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Latest News Links Americas Cup - Louis Vuitton challenger series in doubt . . . Americas Cup - AC45 to get 4 meter wingsail extension . . . Americas Cup - Luna Rossa launched and sailed its AC45 on Monday . . . Americas Cup - Ben Ainslie reveals all . . . Americas Cup - Green Comm Racing partner with Lombardy and Valencia . . . Americas Cup - Oracle Racing Spithill add Fleet Championship title . . . Americas Cup - Oracle Racing Spithill take San Diego AC45 Match Race title . . . Americas Cup - Opening day of the San Diego America’s Cup World Series . . . Americas Cup - Ian Percy joins Artemis Racing for AC45 San Diego event . . . Americas Cup - Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 confirmed . . . Americas Cup - Observations from the AC34 after two events . . . Americas Cup - Prada returns to the Cup . . . Americas Cup - ORACLE Racing take to San Francisco Bay . . . Americas Cup - €150,000 damages in Plymouth AC45 incident . . . Americas Cup - Oracle Racing Spithill win Plymouth AC45 Fleet Racing . . . Back to latest Sailing News reports here . . . Louis Vuitton challenger series in doubt . . .  After receiving only three entries, organisers of next year's America's Cup on San Francisco Bay are beginning to have second thoughts on the format of the challengers' series. Regatta director Iain Murray who is visiting New Zealand for a competitors' forum, said it was unlikely other syndicates would enter at this late stage.Only three syndicates - Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa of Italy and Artemis of Sweden - have paid the $US100,000 ($A94,700) entry fee for the 2013 event. Organisers had planned for eight teams to contest the Louis Vuitton challenger series, which is to run from 4 July to 1 September 2013, with the winner challenging the defending champion Oracle, skippered by James Spithill, in the America's Cup final. With time now getting tight for further teams to build an AC72 in time for the event, Murray said organisers would consider making each of the matches in the challengers' series a best-of-three series, rather than a one-off match. They would also have to look at the mixture of the type of racing and how many races on each day and the breaks that they give the teams. In the meantime, the racing program for 2012 is focused on the America’s Cup World Series. The next ACWS event is in Naples, Italy, from April 7th to 15th. AC45 to get 4 meter wingsail extension . . . The AC45 is about to get a 4 meter tall extension to the wingsail that will add over 8 square meters of surface area to the wing. The bigger wing will promote more exciting racing in light conditions. The wingsail extensions will be added, as directed by Regatta Director Iain Murray, for light wind venues to add more power to the boats when we're racing in lower wind ranges.  The new extensions are being produced at a nondescript warehouse on Auckland's North Shore by Glyn Davies, the build manager for ACRM, who has been in Auckland since the beginning of December, overseeing the wing extension project. "We're currently building 12 wing extensions to have ready for the teams for the first World Series event in Naples (in April). We're on a very tight schedule," he says. "We came back to Auckland from the last event in San Diego, set up the factory and started work in December. We're fortunate to have been able to hire a 'dream team' of boat builders here and have been able to get into production very quickly." The first extensions will be tested on the waters off Auckland by Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa early next month. Among the challenges has been accommodating the media transmission equipment that is located in the top of the main element of the existing wing. The on-the-water tests will be critical to ensure the media equipment still works under the extension. "The plan is to have the lion's share of the work done before we get to Naples so everyone is able to get sailing using these extensions as quickly as possible," Davies says. Any modifications that become necessary as a result of the tests will be quickly incorporated into the production. Then a small team of Davies' boatbuilders will shift to Valencia, Spain to prepare the wings that are in storage there ahead of the Naples event. "The extensions aren't fixed permanently," Murray explains. "We can put them on or take them off, so they'll be used at our discretion for light wind venues to add more power to the boats when we're racing in lower wind ranges." Murray says he expects the wing extensions could be used in up to 15 knots of wind. Luna Rossa launched and sailed its AC45 on Monday . . . The Italian team Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 launched and sailed its AC45 for the first time in Auckland on Monday. The team started planning for the Cup several months ago, announcing its challenge late last year. It's first racing will come in the next America's Cup World Series event in Naples, Italy in April.  Time, says skipper Sirena, if of the essence as the team gets prepared to race. A controvertial agreement with Emirates Team New Zealand will allow the team to fast track its preparation. This arrangement has been challenged by Artemis Racing and was the subject of a Jury Decision at the end of 2011 - See article below. "Our plan is to sail the AC45 alone for about the first 10 days and then we'll join Emirates Team New Zealand for some racing to have some real competition," he said. "We have to use this time as well as possible. We're starting from zero in the AC45 so we have to close the gap." Sirena says Luna Rossa has nearly have the sailing team in place, and introduced Chris Draper (previously with Team Korea), Francesco Bruni (a Luna Rossa stalwart), Matteo Plazzi (with Luna Rossa for three campaigns as well as with BMW ORACLE Racing for the last Cup on the giant trimaran) and Paul Campbell-James who has been with the team during its winning season on the Extreme Sailing Series. Sirena says the team's AC72 is already under construction in Italy and when completed, it will be shipped to New Zealand to be assembled. The team plans to be in New Zealand through March for training. Ben Ainslie reveals all . . . Ben Ainslie dampened hopes that he would lead a British team in the 34th America's Cup in 2013. He will run a new AC45 team - BenAinslieRacing (BAR) - after the 2012 Olympics, but as there is not enough time to get a full AC72 challenge up and running he will join Oracle Racing to help with their defence of the trophy.  BAR will compete in the 2012/13 America’s Cup World Series. Ainslie then hopes that his team can make a realistic challenge for the 35th running of the America's Cup.Ben Ainslie Racing will be entering the America’s Cup World Series under the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, which has supported the Olympian since the beginning of his career. Ben said: “It’s my home club; it’s where I grew up. I’ve had so much support from the club over the years, it seemed a natural fit.” "The goal today is to put together a team to test the waters of the America's Cup with a view to coming in with a full challenge for the 35th America's Cup," he said. After the AC45 series, for the 34th America's Cup in 2013, Ainslie will be part of the Oracle team, with the possibility of ending up helming the Oracle AC72, presently helmed by Aussie James Spihill. Seem Ainslie has managed to turn-around the Team Origin mess and come out with a pretty good deal that keeps him in the center of the action. No sailing team members were announced at the media conference, however the management team will be headed by Grant Simmer, formerly with Ainslie at the previous British America's Cup entity, TeamOrigin. BAR will compete in the 2012/13 America’s Cup World Series Dates for 2012 11-19 Aug - San Francisco, USA 27 Aug-2 Sept - San Francisco, USA 20-28 Oct - date and venue tbc 8-16 Dec - date and venue tbc Dates for 2013 11-19 May - Naples, Italy Full story at http://www.benainslieracing.com Green Comm Racing partner with Lombardy and Valencia . . . Green Comm Racing and the Real Club Nautico de Valencia (RCNV) have joined with Circolo Vela Gargnano (CVG) to reinforce the ties between Italy and Spain and promote the first European Challenge in the history of the America’s Cup. With a budget of 54 million Euros for its 34th America’s Cup campaign, Green Comm Racing is now working on the development of the AC72 multihull, which will be launched on the waters of San Francisco at the beginning of 2013. Green Comm Racing is building up the youngest team ever to compete in the America’s Cup, working with a new generation of European athletes, selected from Olympic sailing trials and tapping a new wave of young European entrepreneurs, which are bringing together breakthroughs in technology and innovation to promote sustainability across the World. Commenting on the launch of the first ever European Challenge, which aims at tapping the best young talents in sports and technology, Francesco De Leo, Executive Chairman of Green Comm Racing, said: “We are delighted and proud to have been chosen by one of Europe’s most dynamic regions to tap and enhance the entrepreneurial spirit, the technological prowess and the athletic excellence of a new generation of Europeans." Oracle Racing Spithill add Fleet Championship title . . . Oracle Racing Spithill, winners on Saturday of the Match Racing Championship, came from behind to win the Fleet Racing Championship, becoming the first team to secure a double win at the AC World Series. Once again, team principal Larry Ellison was on board with the team Sunday.  It was Emirates Team New Zealand who exploded off the starting line to lead the fleet of nine AC45s into a tense, action-packed turn at the first mark just a few hundred yards away. While the Kiwi team led early, the long leg upwind allowed several teams to shine, none more so than Artemis Racing who worked their way up to the front of a very tight pack by the top gate. While Spithill moved away from the fleet, Team Korea, Emirates Team New Zealand, Energy Team, and Aleph were locked in a dogfight for second place. The advantage was first with Korea and then the Kiwis, but the two were just yards apart for most of the race, until a poor gybe on Korea allowed the Kiwis and both French boat to go past. At the finish, it was Emirates Team New Zealand in second, with Energy Team just one second ahead of Aleph for third, and Team Korea in fifth. Artemis Racing’s Terry Hutchinson made a late charge to take sixth place just one second ahead of China Team, with Green Comm Racing and Oracle Racing Coutts at the back of the pack. Earlier, in the AC500 Speed Trial, the fastest runs came on the teams’ second attempt down the course. First it was Emirates Team New Zealand setting the pace. But then came the Oracle Racing juggernaut. First Spithill and then Darren Bundock, skippering Oracle Racing Coutts, broke the record, with Bundock’s speed of 26.87 knots standing up as the winning speed. AC45 - San Diego Fleet Racing Championship 1. ORACLE Racing Spithill 2. Emirates Team New Zealand 3. Energy Team 4. Aleph 5. Team Korea 6. Artemis Racing 7. China Team 8. Green Comm Racing 9. ORACLE Racing Coutts Oracle Racing Spithill take San Diego AC45 Match Race title . . . The Oracle Racing Spithill crew swept across the finish line ahead of Energy Team to a 2-0 win on Saturday afternoon, earning appreciative applause from the large crowd gathered just a few yards away on Broadway and Navy Piers. The victory gave Oracle Racing Spithill the Match Racing Championship at the AC World Series in San Diego.  “We’re really happy,” Spithill said. “We’ve worked very hard after the last regatta on our match racing; the sail design team, the shore team, our preparation was second to none, so it’s great to reward the team with victory. Energy Team have had great speed and been sailing very well. We did a good job of hanging tough, keeping composed and really keeping close. When we found the opportunity we took it and didn’t look back. I’m very happy.” On Sunday afternoon the full fleet is on the water again, scheduled to race in another AC500 Speed Trial before the big, winner-takes-all, Fleet Racing Championship. Opening day of the San Diego America’s Cup World Series . . . Only two races were completed on the opening day of the America’s Cup World Series – San Diego, which started on Saturday with the opening fleet races of the Port Cities Challenge. Conditions were extremely challenging for the nine race crews, who faced light, shifty and very wet conditions. Just one point separates the top four boats, with Emirates Team New Zealand on top of the fleet after the first day of racing. Artemis Racing is on equal points with the Kiwis, with China Team and ORACLE Racing Coutts just one point back. The Chinese won race two – their first win in the AC World Series. Two teams to benefit late in Saturday’s first race were Artemis Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand, who both shot up the race course in the final moments, coming back from deep in the fleet. The Swedish Artemis Racing won the race with the Kiwis in second place, ahead of ORACLE Racing Spithill – who had led much of the race – and ORACLE Racing Coutts, with new skipper Darren Bundock at the helm. The Port Cities Challenge continues on Sunday with three additional fleet races scheduled. Ian Percy joins Artemis Racing for AC45 San Diego event . . . Artemis Racing’s shore team has been working around the clock to get the team’s AC45 ready to race in San Diego following on from a severe collision with GreenComm on the final day of racing at the America’s Cup World Series – Plymouth. Having had to replace the starboard hull, as well as make repairs to the port hull and the wing, the team has been flat out since arriving in San Diego two weeks ago.  Having hosted the America’s Cup from 1988-1995, San Diego is part of the America’s Cup history, but the ACWS – San Diego marks the beginning of a new era. This being the first event of the 34th America’s Cup to take place in the US and with Terry Hutchinson as the only American Skipper competing in the event. The Artemis Racing crew for the America’s Cup World Series – San Diego includes: Skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA) – Tactician Iain Percy (GBR) – Wing trim Rodney Ardern (NZL) – Trim Morgan Trubovich (NZL) – Bow Julien Cressant (FRA) – with Sean Clarkson and Stu Bettany as reserve sailors. “We’re rotating as many people as possible through the program which is great. If there’s one thing that the AC45 is good for, it’s that. It does expose our sailing team to high-paced, high-action sailing. The courses and the type of racing that we’re doing is a micro of what we’ll be doing on the AC72. You definitely get an appreciation for how quick and fast everything happens,” said Skipper Terry Hutchinson. Artemis Racingis looking forward to lining up against the eight other teams when racing which beings at 13:00 PST on Saturday, with six fleet races scheduled for this weekend. Racing then continues on Wednesday, 16 November with five full days of fleet and match racing. America’s Cup World Series Overall Standings
 1.Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 19 – 19 – 38 points
 2.ORACLE Racing Spithill (USA) 16 – 18 -- 34
 3.ORACLE Racing Coutts (USA) 13 – 15 -- 28
 3.Artemis Racing (SWE) 16 – 12 -- 28
 5.Team Korea (KOR) 16 – 10 -- 26
 6.Aleph (FRA) 6 – 12 -- 18
 6.Energy Team (FRA) 10 – 8 -- 18
 8.Green Comm Racing (ESP) 8 – 9 -- 17
 9.China Team (CHN) 6 – 7 -- 13 Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 confirmed . . . Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 confirmed Wednesday. The Circolo della Vela Sicilia of Palermo and the team Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 announced that their Notice of Challenge for the 34th America’s Cup, which will be held at San Francisco in September 2013, has been accepted by the Golden Gate Yacht Club. Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 and Emirates Team New Zealand have signed a cooperation agreement until 31st December 2012 which includes full access to all ETNZ design and performance data for this period. The hulls for the Luna Rossa AC72’ will be built in Italy and all other elements will be built in New Zealand in close cooperation with Emirates Team New Zealand. Luna Rossa’s 2012 programme includes the opening of a base in Auckland (New Zealand) for the joint training, the participation in all events of the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) with the AC 45’ wing catamarans and the launch of the AC 72’ wing catamaran for the America’s Cup. From March 2013 the team Luna Rossa will continue its sporting preparation and technical development of the AC 72’ in San Francisco and will participate to all events scheduled for the 34th America’s Cup. Observations from the AC34 after two events . . . Stan Honey, Director of Technology for the 34th America’s Cup (AC34) and John Craig, Principal Race Officer for AC34 talked to members of the San Francisco Yacht Club last week, reviewing the World Series events in Cascais and Plymouth and explaining the technology they’re using in their jobs. The America's Cup World Series comes to San Diego, USA from November 12-20. Excerpts from their presentation:  Bringing it HOW close to the beach? John Craig: 117,000 people went through the viewing area in Plymouth during the course of racing there. My best memory is of Spithill saying: “This is the first time at any event I could hear the roar of the people cheering.” And this was on a day when it was rainy, cold & miserable - you could hear it going on from the committee boat. That goal is something we keep trying to do and the venues we keep getting ourselves into we have to keep in mind that it needs to be on the beach, as Russell likes to say. One of the ways in which we do that is to set the course with the virtual boundaries or the limits within which the competitors must sail. Outside of those limits, the sailors get penalized. We can control the box that they sail in. Observations of the new format for San Diego, USA? John Craig: One of the things we’ve been looking at changing is OCS. With a reaching start at 35 kms, when the boats take off and you’re over, really your race is over. To come back to the other side of the line and re-cross the line, the rest of the guys are in a different time zone. The reality is that we’re looking at ways to look at maybe having a penalty for OCS - perhaps slow down to ¾ of your VMG and let everybody catch up. The ability to move around the course quickly is a critical requirement under the new format (ie, boats going 30 knots over a race that’s less than 20 minutes long), as well as being able to move the limits and everything else, like in a dropping breeze. All of the marks are boats. We don’t anchor them which gives us the ability to move them quickly. We have very skilled drivers that have a Garmin chart plotter in front of them and they can see all of these points that I have placed on the chart plotter. Mike Martin our rules guy decided it’d actually be okay if racers hit the marks. Not only do you make sure that you keep that boat in place, but when someone is coming at you at 30 knots you can’t flinch! About the new course boats? John Craig: The camera boat is a first generation boat that will change but it is basically two Extreme 40 (carbon) hulls that make it a catamaran with very small, highly maneuverable engines. It’s allowed in the middle of the racecourse and with a sailor sitting on the back calling moves, has done a very good job of staying out of harm’s way so far. The first of the new mark set boats has just done sea trials. 45 foot catamarans, these will be some of the best seats in the house with a VIP area with a bar, TV and seats for 12. The boats are run on Volvo IPS drives that can spin 360 degrees. The first one will be delivered in San Diego - it wont be quite ready to work but it will be there. We expect delivery of one every month until we have our full complement of 8. Is the AC45 just a one-dimensional crash and burn form of entertainment? Stan Honey: The real question is, “How can we turn this into a sport with real intrigue and competition and unpredictability and the rivalries that you get in sport." The answer is, it’s a huge challenge. We know we have to do that but we can’t sort of coast this kind of thrills and chills although it’s a good head start! If we’re going to make this work, one of the signs will be that the sailing athletes will be recognizable on the street - we’ll turn them into personalities then sailing will have the same sort of attraction that other sports do in terms of the rivalries between teams and individuals, the unpredictability and all of that. Will the AC technology trickle down to REAL sailing? Stan Honey: We have actually responded to an inquiry from ISAF to see if our tracking technology (tracks to two cm versus two meters as do inexpensive tracking devices often used in dinghy regattas) could be repackaged into a smaller device and the answer is yes but it’d be pretty pricey. You could package the device in a package the size of a paperback book that weighs less than a pound - we’ve done it for horse racing. It’d take a major sponsor to make it affordable in sailing. Full story at http://sailblast.blogspot.com/2011/10/observations-from-guys-changing-34th.html Prada returns to the Cup . . . In a dramatic about-face, Italian Fashion house Prada is poised to re-enter the America’s Cup fray after chief executive Patrizio Bertelli announced that he has the backing of his board for a €40m challenge in 2013. Prada is listed on the Hong Kong Stock exchange and it was notification of the board decision that led to this week’s announcement. The Far East, and particularly Chinese, market is very important to Prada, as it is to the sponsor of the challenger series, Louis Vuitton. There is also a potential challenger from China. In the announcement it states that - The total amount of the sponsorship under the Sponsorship Agreement is expected to be approximately Euro 40 million and will be paid in installments over the period starting from December 2011 to September 2013. Bertelli challenged with Luna Rossa in 2000 and 2003, when the cup was held by New Zealand and was the ultimate challenger in 2000 and then the challenger of record in 2003. Bertelli had originally said he would not contest the 2013 America’s Cup but is thought to have been persuaded by the commercial opportunities associated with cup participation. ORACLE Racing take to San Francisco Bay . . . Oracle Racing, Team USA for the 34th America’s Cup has returned to the host city for a fall training session. They were met by the Bay's evocative fog. Warm autumn temperatures inland pulled in cool air from the Pacific Ocean and shrouded the team’s two crews, led by helmsmen Jimmy Spithill and Darren Bundock. Images by Guilian Grener     The America's Cup World Series - San Diego has its opening weekend on November 12 and 13, ahead of the racing for AC World Series points in the Match and Fleet Racing Championships, which run from 16 to 20 November 2011. Full story at http://www.americascup.com/en/Teams/ORACLE-Racing/Latest/ORACLE-Racing/2011/10/Fog-over-Frisco/ €150,000 damages in Plymouth AC45 incident . . . Following the hectic action on the final day of the America's Cup World Series sailed in Plymouth, UK. The International Jury headed by Bryan Willis handed down a decision of damages of E150,000 covering damage to Green Comm Racing, Aleph and Artemis Racing. Artemis damage and repair costs being assessed at €100,000, Green Comm Racing at €30,000 and Aleph at €10,000. The actual repair costs may be determined by the Race Director. If such determination is not accepted by any Party, they may revert to the Jury for a determination. Repairs will be carried out and actual cost determined at San Diego where they were about to be shipped for the next Regatta in November. The series of collisions occured after Green Comm, on port tack, failed to complete a tack during the start sequence, stalled and sailed backwards. Aleph, on starboard, was forced to alter course to avoid contact, but struck Green Comm on her starboard hull amidships, piercing a hole in her hull. After disengaging their boat from Aleph, Green Comm then became entangled with Artimis ending with the bow of Artimis buried under their rudder. Full story at http://www.americascup.com/Documents/Jury%20Decisions/2011_09_23_Jury%20Case%20AC05.pdf Oracle Racing Spithill win Plymouth AC45 Fleet Racing . . . Oracle Racing Spithill won the Plymouth AC45 Fleet Racing Championship after an action-packed final day of the America’s Cup World Series. Crowds on Plymouth Hoe were treated to thrills and spills, capsizes and collisions, as well as some great racing on a blustery Sunday.  James Spithill made amends for a lackluster Match Race Championship with an emphatic victory in today’s winner-takes-all race in the fleet racing. “It’s redemption after the match racing,” said Spithill, who seemed unfazed by the breeze that bulleted across the course. With winds gusting up to 30 knots, merely avoiding a capsize or a collision was a major challenge.Other sailors might have a different perspective on today. In the anxious minutes leading up to the start, Energy Team capsized trying to avoid Team Korea, although Loick Peyron’s crew managed to get the boat upright very quickly and rejoin the race. Moments later there was a dramatic collision with Artemis Racing riding up over the back of Green Comm Racing, with the skipper Vasilij Zbogar falling off the back of the Spanish boat and suffering a minor injury to his hand. With their boat damaged in the collision, and carrying two penalties from pre-start collisions, Green Comm retired without crossing the start line. With boats touching speeds in excess of 50km/h, it was a wild ride, and while the Kiwis battled hard with the two Oracle boats, Spithill moved clear on the final lap and Dean Barker had to satisfy himself with second place ahead of Russell Coutts. “Today it was racing and survival,” said Barker, the Emirates skipper. “When the wind cranked in it was full on. The hard thing was not the wind speed but the big puffs which were unpredictable. Always like to win, but nice to get past Russell and take second.” The AC45 circus will now strike camp and move to the next venue. All the catamarans and support boats, together with the race village, will be packed into a container ship, The Constitution, for the journey through the Panama Canel to San Diego for round three from 12 to 20 November. The America's Cup on the bigger AC72 catamarans will take place in San Francisco in 2013. This will comprise of a series of races between the cup holder, Oracle Racing and the winner of the challenger's series, the Louis Vuitton Cup. |
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