Aleph Team France becomes official 34th America's Cup Challenger

[Source: Aleph Team France] A major milestone has been reached by ALEPH, challenge led by the tandem Pacé Bertrand and Alain Gautier. The inscription of the French project has just been validated by the Golden Gate Yacht Club. ALEPH officially becomes a challenger for the 34th America's Cup. Backed by the French Sailing Federation, the French challenger gets the official status of "Team of France for the 34th America's Cup" and is renamed "ALEPH-TEAM FRANCE".

Russell Coutts: "The news that ALEPH - TEAM FRANCE joins the ranks of official 34th America's Cup competitors is great."

Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Sailing Federation (FFV): "It is a satisfaction to see the project we are backing become an official challenger. We're not there yet but a milestone has been achieved and we are very happy. In addition, this inscription gives us the right to name this project "Team of France", as promised. After the French Olympic Sailing Team and the French Match Racing Team it is the 3rd French team and we wish as much success as the first two."

Bertrand Pacé: "Representing your country is an immense privilege, another reason not to disappoint and be up to the challenge. True to its strategy, ALEPH - TEAM FRANCE will continue to gather the French talents who want to promote the collective result. "

Alain Gautier: "For each team member this is a moment of pride and emotion. The team spirit cultivated by the French teams in handball, athletics, swimming, or more recently the brilliant French team in Olympic sailing is a source of inspiration for ALEPH - TEAM FRANCE: success is built in the strength of a team, both in individual as well as team sports. "

ALEPH - TEAM FRANCE is the 4th international project to become an official 34th America's Cup Challenger and continues its efforts to complete its financial partnership before March 2011. The new format set by the organization will offer ALEPH - TEAM FRANCE sponsors unprecedented media exposure.

"Equipe Team France", headed by Bertrand Pacé, first French potential America's Cup challenger

With a very tight schedule for the 34th America's Cup, potential challengers don't have the luxury of sitting around and time must be one the most precious resources. As a result, the first potential challenger from France was known yesterday, according to a report from Agence France Press (AFP). Not only that, it will be officially presented exactly one week from now, on September 30th, according to the report.

The project, provisionally named "Equipe Team France" is structured around figures like Bertrand Pacé, an America's Cup veteran and match racing champion, and has received support from the French Sailing Federation (FFV), according to Philippe Ligot, the project's general director.

The funding of the team, estimated at 50 million euros, is not yet assured, and the team has set a deadline by the end of February 2011 to secure it. "Some teams will have budgets of 200 million euros but we could make it with 50 million. We are optimistic", stated Ligot to AFP.

According to Ligot, they have been working on this project for 6 months and were hoping the multihull option would be selected for the new boat. He claimed that in France there is all the necessary human resources to design, build and sail such yachts. His aim is to "unite the energies, develop a spirit of "Team France", with one goal: to obtain a good result". Still, he doesn't exclude the possibility of "synergies" with "other French projects" on foils, wings, etc.

If funding is secured, the schedule will be as follows, according to Philippe Ligot: start of the design of the future AC72 in 2011, launch of the yacht in early 2012, participation in the six pre-regattas scheduled for that year and then construction of a second AC72 for a launch during the winter of 2012-13.

The day after BMW Oracle made the official presentation of the new boat in Valencia, Bertrand Pacé had stated that it was a "superb opportunity" for France since his country is "very advanced in the fields of aeronautics and multihulls".

According to the French match-racing specialist, "the French designers, engineers and sailors are at the origin of most of the innovations and developments in these areas. From the 60-foot trimaran circuit to the offshore record-breaking maxi catamarans, from the catamarans of The Race to the Hydroptère, the French are undoubtedly the best."

He went on saying that his wish was to "bring together the best design and sports teams possible. We want to unite the offshore racing French talents, as well as the match-racing and the Olympics sailors. Competence, skill and teamwork will be the criteria that will dictate our choices."

LV Trophy jury gives Aleph a three-point penalty

Bad news for Bertrand Pacé and the French team.

Following a hearing of the International Jury to consider the collision which took place between ALEPH and Azzurra, ALEPH has been penalised 1 point for ‘hard contact’ (assessed immediately after the incident) and a further 3 points for breaking RRS 14, the Racing Rule which governs ‘Avoiding Contact’.

While ALEPH acknowledged responsibility for the collision, the team maintained Azzurra contributed to the impact by altering course in a way that swung their transom towards the French bow.

But the Jury disagreed and absolved Azzurra fully, leaving the French team to shoulder the blame.

Mascalzone Latino triumph in La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Mascalzone Latino Audi Team beat Luna Rossa today by just five seconds in a heart-stopping charge for the finish line and chalked up a piece of Italian sailing history. For the first time in seven years of racing in America’s Cup boats, the Latin Rascals defeated their rival Luna Rossa.

The race in light north-easterly winds on the Golfo di Arzachena off La Maddalena was the closest of the four sailed today. Light and fluky winds forced a three-hour delay to the start of competition and curtailed it at day’s end despite an attempt to start further racing.

Can it get any closer? Mascalzone beats Luna Rossa by just 5 seconds. La Maddalena, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Bob Grieser / outsideimages.co.nz / Louis Vuitton Trophy

Luna Rossa was making their debut in Louis Vuitton Trophy racing with 2007 America’s Cup winner Ed Baird as their new helmsman. Baird won the start against Gavin Brady steering Mascalzone Latino and controlled the first three legs.

Closing the weather mark for the second time Brady got out of phase in a series of short tacks and pulled up right astern of Luna Rossa to round just seven seconds behind. The leaders made a conventional bear-away gennaker set while Mascalzone went for a delayed gybe set that led to over 500 metres of separation and an opportunity to grab the lead.

When Baird eventually gybed to cover, Brady was sailing slightly deeper in better pressure. The tables turned and Brady worked out to a 70-metre lead only to see most of it evaporate when he gybed for the finish and the spinnaker sheet came unclipped.

“The end of the spinnaker was flying out loose and Alan Smith, our bowman, clipped onto a spare halyard and swung out over the water to capture it and clip it on again,” Brady said. “We knew it was going to be close but by then we had overstood and came flying into the mark with plenty of speed.”

In other races:

Flight Four, Race One: All4One def Azzurra, 00:20 – At the first cross it was All4One on starboard with a healthy two-boat lead. Sebastien Col steered the French/German alliance to a 28-second delta at the top mark and controlled the rest of the way.

Flight Four, Race Two: ALEPH Sailing Team def BMW Oracle Racing 00:28 – Bertrand Pacé steering ALEPH sailed a cool-headed tactical race to counter an aggressive attack by America’s Cup winner James Spithill. The French led by seven seconds at the top mark only to have Spithill execute a breathtakingly close inside overtaking move around the bottom mark. Pacé’s protest was green-flagged but Spithill had to tack away to clear his air. The windward mark delta was just six seconds before the French extended to win by six boat lengths.

Vive la France. Bertrand Pacé helms ALEPH Sailing to a second victory in row against a "heavyweight". La Maddalena, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd/outsideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Five, Race Two: Artemis def TEAMORIGIN, 00:46 – All the drama in this race occurred 1:40 before the gun when the British boat hooked a crab pot or fish trap as they manoeuvered close to spectator boats. “It had two lines on it, one a pretty heavy anchorline,” said Peter Isler, navigator on TEAMORIGIN. “We went head to wind and Craig Satterthwaite jumped in and slashed both ropes with his knife and we were off again. We were early for the line but not that early!”

Team Origin goes from one disaster to another. La Maddalena, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Inside the basin of the Porto Arsenale, 14-year-old Silvia Acheri won the first of three days raced in O’Pen Bic singlehanded dinghies to qualify finalists for the Louis Vuitton Junior Trophy. Silvia races for the Lega Navale Italiana in Cagliari, Southern Sardina. She won every one of her races.

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Flight Five:

1. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-0, 2 pts
=1. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 2-0, 2 pts
=3. All4One, 1-0, 1 pt
=3. Artemis, 1-0, 1 pt
=5. Emirates Team New Zealand, 0-0, 0 pts
=5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 0-0, 0 pts
=7. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 0-1, 0 pts
=7. Luna Rossa, 0-1, 0 pts
=9. Azzurra, 0-2, 0 pts
=9. TEAMORIGIN, 0-2, 0 pts