Douglass, Ellison look to wrap up RC 44 championships

[Source: RC44 Class Association] In a season that has seen a number of newcomers to the RC 44 Class, it’s yet another newcomer that’s dominating the fleet racing portion of the ORACLE RC 44 Cup Miami.

William “Doug” Douglass of New York is no stranger to competitive one-design racing, having campaigned a Swan 45, Farr 40 and Melges 32. Today he guided the RC 44 World Champion yacht 17 to another two bullets and leads the fleet with the low score of 14 points in six races.

“I’ve got a good crew and a great tactician in Jimmy Spithill,” said Douglass. “He’s putting me in the right place and the guys have the boat tuned great. It’s easy to go well when the boat’s fast.”

Douglass and the 17 crew have a 20-point lead on second-placed BMW ORACLE Racing, led by Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts. Ellison went 8-5 on the day to solidify his crew’s grasp on the 2010 RC 44 Season Championship.

Other contenders for the title include Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis Racing and Chris Bake’s Team Aqua.

Highlights from day 5 of the Oracle RC44 Miami Cup. Miami, 11 December 2010. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

While BMW ORACLE Racing is in good standing to convert the win, the ease with which points accumulate make it far from a certainty.

“We’re not there yet,” said BMW ORACLE Racing mainsail trimmer Dirk de Ridder. “There are a lot of boats out there and it’s easy to rack up the points. The key is to get a free lane. When you get near other boats you tend to slow down, so it’s almost worth it to sail extra distance and get a clear lane.”

Incredibly, a mere 11 points separate BMW ORACLE Racing in second place from ninth-placed Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. The Spanish yacht from the Canary Islands scored 8 points on the day to move up the standings. As skipper Daniel Calero cautioned, significant points are easy to come by.

“Yesterday we went home really upset about our performance,” said Calero, whose mast broke on Day 1. “We committed many errors and in this class you pay a lot, every single error you pay. Today we tried to avoid the errors. Our starts weren’t great, but we were always able to climb up the fleet.”

Another crew climbing the leaderboard today was Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino. The Italians scored a 6-2 to move into third place in the fleet racing.

“We are improving and learning the boat better every day on the water,” said Onorato, who returned to the class in July. “This is our third regatta, so I’m happy. This is a beautiful boat and I’m enjoying my stay here.”

Douglass, too, is enjoying his stay. The New Yorker described the RC 44 as a, “big, powerful boat. There are a lot of good sailors out there. We have to keep plugging away, have good starts, get a good lane and take it from there.”

The 2010 season is set to conclude tomorrow with a warning signal scheduled for 12:00 pm.

ORACLE RC 44 Cup Fleet Racing Provisional Standings
(After 6 races)
1. 17 (USA) William Douglass/Jimmy Spithill – 3-5-3-1-1-1 – 14 points
2. BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) Larry Ellison/Russell Coutts – 5-10-4-2-8-5 – 34 points
3. Mascalzone Latino (ITA) Vincenzo Onorato/Francesco Bruni – 7-3-9-8-6-2 – 35 points
4. No Way Back (NED) Pieter Heerema/Ray Davies – 10-2-1-5-4-14 – 36 points
5. Ceeref (SLO) Igor Lah/Rod Davis – 2-8-5-10-7-4 – 36 points
6. Artemis Racing (SWE) Torbjorn Tornqvist/Terry Hutchinson – 4-1-2-6-13-12 – 38 points
7. Katusha (RUS) Guennadi Timtchenko/Paul Cayard – 9-13-7-7-2-6 – 44 points
8. Team Aqua (UAE) Chris Bake/Cameron Appleton – 1-12-11-9-3-9 – 45 points
9. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) Daniel Calero/Jose Maria Ponce – 8-7-8-14-5-3 – 45 points
10. Peninsula Petroleum (ESP) John Bassadone/Inaki Castaner – 11-4-6-11-10-13 – 55 points
11. Team Sea Dubai (UAE) Harm Müller-Spreer/Markus Wieser – 6-6-13-12-9-8 – 56 points (includes 2 point penalty)
12. Ironbound (USA) David Murphy/Ian Williams – 12-11-10-4-11-11 – 59 points
13. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) Maxim Logutenko/Evgeniy Neugodnikov – 14-14-14-3-12-10 – 67 points
14. AEZ RC 44 Sailing Team (AUT) René Mangold/Christian Binder – 13-9-12-13-14-7 – 68 points

BMW Oracle reaches final of Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai

[Source: BMW Oracle] BMW ORACLE Racing advanced to the final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai, the fitting finale for America’s Cup Class monohulls, with a sterling performance in today’s semifinal round.

Led by skipper James Spithill, the American team, which won the 33rd America’s Cup in February, defeated the German/French All4One crew 2-0 to advance to the final where it will meet Emirates Team New Zealand, also a 2-0 winner in the semifinal round.

The winning formula for today was as it’s been throughout the regatta that began 13 days ago. Tactician John Kostecki and strategist Murray Jones called the windshifts with aplomb and trimmers Dirk de Ridder (mainsail), Ross Halcrow (headsails) and Joey Newton (spinnakers) kept the boat moving fast. Not to mention, the sailhandling at the turning marks was flawless.

“It’s nice to have the option to put the boat where you want and the guys take care of the rest,” said Spithill. “We’ve got the option to go toe-to-toe or, if JK and Murray see a shift, we can speed to that. The guys have been spot on throughout the regatta.”

Skipper James Spithill comments on the team's 2-0 win over All4One in the semifinal round of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Dubai 26 November 2010. Video copyright BMW Oracle

Spithill has been spot on too, especially in the pre-start sequence. Once again, he gave his crew the ability to call free races by winning the starts.

In the first pre-start, Spithill got a penalty on All4One for jibing too close. That penalty came in handy during the second upwind leg when All4One closed to within one length as the two crews combined for 25 tacks in a furious duel.

“We set the penalty up in the dial-up,” Spithill said. “We got control and forced him into a tight situation and he went for it. Turns out we didn’t need it, but it was nice to have that penalty in the back pocket.”

In the second race the two crews came off the line at opposite ends, but BMW ORACLE Racing was at speed at the pin end while All4One was tacking to starboard at the committee boat, making the French/German team slow off the line.

After entering onto the racecourse, BMW ORACLE Racing quickly tacked to port to get to the right and take advantage of the downspeed All4One and a right-hand windshift.

“The second start changed quite a bit during the pre-start,” Spithill said. “Initially there was a pin bias and we were going to take it, but then the wind went way right. We came off the line and JK called a tack right away. I think the fact we tacked so quickly put them under pressure.”

Tomorrow’s final against Team New Zealand pits Spithill against old rival Dean Barker. The two raced the Louis Vuitton Cup final during the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007. It’s a showdown Spithill is looking forward to.

“I’m convinced we haven’t seen our best yet, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Spithill said.

BMW Oracle Racing Dominates Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The American team BMW Oracle Racing sailed a near-flawless race today against Sweden's Artemis Racing to maintain their margin at the top of the leaderboard.

Everything didn’t go their way. Earlier in the day James Spithill and his team were defeated by the French/German team All4One whose helmsman Sebastien Col won the start and staved off determined American attacks, especially on the first three legs. It was only the second loss in the series for the American team.

Except for BMWOR which holds a four and a half point lead on 13 points, the leaderboard at the Louis Vuitton Trophy remained tightly-packed after the second day of competition in the second round

“We got two points for that race today. It’s a big win,” said All4One’s skipper Jochen Schümann. "BMW Oracle Racing has been very strong so far, so I would say it’s almost ‘bonus points’. We now have a realistic chance to make it to the semis, which is our goal here.”

Follow the leader. Barring any major mishap, BMW Oracle will finish the round robins at the top of the leaderboard. Dubai, 21 November 2010. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

Sébastien Col, helmsman of the French/German boat said: “We achieved a really solid race. The key point was the first downwind leg, where we defended very well. We were leading at the first mark, and then we defended well with a few close jibes, which was kind of our weakness at the beginning of the event. After a day like this, we will really feel better controlling our competitor downwind."

Speaking of BMOR’s James Spithill, winner of the 33rd America’s Cup, Col said: “He and I are from the same generation. We raced together very often in youth world championships or on the match racing circuit. He has had an exceptional career these past four years. We’ve known each other for a long time, and it’s always nice to get a win against him.”

Ian Moore, the navigator of the American boat agreed that All4One had done an outstanding job. “It was a little disappointing to lose the first race, but give credit to All4One,” said Moore. “They started well and sailed impeccably well. We see a lot in these races that if you win the start it helps to go on and win the race, and that’s what they did.

“But you can’t let it get you down. You’re going to lose races in a tournament as long as this and we rallied in the second race. Jimmy got a fantastic start and our tactician John Kostecki did a nice job calling the race and picking the shifts.”

Moore said that after losing to the French/German team, “it was good to get a victory against a strong team like Artemis.”

The hard luck story of the day was the Swedish team Artemis Racing which lost two races, each worth two points, to drop from third place overall to fourth. They had started the day in third place, just one and half points behind second-placed Emirates Team New Zealand.

Artemis lost first to the Synergy Russian Sailing team even though the Russians were penalized for a collision in the pre-start. In one of the closest races seen in Dubai this week, Synergy skipper Francesco Bruni attacked and gained the lead before surrendering it while unwinding his penalty. He then fought his way back to finish first, only to lose his two finish points with a two-point deduction for hard contact.

In their second race Artemis was solidly defeated by BMW Oracle Racing.

It was tough day for Cameron Appleton and Artemis. Dubai, 21 November 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Racing resumes tomorrow afternoon with race boats now scheduled to leave the dock at 1300 and the earliest warning signal at 1345.

Race organizers aim to complete the Round Robin competition on Tuesday. There will be a lay day on Wednesday followed by fleet racing on Thursday. The semi-finals and finals will be raced on Friday and Saturday.

Flight One, Race One, All4One def BMW Oracle Racing Team, 00:45 -
This was only the second race the Americans have lost. Sebastien Col had the starboard advantage at the entry, went nose-to-nose in a protracted dialup above the line against James Spithill, and led back to start at the pin on starboard. Coming into the top mark Spithill was pressing hard but the French/German alliance held the Americans out above the mark and led by eight seconds. Oracle stayed close and on the attack but Col held his nerve and pulled away on the last two legs.

Flight One, Race Two, Synergy Russian Sailing Team def Artemis Racing, 00:26 –
A collision before the start saw the Russian team facing a four point loss – two penalty points for hard contact in the collison and the prospect that Cameron Appleton and Artemis Racing would win the match and go up two points. Synergy’s Francesco Bruni sailed the race of his life to lead on the first beat, unwind the penalty at the top mark and hold off Appleton on the second beat to win the race and two points that were wiped out by a two point loss for hard contact.

Flight Two, Race One, Emirates Team New Zealand def Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:10 – The Kiwis claimed the right at the start and despite early gains by Gavin Brady, steering Mascalzone Latino Audi, it was Dean Barker who led around the top mark. Brady remained in close contact as the breeze softened with the approaching sunset and it was only on the final run that the New Zealand team could feel comfortable about an imminent win.

Believe it or not, team owner Torbjorn Tornqvist was just an aft grinder today. Dubai, 21 November 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Flight Two, Race Two, BMW Oracle Racing def Artemis Racing, 01:03 – The presence of team owner Torbjorn Tornqvist onboard was not sufficient to save Cameron Appleton and the Swedish from a sound defeat at the hands of James Spithill. After a protracted dialup, Spithill returned to start on the left on starboard with Artemis trailing by a few metres at the committee and also on starboard. Spithill was able to cross his opponent on the port tack half way up the beat and extended from there on every leg.

Provisional Results after Day Two of RR2:

1. BMW ORACLE Racing, 11-2, 13 pts
2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 7-5, 8.5 pts
3. All4One, 5-7, 6 pts
4. Artemis Racing, 5-8, 5 pts
=5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 5-7, 4 pts *
=5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 4-8, 4 pts *

* A scoring penalty has been assessed by the umpires

Spithill Extends Dominance at Louis Vuitton Dubai

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] James Spithill, the youngest skipper to win the America's Cup, continued an unbroken record today at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai as his BMW Oracle Racing team posted two more victories in close match racing.

The American team’s record is 6-0 and six points. Their nearest competition is Emirates Team New Zealand in second place with 3-2 and only 2.5 points after an jury penalty on Sunday.

Spithill was merciless in his opening match against Italian Francesco Bruni steering Synergy Russian Sailing. Spithill waited until the last minute of the pre-start before swooping in to attack.

Seconds later he’d grabbed a controlling position on Synergy’s port quarter and pushed the Russian boat above the start line as the gun went. The Russians had to go back and start property while Spithill increased his lead on every leg, finishing 300 metres ahead, the biggest margin of the day.

Spithill’s second race against the Russians was a different story. BMW Oracle Racing tactician John Kostecki described the race as “quite tight.” The Americans rounded the top mark first but Kostecki said the first beat was touch and go.

“We got to them just about at the layline,” Kostecki said. “They had to bail out and we were able to roll them. They had to do two tacks at the top mark. I think we played that right. It was real close though. It could have gone either way.”

Spithill finally got control of the race after a hair-raising leeward mark rounding when the Russian team came charging back into contention and rounded inside the American boat, claiming and getting an inside overlap.

“We managed to get them to tack away and incur a penalty,” Kostecki said. “Out of that we got the starboard advantage and got ahead on the last beat and ended up winning the race. It was a good race. It feels good to be 6-0."

First point for Mascalzone Latino, against Synergy. Dubai, 16 November 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd/outsideimages.com/Louis Vuitton Trophy

Emirates Team New Zealand only had one race, against the Swedish team Artemis Racing. Kiwi skipper Dean Barker claimed a small advantage at the start but Artemis skipper Cameron Appleton enjoyed the starboard side advantage and bounced ETNZ away every time they met in a series of tacks.

When Barker tried to duck his opponent and get right, Appleton bore off in a classic dial down. Barker tacked back and the boats narrowly avoided collision in a flurry of protest flags and shouting.

“We could have cut them in half,” said Grant Dalton, ETNZ CEO who also crews on the boat. “We wanted a red flag penalty but the umpires didn’t agree.”

Flight One, Race One, All4One def Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:22 – Gavin Brady’s race with Sebastien Col was over before it started when Mascalzone Latino Audi jumped the gun as she grazed past the race committee boat on port tack in a split tack start. Col, at the helm of the French/German boat All4One, set out with a 90 metre lead that turned into a 38 second advantage at the top mark. A messy spinnaker drop cost All4One valuable time at the leeward mark but she was still 100 metres in front at the finish gun.

Flight One, Race Two, BMW Oracle Racing def Synergy Russian Sailing, 00:58 – At BMWOR’s helm, James Spithill swooped down on the Russian boat inside one minute to the start as both boats approached on starboard tack. Hooked by the American boat, Francesco Bruni was pushed over the line as the seconds ticked down and Synergy Russian Sailing was forced to return and start.

Flight Two, Race One, All4One def Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:13 – Gavin Brady started the Italian boat at speed on starboard with a safe leeward on All4One. The French/German boat tacked away and Brady followed, taking them out to the starboard layline before leading at the top mark by a boat length. Half way down the run, the Italian spinnaker pole went in the water on a bad gybe. Sebastien Col seized the lead and held it to the finish.

Flight Two, Race Two, BMW Oracle Racing def Synergy Russian Sailing, 00:15 – Russia’s Francesco Bruni came close to wrecking James Spithill’s so-far perfect record in Dubai, overtaking the American boat on the inside at the leeward mark only to be penalized for failing to keep clear as they sailed away from the mark. Spithill had made a safe leeward start on starboard and controlled the race to the weather mark, leading by a boat length and opening the lead only to see it evaporate as Bruni closed at the end of the run, successfully claiming the inside overlap.

Nobody seems to be able to beat James Spithill. Dubai, 16 November 2010. Photo copyright Franck Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Three, Race One, Artemis Racing def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:21 – The Swedish boat skippered by Cameron Appleton claimed the right at the start and bounced Kiwi skipper Dean Barker back to the left on six successive tacks. When Barker bore off and attempted to duck his opponent, Appleton, on starboard, dialed down and forced Barker away before hardening up take a clear lead. Barker kept it close but the race was Appleton’s

Flight Three, Race Two, Mascalzone Latino Audi def Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:15 – On their third race of the day against the Russian team, Gavin Brady and Mascalzone Latino finally prevailed and put their first point on the board. Brady made a perfect start at speed at the pin end of the line and led by eight seconds at the top mark. Francesco Bruni and the Russians clawed back within two seconds as they rounded opposite ends of the leeward gate but Brady maintained control and the lead.

Results:

1. BMW ORACLE Racing, 6-0, 6 pts
2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 3-2, 2.5 pts *
= 3. Artemis Racing, 2-3, 2 pts
= 3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 2-3, 2 pts
= 3. All4One, 2-4, 2 pts
6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 2-4, 1 pts *

* Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires

Video: Highlights from the RC44 World Championship

Highlights from the RC44 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 16 October 2010. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

Meanwhile in Valencia... James Spithill and Torvar Mirsky train on SM40's

If only I could get closer... It's not every day that you have the final of the Australian Match Racing Championship a few hundred meters off the Malvarosa beach, especially when it's the youngest ever skipper to win the America's Cup, James Spithill, facing one of the young up-and-comers, Torvar Mirsky.

Mirsky and Spithill are in Valencia practicing match racing on SM40's. Mirsky certainly needs some lessons from the world's best match racer as his performance so far this year in the World Match Racing Tour has been substandard while Spithill can always use some monohull training ahead of the upcoming Louis Vuitton regatta in Dubai.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get any closer to the action so I had to rely on photos from the breakwater. The entire Mirsky Racing Team crew is here in Valencia while on the BMW Oracle boat I could spot, in addition to Spithill, Dirk de Ridder and Pieter van Nieuwenhuyzen. The umpire boat was driven by Richard Slater while Philippe Presti was coaching the team(s?).

Does this joint training session mean anything for the 34th America's Cup? Kyle Langford, Mirsky's mainsail trimmer, is also a member of the "17" RC44 crew since a couple of events now. Langford was in Puerto Calero last week when 17, helmed by Spithill in match racing, was crowned RC44 World Champion

I know it's too far but trust me, the final of the Australian match racing championship was taking place on Wednesday afternoon off the Malvarosa beach. Valencia, 20 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Coutts wins Fleet Race RC44 Worlds at Puerto Calero - Spithill overall winner

[Source: RC44 Class Association] Yacht 17 takes overall title after BMW ORACLE Racing wins feet racing

Australian Jimmy Spithill, Anders Myralf of Denmark and the international crew of the yacht 17 concluded a banner week in the Canary Islands by winning the inaugural RC 44 World Championship for the Islas Canarias Puerto Calero Cup.

After three days of match racing at the outset of the week, the regatta wrapped up today with the conclusion of the fleet racing, which counted 10 races in total. The yacht 17 won the match racing and finished second in the fleet racing to claim the championship.

Highlights from the closing of the first ever RC44 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 16 October 2010. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

Spithill, Myralf and the 17 crew entered the day in the lead, but an early start in one race and penalties in the other two nearly scuttled their regatta.

“We’re feeling great,” said Spithill, 31, of Sydney, Australia. “It was a tough day on the water for us. We tried to stay clean but got tangled up a couple of times. It was really unpredictable on the water, but at the end of day we hung tough and got it done.”

Heading into the final heat of the fleet racing portion of the regatta the top three boats – No Way Back, BMW ORACLE Racing and 17 – were within 1 point of the title.

No Way Back and 17 each had to perform penalty turns in the race, which allowed BMW ORACLE Racing, led by tactician Russell Coutts and local helmsman Jose Juan Calero to claim the win.

José Juan Calero at the helm of BMW Oracle won the fleet race portion of the RC44 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 16 October 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez RC44 Class Association

“I’m very grateful to Russell Coutts and Mr. Ellison for giving me an opportunity to steer the boat,” said Calero, whose family hosted the regatta at the Puerto Calero Marina. “It means a lot for me because we organized the event as well. It was very stressful at times, but big fun at the end of each race.”

No Way Back, led by owner Pieter Heerema of The Netherlands and tactician Ray Davies of New Zealand, finished third in the fleet racing with 55 points. Coupled with their sixth-place finish in the match racing, they placed third overall.

“It was a great event. I love Lanzarote and Puerto Calero,” said Heerema, last year’s RC 44 season champion. “Being third makes me very happy. We’ve struggled a bit this season. We’ve just never sailed to our level. We were feeling we were sliding down, but to be a strong contender before the last race makes us feel good.”

Top honors on the final day of racing went to Chris Bake’s Team Aqua, with New Zealander Cameron Appleton calling tactics. Team Aqua posted the low score of 6 points on finishes of 1-1-4, a welcome day after two days of struggles.

One bad race at the very end cost No Way Back the fleet racing title. Puerto Calero, 16 October 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez RC44 Class Association

“We redeemed ourselves a bit; finally figured out the racecourse and got our boat figured out,” said Bake, who swept all three titles at the previous RC 44 event in Valencia. “It was massively difficult out there with the shifts and the bias in the course. It felt good to be leading the pack again.”

With just the Miami RC 44 Cup remaining on the schedule, BMW ORACLE Racing leads the season standings with 8 points, followed by No Way Back with 10 points, 17 with 12 points, Artemis with 12 points and Team Aqua with 15 points. The Miami RC 44 Cup is scheduled Dec. 7-12.

RC 44 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ISLAS CANARIAS PUERTO CALERO CUP

Final Standings (including match and fleet racing)
1. 17 1-2 – 3 points
2. BMW ORACLE Racing 3-1 – 4
3. No Way Back 6-3 – 9
4. Katusha 4-5 – 9
5. Artemis 2-7 – 9
6. Sea Dubai 8-4 – 12
7. Ceeref 7-6 – 13
8. Aqua 5-8 – 13
9. Mascalzone Latino 9-9 – 18
10. AEZ RC 44 Sailing Team 10-10 – 20
11. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero 11-11 – 22
12. Peninsula Petroleum 12-12 – 24
13. Synergy 13-13 – 26

James Spithill, 17 crowned RC 44 match racing world champion

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The first three medals of the inaugural RC 44 World Championship for the Islas Canarias Puerto Calero Cup were awarded today in recognition of the match racing portion of the regatta.

Jimmy Spithill and the 17 crew won the gold, Terry Hutchinson and Artemis the silver and Russell Coutts and BMW ORACLE Racing the bronze.

Spithill, a winner in 2005 of the ISAF World Match Racing Championship, defeated Hutchinson 2-0 to claim the championship that began yesterday afternoon and concluded today.

"It feels fantastic, very satisfying. We were up against some tough conditions and top competition," said the 31-year-old Spithill, who won his first match racing regatta on the RC 44 circuit. "As a team we’re sailing a lot better than when we first came into the class this year. Before this event we did a lot of preparation with our coach, Philippe Presti, and our teammates."

James Spithill, the first ever RC44 World match racing champion. Puerto Calero, 13 October 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44 class association

Both races were sailed in light, streaky winds. Spithill and 17 won yesterday’s race with breathing room, but were under pressure to follow it up today. The 17 crew fell behind on the first leg and trailed for most of the race before nipping Artemis at the finish by 1 second.

"It’s like a swift kick in the crotch," said the ever-honest Hutchinson. "Credit to Jimmy and those guys for doing what they had to do. We sailed a loose race and tried to pick the shifts. Some went for us and some against, but we still led at the last top mark comfortably."

Coutts and his BMW ORACLE Racing crew won the bronze medal by defeating Paul Cayard and Katusha by a similar score of 2-0.

Coutts and crew held a slim lead at the first windward mark of their second race. After the rounding both boats performed a jibe set to starboard tack, but Katusha had trouble completing the maneuver and had to jibe back to port. That allowed BMW ORACLE Racing to gain control through the rest of the match.

"We’re pretty happy," said mainsail trimmer Dirk de Ridder. "The conditions were real dodgy. Yesterday we had a huge lead, like half a leg, and only won by one length. That’s part of sailing in these conditions."

Francesco Bruni at the helm of Mascalzone Latino. Puerto Calero, 13 October 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44 class association

In other racing, Cameron Appleton led Team Aqua to fifth place by defeating Ray Davies and No Way Back, 2-0.

Rod Davis and Ceeref defeated Markus Wieser and Sea Dubai also by a 2-0 score to place seventh and relegate Sea Dubai to eighth.

Racing resumes tomorrow with the commencement of fleet racing. All 13 boats will line up with amateur helmsmen in a series scheduled through Saturday with a maximum of four races per day.

RC 44 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ISLAS CANARIAS PUERTO CALERO CUP
Match Racing Final

1. 17 (USA) Jimmy Spithill – 8-1
2. Artemis (SWE) Terry Hutchinson – 6-3
3. BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) Russell Coutts – 5-3
4. Katusha (RUS) Paul Cayard – 3-5
5. Team Aqua (UAE) Cameron Appleton – 7-2
6. No Way Back (NED) Ray Davies – 4-4
7. Ceeref (SLO) Rod Davis – 5-3
8. Team Sea Dubai (UAE) Markus Weiser – 4-5
9. Mascalzone Latino (ITA) Vincenzo Onorato
10. AEZ RC 44 Sailing Team (AUT) Christian Binder
11. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) Daniel Calero
12. Peninsula Petroleum (ESP) John Bassadone
13. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) Evgeniy Neugodnikov

Shifty conditions hallmark of Day 1 at RC 44 Worlds

[Source: RC44 Class Association] Two months have passed since the previous RC 44 event, but the fleet remembered to bring its competitive nature among an array of equipment to the Canary Islands.

Coupled with some wild shifts due to an offshore breeze, the RC 44 World Championship for the Islas Canarias Puerto Calero Cup began with the fleet alternately thanking and ruing the wind gods.

“We’re pretty happy with the day," said Rod Davis of Ceeref. "It was very shifty."

"The conditions were challenging, but it’s always challenging in offshore breeze," said Joey Newton, headsail trimmer aboard 17.

James Spithill leads the match racing part of the RC44 Worlds. Puerto Calero, 11 October 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44 World Championship

"Except for a bad set that was our fault and a miracle puff for AEZ, we were 6 seconds away from being 5-0," said Paul Cayard of Katusha.

"We were one mistake away from a very good day," said Ray Davies, helmsman aboard No Way Back.

"Due to the shifts, it was quite hard to get the positioning right off the start line and be in phase," said Cameron Appleton from Team Aqua. "The shifts are going to be the theme for the week."

The wild conditions kept the crews on their toes and the scoreboard tight.

In Group A, Jimmy Spithill’s 17 and Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis are tied for the lead at 5-1, but the grey-hulled 17 holds the tiebreaker after a head-to-head victory in Flight 6.

Group B sees four boats – No Way Back, Katusha, Ceeref and Russell Coutts’ BMW ORACLE Racing – tied at 3-2.

"We didn’t have the best of days and were up and down, so we’re happy to have the wins we’ve got," said BMW ORACLE Racing headsail trimmer Ross Halcrow.

A total of 36 matches were run today in about seven hours of racing. The breeze was from the west to northwest and between 12 and 18 knots.

The crews once again displayed fantastic boathandling, throwing the light-displacement 44-footers around like dinghies. It’s quite impressive when the trailing boat heats up on a run, jibes and rolls over the top of the boat to leeward to steal a win at the finish line. That’s how 17 lost its only race of the day, to Team Aqua.

Similar to the previous event in Valencia, there were come-from-behind wins and downwind duels where the lead boat attempted to unload a penalty. Such was the final run between Ceeref and Katusha in Flight 6, where Ceeref had to unload a penalty to score the win.

"We had a heck of a battle with Davis and Ceeref," said Cayard. "We got a penalty on him on the second upwind for tacking too close. So both boats went down the run with no spinnakers. We got a penalty at the end so we both had to do circles, but we were just able to get him before the finish."

Locals Puerto Calero face an uphill battle in the first ever RC44 Worlds, 11 October 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44 World Championship

At the finish line the on-water umpire Marco Mercuriali gave Katusha a red-flag penalty when it bore off across Ceeref’s bow trying to cross the finish line. Mercuriali said that Katusha gained an unfair advantage in the maneuver.

He didn’t assess a standard penalty because that would’ve canceled out Ceeref’s and allowed Katusha to win the race. By giving Katusha the red-flag penalty he made both boats perform the 270-degree exoneration turn, and Katusha completed the turn more quickly.

"That was a real tussle with Cayard," said Davis. "Down the run we were trying to set some traps and he was trying to avoid them. We finally executed one. We were doing our penalties at the same time, but he just got us."

The match racing portion of the regatta is scheduled to resume tomorrow with the first warning signal slated for 1130 local.

RC 44 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ISLAS CANARIAS PUERTO CALERO CUP
Group Alpha
1. 17 (USA) Jimmy Spithill – 5-1
1. Artemis (SWE) Terry Hutchinson – 5-1
3. Team Aqua (UAE) Cameron Appleton – 4-2
3. Team Sea Dubai (UAE) Markus Weiser – 4-2
5. Peninsula Petroleum (ESP) John Bassadone – 2-4
6. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) Daniel Calero – 1-5
7. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) Maxim Logutenko – 0-6

Group Bravo
1. BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) Russell Coutts – 3-2
1. Ceeref (SLO) Rod Davis – 3-2
1. Katusha (RUS) Paul Cayard – 3-2
1. No Way Back (NED) Ray Davies – 3-2
5. AEZ RC 44 Sailing Team (AUT) – 2-3
6. Mascalzone Latino (ITA) Vincenzo Onorato – 1-4

Move Over Monohulls, Final Results of C Class Championships

[Source: New York Yacht Club] If wing technology didn’t have everyone’s attention after BMW Oracle Racing’s victorious 33rd America’s Cup, it definitely does now. The high speeds and almost instant acceleration of cambered foils had members of America’s Cup syndicates, top designers, and all sailors in awe.

Canadian C Class Catamaran Team of Fred Eaton, Magnus Clarke, Steve Killing, Rob Paterson, and Rossi Milev have been along for the entire ride, one way or another. Clarke, Paterson, and Milev took six months off from their C Class program to manage wing protection for the largest wingmast ever built for a race-boat: BMW Oracle’s (223 foot) 68 metre-tall wing. Reunited in March, their team brought four wings to the International C Class Catamaran Championship hosted by New York Yacht Club on Narragansett Bay this past week.

“Upwind the camber is moderate, but downwind with the flap set at 40 degrees, the wing will produce almost double the force of an equal area soft sail,” explains Killing.

Eaton and Clarke raced Killing’s latest design, Canaan, to a thrilling victory today in the final day of match racing.

Thrilling for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that they sparred with two of sailing’s most accomplished sailors and proven match-race experts, James Spithill and Glenn Ashby.

Final day of the C Class Championships. Newport, 28 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

"It's fun to sail with your buddies because you mostly sail on your own in the class, and because the guys in the class are universally interesting, “ says Eaton. “They are interested and passionate about sailing high performance boats and I appreciate that because I am too. We rarely get to race these boats. There can't be that many of them since we're all trying to make it a fleet of one — we're all trying to make the other guy's boat look slow. The C Class is a great exploration of yacht design."

Eaton’s interest in developing his fleet of cats was in large part inspired by American Steve Clark’s 11-year hold of the class trophy in Cogito. Eaton arranged with a French team to race Patient Lady VI, the Australians Ashby and Spithill to race his 2007 C Class trophy winner Alpha, and a second Canadian entry of Rob Paterson and Dan Cunningham to race Orion.

Over the years England’s Team Invictus has been percolating a program with the help of Airbus engineers and the UK’s finest multihull sailors. The UK sailing team of Paul Larsen and Gordon Kaiser made it round the buoys this week, which Clark unfortunately did not — both of Steve Clark’s boats and new wings were damaged right before the event commenced, and the second boat only minutes after the first start.

At the outset of racing, the older Alpha appeared better equipped to handle the heavier air and the Ashby/Spithill team took the lead. The newer Canaan was in her element in the lighter conditions at the end of the week.

The next C Class Championship is slated to be raced in Weymouth, England, date to be determined.

Day One of Match Racing Sees Two Winners in the International C Class Championship

[Source: New York Yacht Club] The wind was light and patchy on this first day of match-racing in the International C-Class Catamaran Championship. Canaan, the black cat raced by the Canadian defenders Fred Eaton and Magnus Clarke, was in her element yesterday, winning three of three races.

Today, was not so smooth. After a significant shift to the south the seabreeze filled in at 12 knots and the third attempt to run a race was a success. More of a success for Alpha however, sailed by Australians, Glenn Ashby and James Spithill.

At the approach to the line Canaan stalled, losing the start and six legs later the first match-race. 1-0 for Australia. In the fleet race designed for the French, British and second Canadian entry, Orion retired. Invictus, of England, crossed the finish line first, and despite powering around the course, just milliseconds after crossing the line Patient Lady VI’s wing tumbled.

First day of match racing at the Little America's Cup. Newport, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay.

The Australians again took the start of the second race. The beat up to the windward mark just north of the Pell Bridge saw them round ahead of Canaan, but not by much. A boat length or two. The Canadians, however, passed the Aussies in a diminishing breeze on the downwind leg and then they were off. Canaan finished ahead of Alpha, by over a minute.

“Not bad for a couple of hosers from Canada, eh?” says Eaton with a humble grin.

A twist-control repair to the Aussie boat paired with a dying breeze curtailed racing for the day. The score is now 1-1 and racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning for the final day of the championship.

First day of match racing at the Little America's Cup. Newport, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay.

Spithill and Ashby Dominate Day 1 of International C Class Championship

[Source: New York Yacht Club] The nor’easter departed New England today — more or less — and is off to ruin Canada for a couple of days. Its departure — better late than never — gave the half-dozen winged multihulls sailing in the International C-Class Catamaran Championship at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court a chance to stop talking and start performing. As if they needed any other encouragement.

Wednesday’s racing took place near Half Way Rock, north of the Pell Bridge, to minimize the remnants of the seas and breeze from the northeast. The wind at the start of the first race was 16 to 20 with puffs pushing it a bit higher. In the first race, Alpha, sailed by Australians Glenn Ashby and James Spithill, had a brilliant port-tack start. It was a shot over the bow. Ashby is an Olympic Silver Medalist and nine-time A-Class, world champion; Spithill was helmsman on BMW Oracle’s wing-sailed trimaran that won the recent 33rd America’s Cup.

Certainly a major story line was the first-leg capsize of Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s C-Class Cat. This was a new boat for Clark, an American, the absolute prime-mover in the class, who held the International C-Class Catamaran trophy for 11 years, from 1996-2007. Clark has been as important to the class as Tony DiMauro was to the previous generation. These boats motor — on the sunny side of 20 knots — and the disturbed air off a freighter set off a chain reaction that resulted in a capsize and the loss of the wing.

Spithill and Ashby Dominate Day 1 of International C Class Championship. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

There would be other casualties as well. Orion, sailed by a Canadian team of Dan Cunningham and Rob Paterson, dropped out of the first race with a broken chainplate, and the venerable Patient Lady VI, sailed by the French team of Antoine Koch and Jérémie Lagarrigue, had rudder problems. All were accounted for. Indeed, Patient Lady VI returned to finish the second race and the third.

Ashby and Spithill were passed on the first leg by the event’s defender Canadians Fred Eaton and Magnus Clarke. Then it was a full-on rumble between these two cats, both designed by Steve Killing, and indeed, both owned by Eaton. Anyone who ever said that multihulls can’t match race was forever silenced by this display.There were passes galore – the absolute essence of racing. The winning margin was two seconds in the Australians’ favor.

The second race, in 12 to 14 knots of wind, was less dramatic with Ashby and Spithill leading Eaton and Clarke around the course.

The third race of the day was won by the Canadians, Fred Eaton and Magnus Clarke onboard Canaan.

And tomorrow is another day…

Results after day 1:

1. Alpha (AUS 1), 1+1+2= 4 points
2. Canaan (CAN 9), 2+2+1= 5 points
3. Invictus (GBR 38), 3+4+3= 10 points
4. Patient Lady VI (FRA 2), 7+3+4= 14 points
5. Aethon (USA 104), 7+7+7= 21 points
6. Orion (CAN 9), 7+7+7= 21 points

Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s cat, capsizes. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s cat, capsizes. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s cat, capsizes. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s cat, capsizes. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s cat, capsizes. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Aethon, Steve Clark's and Oliver Moore’s cat, capsizes. Newport, 25 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Video: Highlights from day 4 of the RC44 Valencia Cup

Highlights from day 4 of the RC44 Valencia Cup. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

RC44 Valencia Cup - Day 4: Anders Myralf on "17" annihilates the RC44 fleet

Greetings from Valencia where the fleet portion of the RC44 Valencia cup started with a bang for "17" and Anders Myralf, her Danish amateur driver. Four races took place in lighter conditions (8 to 12 knots) on Friday and the Danish helmsman, aided by James Spithill on tactics, scored an impressive three bullets and a fourth.

Being onboard Sea Dubai in the first race and Mascalzone in the third one, I have to admit it wass very difficult to follow the action but the lead "17" had over the rest of the fleet at times was daunting. They clearly sailed in a league of their own.

Mascalzone Latino is now sitting 10th in the overall leaderboard, however this should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially taking into account the nearly two-year absence of the Italian team from the circuit.

Race 1Harm Mueller-Spreer at the helm of Sea Dubai. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Danish match racer Jes Gram-Hansen calling tactics on Sea Dubai. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Rounding the bottom mark on Sea Dubai. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Torbjorn Tornqvist helming Artemis under the watchful eye of Terry Hutchinson. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Mascalzone Latino ready to round the leeward mark. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Katusha in the second beat of the race. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Igor Lah helming CEEREF in the second beat of the race. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Race 3 Vincenzo Onorato drives the RC44 Mascalzone Latino after a nearly two-year absence from the circuit while Tommaso Chieffi, his tactician hikes. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Vincenzo Onorato drives the RC44 Mascalzone Latino after a nearly two-year absence from the circuit. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Gybing on Mascalzone Latino. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The "Hand of God" in sailing

It's been another long and exciting day in Valencia with the first four fleet races of the RC44 Valencia Cup, even if the breeze didn't reach the levels we've been accustomed to during the last two weeks. Our full report with some beautiful pictures will be online in a couple of hours.

The undisputed leader of the day is "17" with three bullets and a fourth. Still, the final race of the day had its bit of controversy and was resolved in the jury room after the Spanish team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero filed a protest against the American team.

For all those football-illeterate readers that wonder what relation the title of the article has with today's races, it refers to Diego Maradona's infamous goal in the 1986 World Cup when the Argentinean scored against the English, with an illegal, but unpenalised, handball. At the post-game press conference, Maradona claimed that the goal was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God", coining the phrase "Hand of God".

The "Hand of God" in the RC44's took place in the prestart of the final race when James Spithill helped amateur helmsman Anders Myralf by taking the helm, something that under the RC44 Class rules is only allowed in emergency situations. As a result of Spithill taking the helm, the Spanish felt they were forced to cross early the starting line and protested. The Jury found "17" in breach of the rule, as they judged there was no emergency situation while Anders Myralf is an experienced sailor. Finally, the Jury decided to penalize "17" with one point since, in their view, the yacht didn't gain any advantage in the race by Spithill's action.

The "hand of God" in sailing. James Spithill takes the helm of "17" during the prestart of the fleet race, something that is allowed only in emergency situations according to the RC44 Class rules. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The "hand of God" in sailing. James Spithill takes the helm of "17" during the prestart of the fleet race, something that is allowed only in emergency situations according to the RC44 Class rules. Valencia, 30 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

RC44 Valencia Cup - Day 1: Artemis leads undefeated

Just another day in sailing paradise! Pick any superlative from the dictionary and it will pretty well sum up today's conditions, first day of the RC44 Valencia Cup. It was a great, fabulous, glorious day and the 11-strong RC44 fleet raced the first 7 flights of their match race round robin. In what has now become the usual pattern during the last two weeks, the thermal breeze kicked in at around 11am, racing started right on time at 1 pm with a nice breeze of 10 knots that later built up to a testing 20 knots.

Artemis, helmed by Terry Hutchinson, comes out of the first day undefeated, having won all of its 6 races. As Hutchinson stated, it was one of the windiest days ever he had match raced. My report will, unfortunately, be quite limited as I was onboard "17", helmed by James Spithill, and missed most of the other action. After flight 4, the organizers decided not to allow more guests onboard as the gusts of 22 knots and the waves made it too risky. Still, being onboard a spectacular yacht helmed by Spithill with great wind conditions is similar to having a crash course in America's Cup top of the class racing. It also made me realize how fast these boats are downwind.

It was tremendously difficult taking any shots upwind, so I had no option but try my luck downwind. Nevertheless, by the time the camera was out of the plastic protection, the lens cleaned and I was in a good position, Spithill was ready for the last gybe to the gate!!! The race was against the Spanish team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero and Spithill & Co had no trouble at all getting the point.

Planing onboard "17" with 19 knots of wind in the match against Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. Valencia, 27 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Gybing onboard "17" in the match against Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. Valencia, 27 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

James Spithill helming "17" in the match against Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. Valencia, 27 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Remember the name: Kyle Langford. He still can't buy a beer in the States but the young Australian sailor will certainly be one of the world's top trimmers. Valencia, 27 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It was a very tough day for Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. Not only did they lose all five races, they repeatedly suffered from gear failure. Valencia, 27 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

RC 44 VALENCIA CUP
(Match racing, after seven of 14 flights)
1. Artemis / Terry Hutchinson (SWE) 6-0
2. BMW ORACLE Racing / Russell Coutts (USA) 4-1
3. Team Aqua / Cameron Appleton (UAE) 4-1
4. 17 / James Spithill (USA) 4-1
5. Ceeref / Rod Davis (SLO) 3-1
6. No Way Back/Pieter Heerema and Ray Davies (NED) 3-3
7. Team Sea Dubai / Markus Weiser (UAE) 2-4
8. Katusha / Paul Cayard (RUS) 1-3
9. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team / Tommaso Chieffi (ITA) 1-4
10. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team / Christian Binder (AUT) 0-5
10. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero / José Maria Ponce (ESP) 0-5

34th America's Cup Media & Race Trials - Full report

Note: You can find all of the day's photos here

I have to admit I was skeptical about BMW Oracle's "34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials" that started on Thursday morning in Valencia. What kind of uncommon wisdom does the Defender of the America's Cup hold in order to find in just four days the magical TV formula that has eluded for years dozens of experts in the Olympics, the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race or any other major or minor regatta?

After spending the entire day on the water aboard the race committee boat with PRO Peter Reggio and getting to see first-hand the entire procedure, I realized the key word in what took place today was "trials". This is exactly what they did; try all possible TV positions and configurations in order to check how they work out. The official press release talks about a total of 16 cameras and 25 microphones onboard and around the two yachts. I didn't obviously count all of them but judging from what I saw and then from the pictures it is true that there were cameras in every possible spot one could think of. There were cameramen onboard the yachts (two on one of them), there were cameras on the bows, the booms, the stern scoops, the masts, the spreaders, on helmets worn by some of the crew, on a helicopter and, obviously, the handful of TV tenders. I spotted two 3D cameras, one onboard Russell Coutts' yacht and another on the helicopter.

So what is so extraordinary about that one might wonder? BMW Oracle took two RC44 yachts, a class created four years ago, stuffed them with cameras and match raced them. It's true the boats have been around a while but the priority isn't to try a new boat but to try getting the best possible TV result by combining what is available. Take the TP52's for example. Since the start of this season they have been producing a very interesting daily TV feed, streamed live through the internet, but there is neither video nor audio from onboard the yachts.

One way to better describe it is that up to now the TV and photographers had to find their way around the race while now it is the other way round. The race is probably molded around the TV and photographer needs. This was evident as well in the way the TV tenders were crisscrossing in front of the two yachts and even the helicopter was flying unusually low, not more than 10-20 meters high. One side effect is that you get easily soaked, like we did on the race committee boat, and I'm sure the guests on the VIP spectator boats won't find it to their taste.

Do we have to get used to helicopters flying close to the masts? Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It is probably the first time an America's Cup defender spends the time and money to properly do this, as it is my understanding this is the just the first in a series of three media & race trials. The next one will take place in Cowes two weeks from now, during the 1851 Cup and the third one will be in Puerto Calero right before the RC44 World Championship. In addition, even if trying to innovate, both the TV producer and director are veterans in their fields.

The Valencia trials last four days, from Thursday to Sunday. Thursday and Friday are dedicated to testing as many TV and camera configurations as possible with conventional race formats, the first day on the RC44 sloops and the second one on the Extreme 40 catamarans. On Saturday and Sunday the focus will switch to the race format, testing the various innovations and alternatives the Defender has in mind, again alternating between the RC44 and Extreme 40 boats. As Peter Reggio commented, "Saturday and Sunday we are trying the crazy ideas...", like downwind starts or upwind starts but with a weather mark situated as close as 300-400 meters from the starting line.

As a result, Thursday's program was quite conventional format wise. The two RC44 yachts, one helmed by Russell Coutts the other by James Spithill, spent almost five hours carrying out multiple prestart procedures and a handful of full upwind-downwind races, four if I counted well.

Things became more interesting as the afternoon progressed when they tried a couple of prestart procedures with a twist. First the starting line was made very short and then the two yachts were obliged to stay within the starting box once they had entered. As a result, conventional match racing was not entirely possible, so the two yachts were circling for more than 2 minutes before heading to the starting line.

The two yachts circling around for more than 2 minutes as they were required to stay inside the starting box. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

During the last 45 minutes of the day, the two yachts practiced a number of what they called "downwind drills", basically consisting of sailing downwind, extremely close to the breakwater. The commercial port of Valencia being expanded, the new, extended breakwater must be at least half a mile long and at times the two RC44 boats were a few meters from its rocks.

So, what's my conclusion? I do believe it's a genuine, open and open-minded attempt at making the America's Cup and sailing much more accessible to the media, in particular the TV. The footage produced every day will be freely available on the internet and feedback will be possible. At the end of the day, if BMW Oracle wanted they could have just held those tests somewhere else, keep it as low profile as possible and then simply implement the results. Or even simpler, not do anything at all!!

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