34th America's Cup Media & Race Trials - First shots

It's been a long, interesting and productive day for the Defender of the America's Cup in particular and the sport of sailing in general. I'll just post some of the best shots I've got today in no particular order and my full report will be online later. I was on the race committee boat together with PRO Peter Reggio, so there are dozens of nice and detailed shots.

I only have one quick comment. If this is not a genuine, open and open-minded attempt at making the America's Cup and sailing much more accessible to the media then I'll be damned! As you'll see in the photos there are plenty of cameras, cameramen and photographers, some of them in the most unusual places. Some of the ideas will certainly turn out to be useless, impractical or even stupid. However, I'm sure that some others will give us great footage. Unless you try all of them, you'll never know if they work or not.

Conditions were simply perfect today in Valencia. It is sunny and the yachts were lucky to have a nice steady, sea breeze already from 11am, peaking at 12-13 knots at 4pm.

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

First day of the 34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing