC-44 sloops over the same course,” said Davis.
“Those races refreshed my memory.”
Photo:©2011 ACEA/Gilles
Martin-Raget
San Diego Schedule Saturday/Sunday: Port Cities
Challenge (Fleet Racing)
SEA San Diego's John Laun
John Laun watched the America’s Cup making its “victory tour” around San Diego in 2010 and knew the city still had the interest and the ability to run a Cup regatta. With Chuck Nichols he formed Sailing Events Association San Diego to make that a reality. On the eve of the America’s Cup World Series in San Diego, Laun talked to Diane Swintal about the steps they took to secure the regatta, lessons learned, and what it will take for the event to be a success in his view: “We always knew it would be hard, because we had a very compressed time frame. And there was a lot to learn -- the RC44 regatta and the America’s Cup World Series are very different in terms of our role, and certainly the America’s Cup World Series is a much more complex event."
Read interview with John Laun at CupInfo Interview with Iain Murray
Iain Murray, Regatta Director and CEO of the America's Cup Race Management (ACRM) organization, is in charge of independent conduct of the regattas, and at the lead in pushing forward all the changes necessary for the America's Cup World Series and the actual America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup in 2013. CupInfo checked in with him last Sunday on the final day of racing in Plymouth. Iain talked about ACRM's focus going forward, plans for changes at the next ACWS stop in San Diego and for 2013, and the possibility of new teams joining up: Question: How close are we to seeing an Italian team join in Venice or Naples? Iain Murray: I’m very positive that we will see an Italian team in the not too distant future.
Read interview with Iain Murray at CupInfo ETNZ Wins ACWS Plymouth
(Sep 16) Even when trailing, Russell Coutts dipped into his match racing tool box and went to work on Dean Barker, but it wasn't enough to keep the Kiwis down. ETNZ won Semi-Final #1 2 race to 1, advancing to the Final on Saturday against either Artemis or Team Korea. The action between Barker and Coutts was some of te best of the America's Cup World Series to date, with multiple penalties and a collision before the first gun had even sounded. Well, the first electronic signal, but you get the idea. Oracle5 sail from behind to in front anyway to win Race 1. Just when they looked to have Race 2 in hand, though, Barker got ahead, kept finding better wind at the right times, and carved out two wins. ACWS Plymouth Race Reports: ACWS Plymouth Day 2
(Sept 11) Spectacular racing Sunday, at least for the half of the fleet that stayed upright. The America's Cup World Series in Plymouth saw some incredible action, maybe even too much of it for some teams with three of the nine entries not even finishing the race. Aleph, Korea, and GreenComm capsized, while Artemis withdrew after damaging their wing. Conditions were challenging for multihulls Sunday, with several boats getting overwhelmed when hit by strong gusts or tripped up by maneuvers that would have been fine in more stable weather. Adding to the complexity, even though these are talented sailors, many come from the monohull world and are still learning the dynamics involved in heavy weather multihull sailing. Loïck Peyron of Energy Team, one of the most accomplished multihull skippers in the world, had the benefit of being a veteran at this sort of thing. "It was difficult going around the corners today," said Peyron. "The experienced multihull sailor in me was telling me to back off a bit, to avoid breakage and sail in 'offshore' mode. I don't regret it because our boat is intact whereas others are having to make repairs. I have experienced too many disasters in multihulls not to be affected." Read more quotes at Americascup.com The finish order showed Oracle and ETNZ sharing the top three spots again, followed by Energy, China, and Korea (after righting their boat). Match Race Championship Qualifying begins when racing resumes Wednesday.
ACWS Cascais
(Sunday Aug 15) The final day of the America's Cup World Series in Cascais capped off the regatta with one long-format fleet race. James Spithill led early, coming off two unbeaten days in a row, and looked headed for a third with team owner Larry Ellison along for the ride. But Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand showed their mettle and again fought from behind to win, followed by an Artemis team that seems to have finally clicked, placing second just :21 behind. Race Reports: Team Statements: More:
See
Results/Scoring and
Circle the Dates (Jul 4) America's Cup organizers have released the schedule, format, and scoring for the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup. The event will start several days earlier than first planned, with opening ceremonies in San Francisco on Thursday, July 4, 2013, and a fleet racing round kicking off July 5. This is the first time in history that fleet racing has ever counted as part of the Louis Vuitton Cup itself. There will be two match racing Rounds Robin to rank the challenger candidates, and the top four RR finishers will compete in Semi-Finals and a Final match to determine the winner of the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup, who becomes the 34th Challenger for the America's Cup. The actual America's Cup Match is set to begin September 7, as per previous announcements.
See 2013 LVC and America's Cup Race Schedule and
Read Press Release J-Class Regatta in Newport
Race Results:
(Jun 15) Ranger, a replica of the 1937 America's Cup winner, and Velsheda, one of three original survivors, are racing head-to-head this week in Newport, RI, historic yachts in a setting to match. Ranger took Race 1 by
just one second on corrected time, won Race 2 by 27 seconds
corrected, won Race 3, and won Race 4 by 3:19 corrected.
Velsheda won Race 5 by 2:00 corrected. Racing finished
Sunday June 19. Each race starting at 1 pm, conditions
permitting, and sailed in sight of spectators on shore.
Crash Time
(June 13) Oracle Racing AC45
Spectacular Pitchpole in San Francisco Bay during exhibition race
pre-start: Crew
Shannon Falcone was injured, walking away but taken to the
hospital by ambulance for X-rays of his ribs and further
evaluation. Russell Coutts, skippering #5, was thrown
through a portion of the wing. Thankfully, injuries to the
crew were not more extensive. Examination showed that
Falcone dislocated rib cartilage, but did not break any bones. Update: Follow-up stories
Tuesday: What Happened? This capsize seems to continue a pattern from testing in Auckland, where the AC45 is remarkably stable in many conditions that would cause problems for lesser cats, and the long wave-piercing bows can be very effective at maintaining buoyancy and avoiding this sort of incident, especially upwind. But if the wingsail gets into an undesired orientation relative to the wind, forces can overwhelm the boat much more quickly than with a soft mainsail. Somewhat inherent in a hard surface airfoil, it appears to be much harder to depower the wing on short notice when in trouble, as attempts to ease the wing above illustrate. On the other hand, both
increased experience and improved control techniques could lessen
the risks, too. There is still a lot to learn about these boats,
even for expert crews, justifying the plan to climb the learning
curve early with the AC45's and build skills and understanding in
preparation for the AC72's which launch less than 13 months from
now. Mascalzone Latino Resigns from 2013 America's Cup
(May 12) The Italian team, a partner with Oracle Racing and GGYC in many changes to the America's Cup, has withdrawn their challenge. The news is disappointing to America's Cup fans who have watched the team's journey from a struggling upstart in Auckland in 2003 to a near semi-finalist in 2007 in Valencia before becoming Challenger of Record for the 34th Defense. The team says funding limitations are preventing them from mounting a sufficiently competitive campaign for 2013. From Vincenzo Onorato: Dear Friends and Supporters, With deep sorrow I have to announce my decision to withdraw my team from the 34th America’s Cup. Since the very beginning of our role as Challenger of Record, I have been working on this project focused to bring the Cup in our Country. Larry deeply loves Italy and he was excited about this idea. The Cup in Italy would have been the greatest worldwide promotion for our beautiful coasts. There have been some very high level and important meetings that made us believing in this dream, but the things went in a different way. As Challenger of Record, we have worked with humility next to Oracle and I am satisfied of the result we have reached: a new Cup, spectacular, with new boats, the catamarans, that will launch on the international scene a new generation of sailors. With Russell we have discussed for long time on the most difficult challenge that the next Cup must face: an international situation with big economic crisis and therefore huge difficulties to find sponsor. This is the only, true, real enemy of the next Cup. We have then thought of the idea to create the class AC45, a concrete way to make lot of teams get involved in the event reducing costs, at least in the delicate period of the start-up. On our side, I must thank the two Italian sponsors that believed and confirmed us their trust. We are not able, however, to reach a budget that allows us to be a competitive team. In our sport, men in blazer have overcome by now those in oilskins, I'm a man in oilskin and when I go in the sea, I want to win. I’m not interested in a hopeless challenge, I would lie to the sponsors, to our fans and last but not least also to myself. I would like to thank our friends from Club Nautico di Roma. I am sure that we will have new exciting adventures together. The sailing adventure of Mascalzone Latino doesn’t end anyway with the Cup, but it continues with the sailing school in Naples, free of charge, for those children coming from the most difficult areas of this town. A daily challenge, and, who knows, maybe someday we will see a new America’s Cup champion coming out from one of them. Fair wind to all of you. Vincenzo Onorato 14 Challengers for 2013
America's Cup; (Apr 1) America's Cup organizers
announced Friday that a total of 14 teams have submitted Notices
of Challenge for the 34th Defense of the America's Cup in 2013.
The additional names of the latest entries will be announced
shortly. All but two of the challengers have been
officially accepted by Golden Gate YC. Nine teams, eight of
them challengers plus the Defender's representative, are publicly
known to date, and the identities of the new teams will be
confirmed soon. Cascais, Portugal; Plymouth, England; and San Diego, USA will host America's Cup World Series Events in 2011. On the basis of strong wind conditions Cascais was believed to have been the preference of Russell Coutts for the 2007 America's Cup, which instead ended up in Valencia, Spain. See CupInfo's Cascais Page 2011 America's Cup World
Series: Press conferences today in Plymouth and Monday in Cascais will provide more information. Noticeably absent from the list
is Newport, Rhode Island, which was reported to be under
consideration. One concern with Newport was having
improvements in place in time for fall of 2011. Rhode
Island officials say that the deadline was feasible though hotel
capacity on short notice was more likely the issue, and that they
are now working on a 2012 date. San Diego: RC44 Cup
Onboard:
Rehearsal for Something
Bigger? John Laun, Sailing Events
Association: "We see this as proof that we can put on a
world-class international sailing event in San Diego that
requires infrastructure, organization, and venue. So we’ve
made proposals for the fall of this year or spring of next year,
which would be an AC45 regatta." Paul Cayard: "I don’t know about sailing the AC72 in here, but San Diego is a great bay, it’s kind of like San Francisco, but smaller. It’s a great opportunity for the public to watch the racing without having to get out on a boat. That, conceptually, is what we need to do -- I think this is the direction we need to go in to grow the sport.” Read "Paul Cayard: Spanning the Globe" RC44 Photo Galleries:
Wingsails and the AC72 Rule:
(Feb 3) Pete Melvin helps explain how the AC72 Class Rule he helped write was shaped to allow more design freedom in the interest of creating faster boats less expensively. He also shares his expectations for technology development in the 2013 America's Cup, and discusses the challenges of managing design development when much is still left to learn about the big Cup cats and the regatta they will compete in. Pete Melvin: "We looked at a rule that’s more restrictive, such as the wings that are being used in the C-Class, but it was very difficult to write a rule around a 3D object with moving parts. Whenever we wrote a rule to limit something, we would find five ways around it. By writing very restrictive rules, you actually increase complexity and cost, so by leaving things open, things turn out to be much simpler, elegantly efficient."
Read more
with Pete Melvin about Wingsails and the AC72 Class Rule Choosing Multihulls for the America's Cup: Behind the Decision
(Jan 17) Pete Melvin, of Morelli and Melvin Design and Engineering, helped guide the process that led to the selection of wingsail catamarans for the 2013 America's Cup, the first time in the history of the famous regatta that multiple teams will be racing in these kinds of boats as a class, and he was an author of the new AC72 Design Rule. Melvin, an expert sailor of advanced multihulls as well as a top designer, knew well the skepticism that the move faced from supporters of more traditional boats. Pete Melvin: "It was extremely clear along party lines with most everyone wanting monohulls and us multihull guys saying ‘We’re open minded, but we see more benefits in the multihull than you guys are seeing.’ But it comes down to match racing. The biggest criticism from the monohull guys was ‘You can’t match race these boats.’ There are very few people who have really match raced a multihull. I was fortunate enough to have been involved with the Oracle guys in their match racing development and knew how exciting it could be, but it’s hard to tell the monohull people ‘Wait and see, it really will be great!’”
Read Visit with Pete Melvin at CupInfo Optimizing America's Cup Yacht Designs (Jan 11) What impact can Genetic Analysis and automated optimization play in designing the new 72-foot catamarans and wingsails for the 2013 America’s Cup? Does Oracle Racing now have an insurmountable advantage on wingsails? Is this advanced study within reach of anyone other than the teams with the most money? For Alinghi in the 2007 America’s Cup, Andrew Mason created a DNA structure for the ACC yacht class, and then used it to race virtual fleets against each other, automated by computer, culling out the top performers and cross-breeding them until the best of the breed was found. "With the adoption of winged catamarans for AC34, the benefits of using optimization methods to explore the design space are overwhelming," Andrew says. "In 2007 we were trying to eke out small gains to highly refined designs which had resulted from more than 15 years of development in the class. This time around the design space is largely unexplored for hulls, wings, and foils, and I have no doubt that some major breakthroughs await those teams that embrace the use of advanced optimization methods."
Read Interview with Andrew Mason at CupInfo San Francisco Is Chosen to Host the 2013 America's Cup! Dec 31 (5:50 pm PT): Golden Gate YC and race organizers reached a deal with city officials late Friday to hold yachting's most famous and historic regatta in San Francisco in 2013. A formal press conference is expected next week. Communications between GGYC and the City tentatively establish July 13 to September 1 for the Challenger and Defender selection races, and September 7 to 22 for the America's Cup Defense. Firm dates and formats will be determined by the end of January. Read America's Cup Press Release Also: See Computer Generated Promo at YouTube As for Newport's prospects:
"Rhode Island has made a super-human effort with very little time
and late in the game here," said Thomas Ehman, head of Oracle
Racing external affairs and a member of the Golden Gate Yacht
Club America’s Cup committee. "It's not only very much
appreciated, but was an extraordinary effort. … Unfortunately for
Rhode Island, we've run out of time and San Francisco's bid has
been accepted tonight." Despite not being selected, Newport may
head the list to host preliminary regattas. And if difficulties interfere
with San Francisco's progress, Newport could get the America's
Cup after all: "Should there be any problem with San Francisco
fulfilling their end of the deal, we'll be looking to Newport to
jump in," America's Cup representatives told the Associated
Press. Shaping the New Cup Dec 12: Before an attentive audience at Cal YC in Marina del Ray, Tom Ehman, of BMW Oracle, and multihull designer Pete Melvin, of Morelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, recently explained the thoughts behind some of the radical changes they helped conceive for the 2013 America's Cup. Diane Swintal was there and brings us her report: Pete Melvin: "The wing is a huge performance element and that’s where I think a lot of the gains will be made. Hulls are fairly well understood -- with a monohull, where the hull is very, very critical and a very key part of your design, you’ll spend a lot of your resources developing the hull shape. Multihulls are all long and skinny things and whether you make one with a little more 'vee' or a little less rocker, it’s not going to change the drag characteristic of the hull that much. So a lot of those resources that you might have put into design engineering will go into the wing or the foils, and less on the hulls." Read more about Pete Melvin's talk at Cal YC Tom Ehman: "...We’re not taking the Cup to some media-centric era, we’re taking the Cup back to the way the Cup was from 1851 until they moved to Newport."
Read more about Tom Ehman's talk at Cal YC Shape of Things to Come?
America's Cup Village on the Piers?
Sep 3, 2010: The city of San
Francisco shared proposed design concepts for America's Cup shore
facilities, which could be built if race organizers agree to hold
the next defense of sailing's most famous trophy on the Bay.
These renderings were reportedly presented to GGYC and BMW Oracle
representatives at a meeting this week with city development
officials. Click image above to see more images or go to
San Francisco Examiner and
SF Gate. Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai: Final Match, best-of-three
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Who's in, who's out for the 2013
America's Cup? Previous America's Cup Events: 2010 America's Cup: 2007 America's Cup: CupInfo's Main 2007 Coverage: 2007 America's Cup: The 32nd Defense 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup -- Challenger Selection Louis Vuitton Acts 2004 to 2007 Other Previous Events: |
July 1, 2010: 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: Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
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. 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. |
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! 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
Sept 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 Sept 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 Sept 10: James Spithill: "We're not even at 50 percent yet and it's already pretty impressive.": Seattle Times Sept 10: Training moving to San Diego: IHT Sept 8: Sailing World podcast with James Spithill Sept 3: John Kostecki: "...There isn't anything like this, a multi-hull like this..." Read more at NZ Herald Sept 1:
First Sail Press Release Aug 30: Bob Fisher: 5300 sf mainsail, 3700 sf foresail, and 7500 sf spinnaker to be raised Saturday Aug 29: Testing Begins Aug 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
Spy Shots showing BMW Oracle multi-hull preparation and launching. See spy photo gallery 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: Wednesday January 25, 2012 |
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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, 2003 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 2007 Host City Finalists Cheers! |
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