Video: Andreij Justin shows some of the RC44 cool features

Andreij Justin, the Slovenian naval architect that together with Russell Coutts designed the RC44, shows us some of the cool features of this racing thoroughbred.

RC 44 Championship Tour heads to the US

[Source: RC44 Class Association] A record number of entries – fourteen strict one design RC 44’s – will compete in next month’s ORACLE RC 44 Cup Miami (December 7 – 12). The event will be followed by the RC 44 San Diego Cup (March 2 – 6), whilst some teams will also compete in Key West Race Week in January.

The ORACLE RC 44 Cup Miami will be the final stage of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010. The annual ranking is currently led by Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing, ahead of Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back and James Spithill’s “17”.

BMW ORACLE Racing leads the fleet, match race and overall rankings. However, the American team is on a tie with Chris Bake and Cameron Appleton’s Team Aqua in the match race event whilst third placed No Way Back – the winner of last year’s Championship Tour - sits three points behind the leader in the fleet race contest. Needless to say that all three rankings (fleet, match and overall) remain open, with only five points between the leader and fifth placed Team Aqua in the overall ranking.

A new American team will join the RC 44 Championship Tour in Miami: David Murphy’s Ironbound, with Ian Williams (GBR) at the helm for the match races, bringing the total number of entries to fourteen following the recent arrival of Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) and Peninsula Petroleum (GBR). Commenting his arrival in the RC 44 Class, David Murphy said: “We’ve entered this fleet because it represents the highest level of competition in sailing today. What could be better than competing against the best on a level playing field? IRONBOUND is in the house!!!”

The RC 44 fleet will stay in the United States over the winter, with some teams competing in Key West Race Week in January before heading to the West Coast for the RC 44 San Diego Cup (March 2 – 6). Commenting about this event, Russell Coutts – who won the America’s Cup in San Diego for the first time in 1995, before winning the event three more times in 2000, 2003 and 2010, said: “I really enjoy racing in San Diego and I am looking forward to a great regatta”.

Racing will take place directly in front of the Broadway Pier, site of the Event Village. “We're excited to be bringing the RC 44 event to San Diego in 2011. San Diegans are huge fans of sailing and the RC 44 event will be a highly competitive international regatta bringing the best sailors in the world to America’s Finest City,” said John Laun, President and CEO of SEA SD. “The new Port Pavilion at the Broadway Pier will be a spectacular venue for race fans to view these races.”

The Port of Pavilion on Broadway Pier will showcase a gorgeous improvement to San Diego’s dynamic and diverse waterfront built by the Port of San Diego. Built to be an environmental gem, the Port Pavilion is an ideal venue for waterfront activities such as this international sailing competition when not in use as an impressive arrival terminal for cruise-ship visitors.

Craig Thompson, CEO of America's Cup Event Authority, talks to Valencia Sailing

We continue our series of interviews with the people in charge of shaping the 34th America's Cup in line with the vision of the current Defender, its owner Larry Ellison and its CEO Russell Coutts. We spoke with Craig Thompson, CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority, the body in charge of everything related to the pinnacle event of the sport, except for the racing itself.

Valencia Sailing: Can you briefly take us through your background and how you ended up becoming CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority ?
Craig Thompson: Most recently I was with TEAM Marketing in Switzerland and we were the agency that UEFA chose to set up the European Champions League. Myself and a number of colleagues started the Champions League, together with UEFA, back in 1992. We created the marketing platform and the concept for the Championship League, which we then implemented. I was with the Champions League from 1992 until 2003 when I left to take a break. After that I was involved with the set up of the Champions Hockey League in Europe, a European hockey league similar in style to the Champions League in football, then in several other projects and I finally joined the America's Cup just recently as CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority.

Valencia Sailing: From what I see you have no sailing background or at least you haven't been involved with any major sailing event prior to joining the America's Cup. Is that correct?
Craig Thompson: I had some experience with the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia when I did some consulting work both for America's Cup Management (ACM) and Alinghi. So, I do have a little bit of sailing experience but I wouldn't say I have any extensive experience in that sport.

Valencia Sailing: Do you think this factor could be a problem or at least a disadvantage?
Craig Thompson: To the contrary, I think it's an advantage, assuming that I'm surrounded by top sailing people that have extensive knowledge of the sport like Russell Coutts, Tom Ehman or Iain Murray. As long as there is people like that in the team it's an advantage having someone like myself or Richard Worth, Chairman of ACEA, that don't have an insider, intimate knowledge of the sport because we can look at it from a more objective viewpoint as sports marketers. We can look at the sport in terms of what needs to be done to make it friendlier for fans, television and the sponsors and that was exactly the role I had in the Champions League in football. Being an American myself, I came to Europe knowing very little about football (soccer) and I was managing the Champions League project for many years. I actually think there is an advantage to be not so familiar with the sport as long as you are surrounded by people that are very familiar with it.

Valencia Sailing: So, since you state that you can have an objective overview of the sport of sailing, what is your first assessment? What do you think needs to be done?
Craig Thompson: We took a good look at the sport and what we found out was that a lot of the positioning of the America's Cup is based on tradition and history, the fact it is very wealthy individuals that are all interested in sailing these boats and fighting with each other in the ocean.

Valencia Sailing: Sure, but the current Defender, BMW Oracle, the team that hired you, is in fact owned by one of the world's richest individuals. So, there is some truth to that.
Craig Thompson: Absolutely, that's what I mean. The sport America's Cup, as we have found today, is a sport that is very much relying on its tradition and on its history. It is a fantastic tradition and history but when we look at the sport closely we realize that the values of sport, the fighting, the team work on the boat, the sporting part of sailing is not coming through so much in the television coverage, the commentary, the media. What we want to emphasize, and Russell Coutts totally agrees with us, is to put the sporting values of sailing at the front so that the public will want to follow the sport, will see the emotion and drama of the teams and see it as a very high level sporting event with highly trained athletes who are competing with each other on a physical level, in terms of running the boats, but also on a mental level where very quick decisions have to be made under huge pressure and stress.

It's a very interesting combination of physical and mental contributes in a sport and we have to put that forward with the television program and coverage, with the commentators so that people start understanding sailing better and what it is as a sport.

Valencia Sailing: What is the right formula to do that? Do you have it?
Craig Thompson: No, Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison have decided to have this next event in these very large catamarans which are very fast and vigorous boats and the courses are going to be set up so that the sailors are really tested. The motto we are going by now for the future America's Cup is "the best sailors on the fastest boats" and that's the way we are positioning the America's Cup for the future. Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison support this positioning of the America's Cup for the future.

Valencia Sailing: What is exactly ACEA in charge of in the organization of the 34th America's Cup?
Craig Thompson: It's very similar to America's Cup Management for AC32. We are responsible for sponsorship, for branding, the venues, the facilities, the sponsor and commercial partners, the television programming. We will have the America's Cup Television and we will work very closely together to organize the television programming, the needs of the sponsors and the needs of the sport.

Craig Thompson promises unprecedented TV coverage in the 34th America's Cup. BMW Oracle carried their "34th America's Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials" last summer. Valencia, 22 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia Sailing: Are you in charge of the negotiations with venues, either for the America's Cup Match or the America's Cup World Series?
Craig Thompson: We are participating in those discussions but the responsibility for that lies with Russell Coutts.

Valencia Sailing: The venue hasn't still been officially announced. Can you start working without knowing that major aspect of the event?
Craig Thompson: Yes, we can. There is a lot of work we can do. We are putting our sponsorship packages together, we are developing out TV program, our TV production, we are hiring a lot of people right now and it's a very busy time. Of course, we are all waiting to know the venue for the AC Match but at the same time we are in discussions with many venues right now to participate in the World Series which will start in June 2011.

Valencia Sailing: Do you think there will be interest in the World Series?
Craig Thompson: I definitely do. This wasn't started by us and as you know in AC32 they had the Acts they organized in Marseille, Trapani and so on. We are basically expanding the concept, we are calling it the America's Cup World Series and we will have a point system to determine a champion every year. We are also going to have the Youth World Series so that we have a platform for youth to enter the sport of sailing and have a path to the America's Cup.

We are going to promote and televise all the World Series events to a very high level. We will be producing a 1-hour television program for each event and expect to have it on major broadcasters like RAI in Italy, TVE in Spain, ARD in Germany and so forth.

Valencia Sailing: Will those events be broadcast live?
Craig Thompson: Yes they will but only a 1-hour program. Each event will have a duration of 9 days and there will be TV production every day. Some broadcasters will want to take footage every day but the big broadcasters I mentioned will most likely not have news coverage every day but they will take on Sunday, the last day, the 1-hour live program.

Valencia Sailing: You say Sunday will be the final day. Is that going to be the rule in all events?
Craig Thompson: This is all still being developed but in principle our thinking is that the events will start on Friday or Saturday and end on the following Sunday. In addition, each event will be a combination of fleet racing and match racing.

Valencia Sailing: You talk a lot about television, so I suppose it will be your main media platform. Is internet going to play a bigger role in this event compared to AC32?
Craig Thompson: We are going to give a lot more part to internet than previously. It is going to be major media platform for us and we will have a lot more detail and a lot more streaming on the internet than has ever been done before. However, we are keeping for television the live rights for the World Series and the America's Cup Match. The television audience will still have access to it while the internet will act as a place for people more interested in sailing, more devoted to it with additional information.

We will be using both platforms in harmony. We will have live streaming on the internet but there will also be a sort of exclusivity for television on some of the premium events, such as the 1-hour live program I mentioned earlier on Sunday. They will most probably be exclusive for television. The remaining days will have a lot of live streaming on the internet. Broadcasters will be charged for the TV programs and it's going to be a regular commercial offering. We will be talking to the world's leading broadcasters about our live and highlight packages they can have in the following 3 years, including the Challenger Series and the AC Match.

Valencia Sailing: The technology has also advanced considerably since the first days of AC32. Should we expect any exciting developments as far TV coverage is concerned?
Craig Thompson: Yes, this is an area we are putting a lot work on right now. Our philosophy regarding is TV coverage is what I would call "sailing from the inside out". In the past, because of the limitations in technology, sailing has been covered from the distance by a camera watching the boats going across the ocean. What we want to do is provide a lot more coverage from the boats, with cameras inside the boats, including cameramen that are able to move around the boats and get very good closeup shots of the action.

We will also be doing a lot with sound with microphones on board the yachts so that the audience can hear the wind, the waves, the pounding of the hulls on the water. This is a very big element and very often sound in sailing is not communicated very well. This will make the coverage much more exciting, emotional and dramatic.

Valencia Sailing: Last Friday, during your presentation to the potential teams in Paris, did you talk about those issues?
Craig Thompson: No, we didn't go into details, we had a limited time and there was a lot of information to cover. We told them, broadly, about the importance of television and the many new ideas we had about coverage, distribution or the type of programs we would produce. We didn't have the time to go into details.

Valencia Sailing: In that meeting there were representatives from 24 potential teams, according to the official press release. There is no doubt a number of them will not go ahead. Have you set a target number that will make the event commercially viable? What was the feedback you got from the participants in that meeting?
Craig Thompson: We very strongly anticipate that we're going to have a minimum of 10 teams and probably up to 12. There is a very strong interest. The sailing community has embraced the idea of the catamaran and we are taking a lot of measures to keep the costs down from previous America's Cups and to provide a lot more support to the teams, to provide a better marketing platform so that the teams can find sponsors.

We are also going to help the teams a lot with their boats by providing a lot of information, materials and support. We got a very, very positive response from the 24 potential teams at the meeting and we believe we are going to end with a minimum of 10 and probably 12 teams officially going into the next America's Cup.

Valencia Sailing: What about the potential event sponsors? Do you see an interest from the world's major corporations to sponsor this Cup, especially under the current tough conditions?
Craig Thompson: First of all, you are right, it's a very difficult economic situation we are going through and it's not the best time to be looking for sponsors for a major event. On the other hand, the America's Cup is one of the very few activities, together with probably the sport of polo, F1 and some equestrian sports, that offer access to really top-level individuals in terms of education or economic situation.

The America's Cup is a unique platform for a lot of companies that want access to those individuals that are very difficult to reach under normal circumstances. I can tell you for example that Oracle are very pleased with the marketing opportunity the America's Cup has presented to them. They invite their best customers and are very successful in turning the America's Cup into a platform for generating business. The same thing can be true for a lot of different companies that need access to wealthy individuals.

Valencia Sailing: But doesn't this contradict with what you told me at the beginning, that your aim is to break from the tradition of the Cup being for wealthy and rich people?

Craig Thompson: I don't think it's a contradiction at all. It is a fact that a lot of the people that go to those events and love sailing are more wealthy and affluent than the normal population. However, with that said, it's like Formula 1. The people that own the F1 teams are of the very same category and have some very high level guests that go to the events but Formula 1 is a very popular sport with the masses. I think it fits with the positioning we are doing in sailing.

Valencia Sailing: If we now go back to the venues for the World Series, do you see any interest from places where there is no tradition in sailing?
Craig Thompson: We want it to be a global series. We want to move around the world, from Asia, to Europe and North America and we are also looking at venues in South America right now, even Africa. We are open but we are confident we want to have venues that have the right wind so that we have good sailing conditions. We also want venues that can have a lot of people watching the races from the shore.

Valencia Sailing: Are spectators important to you? You seem to have given so such importance to television.
Craig Thompson: Spectators are very important. In fact, I'm in San Francisco right now, talking to the city about the possibility of hosting the event here and were the event to be held in the SF Bay the boats would actually go very close to the shore, as close as 30 meters from the shore. We could have hundreds of thousands of people on the beaches watching the event and this is a great opportunity for sailing, to bring the sport to such a large field, much larger than a football stadium. We will have the ability to have 5 times the number of people that watched the finals of the world football championship.

The US is a huge market for us and interest in the America's Cup has decreased over the last few years because of the Americans losing it to other nations. With Larry Ellison and BMW Oracle it has now come back and the fact the Defender is American, regardless of whether the venue is here or not, will certainly generate a lot of interest in the American market.

Valencia Sailing: Last but certainly not least. You only have two years left to have everything in place. Do you have enough time?
Craig Thompson: Let me tell you one thing. We started working on the Champions League in February of 1992 and in November we had our first games. We will do the same for the America's Cup.

When we started the Champions League the teams had all the rights, there was no branding, no music not even a central organization. We had to start everything from the beginning. We had a brand new marketing concept, we had to sell the TV rights all over the world, sell sponsorship, put the hospitality in place, have all the football clubs come on board. It was an enormous task. You could say the football teams and the players were the same but everything else was completely different!

In the America's Cup we inherited a system from the 32nd edition, which was a long process that the Bertarelli organization implemented in Valencia. It was a very big step forward for sailing, we are very happy with that and we want to use it as a platform to go further forward and develop the sport more. A lot of the work has been done and a lot more needs to be done but we have all the time necessary to prepare for the 34th America's Cup.

Bruno and Loïck Peyron join together to challenge for the 34th America's Cup

- After studying the matter for several months and following various discussions, the French sailors Loïck and Bruno Peyron are getting together in an attempt to unite the leading figures from French multihull sailing. This new challenge is being set up with the goal of bringing the America’s Cup, which will be raced on multihulls in 2013, to France for the first time in its history.

- A meeting between Russell Coutts, representing the Defender and organiser of the 34th America’s Cup, and the Peyron brothers was held in Paris on Friday, to discuss how France could take part in such an ambitious project as the America’s Cup.

- Bruno and Loïck Peyron have also announced they are in talks with Stéphane Kandler, Jochen Schümann (twice winner of the America’s Cup) and their ALL4ONE team, with the prospect of bringing the two groups together.

Are the French able to win the America’s Cup, the world’s oldest international sporting trophy? A goal, which France, ever since Baron Bich’s first challenge in 1967, has been unable to reach. It is certainly a very complex project, even though no one doubts the ability of French designers, sailors and builders, this is not by itself enough to guarantee success.

The America’s Cup, just like Formula 1 motor racing, is a global event, an economic and technological war, just as much as being a sporting challenge. Between now and the end of March, the new team that is being formed will have to prove it has got what it takes to commit itself. They will then have three years ahead of them to prove they can win.

The America’s Cup revolution of 2013

For 2013, something which no one really expected is happening. The Defender and Challenger of Record announced on 13th September that the 34th America’s Cup will be raced aboard multihulls, and more precisely on 72-foot catamarans with rigid wingsails. This announcement led to a wave of optimism from the French, meaning the conquest of the Silver Ewer is more likely to be within the grasp of the world’s leading multihull specialists in France.

A sacred union of multihull racers

After doing battle for 30 years on the world’s oceans and between them obtaining the finest list of successes in ocean racing, Loïck and Bruno Peyron coming together is an unprecedented opportunity for the French in challenging for the America’s Cup.

The two brothers have set a target of three months to try to bring together all the necessary personnel and resources, from a sporting, technological and economic perspective, to achieve this goal.

This major challenge is open to all the talents in France and abroad with the aim of bringing together the two worlds of multihull racing and the America’s Cup, to try and conquer the most famous sailing event in the world.

Brothers Loïck (left) and Bruno Peyron announce their intention to challenge for the 34th America's Cup

Bruno Peyron: “With the America’s Cup being organised for the first time with multihulls, the challenge is clear for us: Is France, the world leader in multihulls for 30 years capable of capitalising on its assets or will it allow other nations to catch up in three years, what we have acquired over 30? We have three months ahead of us to answer that question and three years to show what we can do. Looking beyond individual concerns, and any protectionism, I am convinced that we need to unite to be in with a chance of winning. This first symbolic step must build the foundations to allow skills, wherever they come from to be brought together.

This will be carried out at a pace suiting everyone, but remaining open is a key aspect of achieving this goal. Are we being idealistic? Is it impossible? We have already proven that what seems impossible is not always so."

Loïck Peyron: “We’ve always been told and quite rightly that the America’s Cup is reserved for specialists...which is good news for us! From Formula 18 to the Route du Rhum and not forgetting the Jules Verne Trophy, the French are specialists in multihulls, so let’s go for it ... together.”

Russell Coutts: “The new format of The America's Cup is a great opportunity for a country such as France which counts with some of the best multihull skills in the world. Bruno and Loick Peyron each have a fantastic record in racing multihulls successfully as well as creating and taking part in top level events. I am really gratified to see that they share a similar vision for transforming the America's Cup and the new opportunities created for teams with imagination and ambition. I have no doubt that Bruno & Loick Peyron will put together a strong team and prove to be tough competitors.”

Iain Murray CEO of ACRM, talks to Valencia Sailing

Iain Murray was appointed CEO, about a month ago, of newly-formed America's Cup Race Management, the body set up by BMW Oracle in charge of everything related to the actual racing in the 34th America's Cup. Murray had his first, at least public, meeting with the potential teams, both challengers and defenders, on Friday in Paris. Valencia Sailing caught up with him in order to know more about his past, the meeting in Paris and the main issues he will face in the near future.

Valencia Sailing: Let's start briefly talking about your background and your involvement in the America's Cup in the past.
Iain Murray: In 1983 I was originally the skipper of Advance, the challenge from Sydney, and then of the trial horse for Australia II. In 1987 I was the skipper of Kookaburra, one of chief designers as well as CEO of the syndicate. In 1992 I held the same positions and in 1995 I was a sailor on the boat and co-designer of One Australia.

Valencia Sailing: On September 17th you were appointed CEO of America's Cup Race Management and in the official press release you made a statement that I always wanted to ask you what you meant. You said you were "impressed by the commitment BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison have made to fix this thing". What was broken in the America's Cup that needed to be fixed?
Iain Murray: Well, it has always been broken because the Trustee of the America's Cup had a conflict being the Defender and the Trustee at the same time. We worked very hard in 1992 and 1995 to create a separate Trustee that would work independently of the Defender of the America's Cup and we were very close to having an agreement signed back then. It didn't happen and Team New Zealand won the Cup. Now, fifteen years later I actually see Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts having the desire to have an independent body running the event and I think it is something that has been necessary for a long time.

Valencia Sailing: Would you then argue that in the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia, Dyer Jones was not independent?
Iain Murray: I'm not saying he wasn't independent. Dyer Jones is a very good guy and there is nothing wrong with Dyer Jones. At the end of the day after 2007 the America's Cup ended back in a Deed-of-Gift challenge. It happened in 1988 and then back in 2007 and both of them were very undesirable results for the America's Cup in my opinion. I wasn't in Valencia in 2007 and I don't know what happened but between 2007 and 2010 it wasn't good for the America's Cup. I feel that some great things came out of it, such as the technology and the boats, but the Deed-of-Gift challenge and the court case caused substantial damage to the America's Cup.

Valencia Sailing: Does that mean that with the establishment of ACRM (America's Cup Race Management) and ACEA (America's Cup Event Authority) the possibility of another Deed-of-Gift challenge has been eliminated?
Iain Murray: If you sign up for this challenge and you sign up to the protocol
that has been produced by the Challenger of Record and the Defender or the Trustee of the America's Cup, Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts, you can't go back to a Deed-of-Gift challenge, it's in the terms of reference of the entry.

Iain Murray, newly-appointed Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup and CEO of America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM). Photo copyright www.americascup.com

Valencia Sailing: What are ACRM's role and responsibilities in this America's Cup?
Iain Murray: We are responsible basically for everything that is related to racing. We set up the venues, we work with ISAF to provide the jury, we place the race control in conjunction with the challengers and the race committee, we basically run all the logistics for the America's Cup. Prior to that we will run the World Series which will be somewhere between 13 and 16 events over a couple of years before the America's Cup and as you understand, it's a lot of races and a lot logistics with two different classes of boats.

Valencia Sailing: Your first, at least public, meeting with the potential teams of this Cup took place on Friday in Paris. What did you discuss with them?
Iain Murray: It was a first briefing that provided potential competitors with the knowledge that we have at this particular time. The aim was to bring them up to speed with who we are, to introduce ourselves, ACRM and ACEA, the people they are going to be dealing with the backgrounds of those people and what those two organizations' plans are for the future. So, we took them through who we are, what we are going to do, how our corporate structure works, who's responsible for what. We took them through some highlights of key dates to do with the protocol, the entry process, the AC45's and the World Series based on what we know at this time. We took them through how to get hold of an AC45, how boats will be delivered and what are thoughts are regarding juries, umpiring, bits and pieces.

Then, the event side took them through their view of the events, what they will vie to achieve in television and media and how they can possibly work with the competitors to have a better and healthy America's Cup.

Valencia Sailing: The World Series will start next year. How many events do you plan to have in 2011?
Iain Murray: We are planning to have five events.

Valencia Sailing: Is it correct the first event will take place in June or July here in Europe?
Iain Murray: Yes, that's correct.

Valencia Sailing: The AC45's will be used in next year's events. What is the schedule you have for the yachts? Is the first one going to be ready by Christmas?
Iain Murray: I'm not sure it's going to be ready by Christmas but it will surely be ready for sea trials in the first week of January. Whether it has test sails prior to Christmas, I'm not pressing on that issue, the main issue is to conduct sea trials in the first week of January. Then we hand over the first boat over to syndicates to trial on a rotational basis, from the 15th of January until we deliver the next four boats, around the beginning of March.

Valencia Sailing: Who will get the first boat? Is it going to be BMW Oracle?
Iain Murray: My understanding is that the Defender and the Challenger of Record will get the first two boats and then boats 3, 4, 5 and 6 will go to the other teams that entered the event, according to their order of entry in the event.

Valencia Sailing: How will the entered teams get the new boats? Are they going to have to buy them?
Iain Murray: Yes, that's correct.

Valencia Sailing: What about the teams that want two AC45's? Can they have two yachts?
Iain Murray: Yes, they can but all the teams that want only one boat will get it before anyone else gets two boats.

Valencia Sailing: Were there any potential defending teams in the meeting and what was in general the feedback you received from all the participants?
Iain Murray: Yes, there was a potential defending team. Regarding the feedback, there were some questions about the protocol but the general feedback was positive. They all understand the vision of Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts and accept it. It presents some challenges to some of them to put things together because of the tight schedule. Everyone would like to be involved but it's up to whether they can manage it.

Valencia Sailing: Surely 24 potential teams is an impressive but extremely unlikely number. Is there a number you will be realistically happy with?
Iain Murray: Anything above 8 competitors will be fantastic. If we have 8 competitors that will be good, if we have 9 that will be better, if we have 12 that will be unbelievable.

Valencia Sailing: What was the geographical spread of the participants? Were they mainly Europeans?
Iain Murray: I can say there was Asian representation, Pacific representation and a lot of European representation. You know, this wasn't a competitors meeting, it was a briefing to interested parties and a lot of people turned up to see what we were going to talk about.

Valencia Sailing: Was there any representative of Alinghi or anyone on behalf of them?
Iain Murray: Not that I know of.

Valencia Sailing: Why didn't you make public the identity of the participants in the meeting?
Iain Murray: That was really the choice of the participants. They were not ready to declare. There was a lot of people that were looking at whether they wanted a partner or who their sponsors might be, so making the list public would be premature. It wasn't a competitors meeting, it was a briefing.

Valencia Sailing: What is the next step now after that meeting?
Iain Murray: We have a very tight time schedule to deliver the AC45's. There is no set number we have to deliver but we work on the basis that we will have to deliver as many as we possibly can for the first event. We are also working very hard on the logistics approach as these boats will move around. We are working on boat supplies, on the wingsails, on how to operate in the different venues, how to transport them, how to pack them, how we will moor them. There are a lot of things we are working on. We have a number of people spread all over the world working on all those issues. Once we know the regatta venues we will start looking at them in order to study them, understand the specifics and plan accordingly.

Valencia Sailing: Will the wingsails be logistically a bigger problem than if the yachts had conventional rigging and soft sails?
Iain Murray: Sure, particularly since we have the responsibility of moving the boats. The wings are quite fragile and need to be handled by very professional people to ensure they are not damaged in transport. We will adapt to it. It's nice to have the AC45's to start with because the AC72's present far bigger a challenge. Nevertheless, we have some very good and smart people working on all of that and I'm sure we'll come up with the right answers. We are looking at several ways of dealing with it and we'll get on top of that. Once we understand the boats it's not going to be a frightening issue for us.

Valencia Sailing: Will you also be in charge of running the Youth America's Cup Championship?
Iain Murray: Yes, we are in charge of running all the sailing side. We still have to work out what that is, when it's going to be. Part of our duties is to run the Youth Championship and we intend to do that. We will work with the syndicates so that it's neither a huge cost nor a huge distraction for them. It's not going to be a Series but a Championship. We are also looking at what we'll do with the AC45's once the AC72's are on track. They will be very good boats and everybody is going to learn a lot with them but will happen with them afterwards is another issue.

Video: Highlights from the RC44 World Championship

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

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

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

The Defender's advantage

"The concern has always been about the defender having several months lead-time ahead of challengers to design and build a new boat, without anyone else knowing what the design rules were."

Who made the above statement regarding the alleged design advantage the Defender of the America's Cup might have? Was it Ben Ainslie, Grant Simmer, Grant Dalton, Paul Cayard or Sir Keith Mills?

Well, it was none of the aforementioned representatives of the potential 34th America's Cup challengers. The quoted text was part of a statement made on November 1st, 2007, by Tom Ehman, spokesperson of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, later challenger of the 33rd America's Cup. The Defender then was Alinghi and the design rule concerned the AC90, the monohull yacht the Swiss had chosen in order to substitute the IACC.

However, this is the America's Cup and the Defender will always have an advantage, like it always has. Sailing's pinnacle event was never meant to be fair and that's part of its attraction, to challenge the Defender and try to win, knowing the cards are stacked against you (to some extent at least).

Don't get me wrong, just as I praised the Valencia TV Trials, Valencia Sailing will be the first to praise the AC72's and the new direction of the Cup if in the second quarter of 2012 we get great and exciting races. It's only normal though for the Defender to be scrutinized more than the challengers. They set the game. Is there any reason to scrutinize Synergy, Artemis or Team Origin? They will be judged by their performance (if and when they formally enter the Cup).

Facebook generation?

It is exactly one week ago that Russell Coutts, during a presentation in his team's base in Valencia, argued that a change in the America's Cup was necessary since his target audience would now be the "Facebook generation" and not the "Flintstones generation" as it has been the rule in the previous editions. Since the Facebook generation, according to Coutts' argumentation, wants cool and fast boats, the only way to achieve this is with multihulls.

Although I personally disagree with the choice of boat, arguing about that is meaningless. This is the America's Cup and the Defender will always take the decisions that minimize the risks of defeat. Given the liberty to set the rules of the game, nobody would be naive enough to give up any advantage they might have. Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts have decided that the best option is for the next edition of the Cup to be sailed on 72-foot wingsail catamarans, so we have to live with that and move on.

Facebook generation or "old guys in blue blazers" for the Frank Sinatra generation? Valencia, 13 September 2010. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup

Yet, in the presentation there was a discrepancy, in my opinion, between the message and the way it was conveyed. If the target audience was indeed the Facebook generation why have a show where the old-age stereotypes about sailing are perpetuated once again? With all respect to the commodores of the two yacht clubs, does anyone think that a dull presentation with white-haired old people wearing blue blazers was the right approach? It seemed as if the target wasn't the Facebook generation but rather the Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin generations. One wouldn't expect to have Justin Bieber sing before Coutts made his speech but why not bring a young sailor to make the pitch, especially concerning the Youth America's Cup?

Adam Minoprio is still the world's number one match racer but having now crossed over to the "dark side" by joining Emirates Team NZ, I understand he wouldn't be very welcome in the BMW Oracle base. Still, there are several young, aggressive and successful sailors. Take Torvar Mirsky, Keith Swinton or Phil Roberston. Why not give the stage to them to talk about how "cool" the new boats are and how exciting the Youth America's Cup will be. In fact, I think it's one of the best concepts we heard in the presentation last week and I was surprised how nobody had thought about it in the past. It appears it was an original idea of Tom Ehman, surprisingly another member of the blue-blazer-wearing crowd.

I hope it was just teething problems of the new America's Cup organization and it will be fixed in the near future. They might want to have a look at this video to check what kind of sports the Facebook and YouTube generation is practicing. That's definitely "cool stuff"!

Year, new fast boat and fair Protocol rules will be unveiled September 13th

[Source: BMW Oracle] Organizers for the 34th America’s Cup plan on September 13 to host a press conference in Valencia to reveal three of the four cornerstones of the next competition:

- The year in which it will be held
- The new Class of Boat for the competition
- The competition rules (The Protocol)
- The objective for the 34th America’s Cup has been to create the fairest-ever competition, sustainable to teams and their partners with transformed racing to attract the widest possible audience for an event planned for either 2013 or 2014.

A new, dynamic and exciting class of boat will be revealed. The year of the 34th America’s Cup Match will also be confirmed.

Negotiations over the host city venue – the fourth cornerstone – continue, but organizers are confident of making an announcement ahead of the December 31 objective.

The Protocol is now finalized and will be formally signed by the defending Golden Gate Yacht Club and the Challenger of Record, Club Nautico di Roma, in a live-streamed ceremony on the official America’s Cup web site www.AmericasCup.com.

WHAT: 34th America’s Cup Press Conference

WHY: 34th America’s Cup year, Protocol and new class of boat announced

WHEN: September 13, 2010

TIME: 1300 CET

WHERE: BMW ORACLE Racing Team Base, Port America’s Cup, Valencia, Spain

WHO: Russell Coutts (CEO BMW ORACLE Racing Team) Vincenzo Onorato (syndicate head of Challenger of Record, Mascalzone Latino)

Video: Russell Coutts talks to TVNZ's Martin Tasker

TVNZ's yachting correspondent Martin Tasker talks to Oracle skipper Russell Coutts about plans for the next America's Cup. I don't think there is any doubt that Coutts favors multihulls over monohulls as the choice of boat for the 34th America's Cup. Officially, the decision on the type of yacht will be made public before the end of September. Any bets?

Russell Coutts talks to TVNZ about his team's plans for the 34th America's Cup. Auckland, 26 August 2010. Video copyright TV New Zealand

Audio: Russell Coutts talks to Radio NZ

Related audio

Russell Coutts talks to PJ Montgomery on Radio NZ

Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW Oracle, talked to PJ Montgomery on Radio NZ on Sunday morning. The legendary kiwi sailor, four-time America's Cup winner, mainly talked about the news Montgomery broke last week that the Defender had taken the decision to hold the 34th edition of the world's oldest sports competition in La Maddalena, Italy on multihulls.

According to Coutts, Montgomery's version is partially true, without further elaborating whether he was referring to the venue or the yacht. We are inclined to think that Montgomery was right on the boat. A 70-foot winged catamaran would give BMW Oracle a tremendous advantage over the challengers.

You can listen to the entire 11-minute interview but you will not hear Coutts revealing anything extraordinary. We will have to wait a couple of months more before we have the complete picture.

Training session of the C-class yachts on the eve of the Little America's Cup or preview of the real 34th America's Cup? Newport, 22 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Training session of the C-class yachts on the eve of the Little America's Cup or preview of the real 34th America's Cup? Newport, 22 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Training session of the C-class yachts on the eve of the Little America's Cup or preview of the real 34th America's Cup? Newport, 22 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Training session of the C-class yachts on the eve of the Little America's Cup or preview of the real 34th America's Cup? Newport, 22 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Training session of the C-class yachts on the eve of the Little America's Cup or preview of the real 34th America's Cup? Newport, 22 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

Training session of the C-class yachts on the eve of the Little America's Cup or preview of the real 34th America's Cup? Newport, 22 August 2010. Photo copyright Christophe Launay

It's rock-and-roll time for the RC44's in Valencia !!!!

If you had any doubt the RC44's are true racing machines that take off downwind just watch the video I took onboard Katusha in the last downwind leg of the race against AEZ. Even if the Russian team, skippered by Paul Cayard, had a comfortable lead over the Austrian team at the approach to the second top mark, the first minute of the downwind leg had plenty of drama in store for Cayard and his crew.

The spinnaker hoist was flawless and all seemed to be smooth, until Marco Constant, the South African mainsail trimmer, slipped and fell overboard. A frantic 11 seconds followed on Katusha but Paul Cayard and the rest of the crew safely brought Constant back onboard.

As for the rest of the races, it was yet another glorious day with perfect but rough conditions. Similar to yesterday, organizers decided not to allow more guests after the fourth flight, so we missed the really funky sailing.

Marco Contant, Katusha mainsail trimmer, falls overboard.

America’s Cup television trials conclude with bang

[Source: BMW Oracle] A strong sea breeze on the final day of the America’s Cup television trials concluded what has widely been regarded as a highly successful evaluation.

Over the past four days two high-performance monohulls and multihulls have been loaded with a plethora of cameras and microphones and put through match racing maneuvers to help find new camera angles and test surround sound format.

Racecourses were also modified by changing the percentages of upwind and downwind work to see if it helped keep the yachts engaged at close quarters.

“I’d have to rate the trials an unqualified success,” said BMW ORACLE Racing CEO Russell Coutts. “We plan to do this again in the coming weeks and months, but I think we found some things that work that we’d like to explore again down the road.”

Final day of the 34th America's Cup TV Trials. Valencia, 25 July 2010. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

One camera angle that got people’s attention was at the top of the mast looking down on the yacht. In HD format, the picture jumped off the screen with clarity and crispness. Those angles combined with the surround sound format helped create an immersive experience.

The trials were also used to test monohulls versus multihulls and the excitement they lend to television. A new yacht design is being created for the 34th America’s Cup, and concept papers have been issued to rule writers to create a monohull and multihull design.

The monohulls were the focus of the trials on Days 1 and 4, while the multihulls were featured on Days 2 and 3. Each design was sailed in light to strong winds during its time on the water.

Final day of the 34th America's Cup TV Trials. Valencia, 25 July 2010. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

Next month, positioning and performance data will be experimented with during the 1851 Cup in Cowes, England. The regatta features BMW ORACLE Racing and TeamOrigin of the U.K. in a series of match races aboard V5 America’s Cup Class sloops off the Isle of Wight.

“We have a long way to go still, but we’re very upbeat about this process,” said Coutts. “We really want to transform the next Cup to make it appealing and enthralling for television, and we feel we’re heading down that path.”

Final day of the 34th America's Cup TV Trials. Valencia, 25 July 2010. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

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!!

If you go to San Francisco...

If you go to San Francisco in the near future you might not want to wear flowers in your hair as the song suggests but you will certainly want to catch the America's Cup action that will certainly take place there, especially now that BMW Oracle has declared the Californian city as the sole US candidate city. The decision shouldn't come as a surprise at all. San Francisco is after all the home port of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, the winner of the 33rd America's Cup, while Larry Ellison, owner of BMW Oracle, has repeatedly stated the city was his top choice. I, personally, cannot imagine any reason, other than some devastating earthquake, for NOT holding the world's oldest trophy in Ellison's backyard.

Yet, one thing that becomes apparent in the official communication regarding the choice is the focus by BMW Oracle on the "nationalization" of the venues and the efforts to host the Cup. The event is not hosted by a city but rather by a country. One similar example in the world of sports is the football (soccer) world championship that Spain won last Sunday. The championship wasn't hosted by a city but by a country. The opening and closing ceremonies and the final match might have taken place in Johannesburg but the rest of the games were held in another 8 different cities spread around the country.

Could this mean a much reduced role for the venue of the actual match? In the 32nd America's Cup all official racing that took place in Spain was in Valencia. If France, Spain, Italy or Portugal present "national bids" could this mean that the various annual pre-regattas would be held all around the countries rather than one city? With 6 to 8 regattas planned each year there is ample opportunity to stage them in a country. If one considers Valencia, Alicante is just 100 nautical miles away, Palma barely 80 while Barcelona is 200 miles further north. So, within a radius of 200 nautical miles you have 4 excellent venues. The same concept could be applied to France, Portugal or Italy. The ease of transportation being one of the fundamental aspects of the new yachts it is not hard to imagine why BMW Oracle has in mind.

Paragraph 24.1 of the 34th AC Draft Protocol even goes further and states that "The Match may be in more than one Venue." I have to admit it's the first time I have ever seen a document suggesting that a yacht race can be raced in more than one venues and it seems an aberration if you think in conventional terms. Take for example the 32nd America's Cup match in July 2007 in Valencia. Alinghi beat Emirates Team New Zealand 5 to 2 and no further races were necessary since it was a best-of-nine series. It would have been absurd halfway through, let's say after 3 races when the kiwis were leading 2-1 to pack up and go to Alicante for the remaining races. It would have even been considered a ploy by Alinghi to destabilize their opponent.

What could happen if instead of best-of-nine the match were best-of-twenty five? The worst case scenario is for one team to win 13 straight races and take the trophy undefeated. It is possible yet extremely improbable because it is extremely difficult to imagine such a differential in performance between the Defender and the Challenger. With a much longer series in the America's Cup match you could have the first ten races held in San Diego and even in the worst case the winner will not be decided. Then the Cup can move to San Francisco where the remaining and decisive races take place.

Does it seem too far fetched a scenario? Not according to some people...

Meanwhile in Valencia...
Two of the yachts that, according to BMW Oracle's official line, will help determine what boat will finally be used in the next AC are getting ready next to Alinghi's base. The eleven RC44 yachts that will take part in the Valencia RC44 Cup have already arrived and "BMW Oracle" and "17" are the first ones to be fitted out since they will have to be ready in 8 days for the 34th AC Trials.

Even if the America's Cup moves to the US what are the chances Valencia could still play a significant role in sailing's top event? First of all we hear from reliable sources that BMW Oracle will be staying in their base at least until December and with the infrastructure being already in place here it would make sense for the teams to stay until early 2013, assuming the match takes place in September 2013.

BMW Oracle's two RC44 yachts getting ready for next week's trials. Valencia, 12 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Rhode Island Given Top Priority to Host America’s Cup Pre-Regattas

[Source: Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation] Rhode Island has been identified as a primary site for the America’s Cup pre-regattas, a series of qualifying races leading up to sailing’s premiere championship event. Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing, personally notified Keith Stokes, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, of the decision last night and he again this morning reiterated the team’s desire to host races in Newport.

Starting in 2011, BMW ORACLE Racing anticipates holding six or more pre-regattas in each of the years leading up to the 34th America’s Cup finals, which will be held in 2013 or 2014. The pre-regattas create an opportunity for Rhode Island to build a world-class sailing facility that will put the state in the forefront to host other premier sailing competitions.

In an e-mail message last evening to Keith Stokes, Russell Coutts said: “We continue to develop an AC34 event plan that includes six or possibly more pre-regattas each year (2011, 2012 and possibly 2013 if the Match ends up in 2014). Newport will be given top priority for any such regattas in the USA assuming this is of interest to you and your venue team. We hope it is, and please let me know.”

Shots from the incredible reception BMW Oracle received in Newport where more than 300 sailor kids listened attentively to Russell Coutts. Newport, 3 July 2010. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

“We are grateful for Rhode Island's strong support,” said Tom Ehman, BMW ORACLE Racing’s head of External Affairs. “The work already done by the Governor's team, headed by Keith Stokes, bodes well for hosting an America’s Cup pre-regatta. The level of enthusiasm and experience we saw last week in Newport underscored that the spirit of the America’s Cup is alive and well in the Ocean State.”

“While we are disappointed to learn that Newport is no longer under consideration to be the host city for the final America’s Cup race, we are confident that we will ultimately play an important role as a venue for the challenger races that will be held in the two to three years leading up to the final race,” said Governor Donald L. Carcieri. “It was clear from the BMW ORACLE visit to Rhode Island last week that the team appreciates Newport’s storied America’s Cup history and tradition, and they recognize that we have significant infrastructure in place. We will continue to promote the assets and advantages that Newport has to offer. We congratulate San Francisco, and look forward to being a part of the 34th America’s Cup races.”

“Hosting the challenger series races is a great opportunity for Rhode Island to continue its long tradition of America’s Cup racing. The pre-regattas will showcase Newport on the world stage and provide a significant economic boost to Rhode Island,” said Keith Stokes, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. “We congratulate San Francisco on its selection. We are very proud of the effort Rhode Island put forward to showcase Newport as one of the world’s premier sailing venues. We are honored to be considered the top candidate to host potentially multiple America’s Cup races over the next few years.”

BMW ORACLE Racing, winner in February of the 33rd America's Cup, also announced that its hometown, San Francisco, is the sole U.S. candidate to host the next America’s Cup finals.

In addition to San Francisco, at least two European cities are competing to host the America’s Cup finals. BMW ORACLE Racing will announce a decision on the venue, along with the date and other details of the next America’s Cup, by the end of this year.

“Congratulations to San Francisco for being named the North American city vying to be the host venue for the America’s Cup. A clear frontrunner in this race to host the cup, we stand by to help in any way to promote San Francisco over any other foreign port for the running of the 34th America’s Cup,” said Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport. “Newport will allow a perfect bookend to the 34th running of the America’s Cup by offering to run preliminary America’s Cup Regattas in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Rhode Island is engaged at the highest levels to pursue these preliminary regattas.”

Russell Coutts talks to the World Yacht Racing Forum

[Source: Bernard Schopfer / World Yacht Racing Forum] The America's Cup debate has traditionally been one of the World Yacht Racing Forum's highlights. Last December's session saw the first – and only – public meeting between the then Defender Alinghi and Challenger of record BMW ORACLE Racing during their two and a half years of bitter rivalry.

The new Defender issued, last week, the long awaited draft Protocol for the 34th America's Cup. The team’s CEO Russell Coutts speaks exclusively to the World Yacht Racing Forum and answers some of the questions that many have been asking…
Russell Coutts, CEO and skipper of BMW ORACLE Racing: Copyright Guilain Grenier, BMW ORACLE Racing

World Yacht Racing Forum: What are the key changes you are introducing for the next America's Cup?

Russell Coutts: We are obviously working in a lot of different directions. I think by now everybody has understood that we want fair rules; one of our priorities is also massively improved media output, particularly on screens whether that's television or other devices. We are doing a lot of research on technology and formats, and will do some tests in July. For example, some people pretend that you can't do match race with multihulls, or that you need slow boats; this needs to be confirmed. It is very important for Larry and I to make sailing more TV friendly and understandable by a large public; otherwise the sport simply won't move forward.

World Yacht Racing Forum: How do you respond to those that are saying you are taking a long time to announce the format of the next Cup?

Russell Coutts: It is true. We are just trying to do things well and to take the right decisions: it's a heavy responsibility and a major task. The choice of the venue is obviously key, and a lot of things depend on it, including the boat. We also want to bring the costs down and need to be very careful with the decisions we take. The number of crew is one element: typically personnel accounts for 60 % of the budget of a campaign. Other elements include sensible restrictions on material and technology.

World Yacht Racing Forum: Will you develop a circuit of pre-regattas?

Russell Coutts: Yes, absolutely. This concept started in 1997 and was perpetuated in 2000 and 2007 with the Acts, which were good. We need to move up from this, particularly with regards to the logistics, which will play a huge role. We also need a format that really has a meaning. Our objective is to increase the value of the America's Cup for all teams and investors and we therefore need more events.

World Yacht Racing Forum: Do you have a target number of teams?

Russell Coutts: We clearly prefer eight top level teams to fifteen and half of them disappearing half way through. Considering the current state of the economy, eight teams is a realistic number. Our goal is to build commercial value for the teams and partners; if this leads to more strong teams in the future, then great!

World Yacht Racing Forum: How can you guarantee that the process for the next Cup will be democratic and that you won't have an edge over your competitors?

Russell Coutts: We have hired some people who are not part of our team or defence organization and are working on the rules for a new boat and the ‘on the water' race organization. We will announce the rules a long time ahead of the event and this will guarantee its fairness. We want the rules to be in place before people start joining, so that teams and partners know what they sign-up for. We have already circulated a draft Protocol to a small group of people and soon a bigger group will receive it. When the rules come out it will be clear to everyone that they are fair.

World Yacht Racing Forum: How do you concretely consult the other teams considering that the registrations are not open?

Russell Coutts: At this initial stage we consult people who have a lot of experience. Nobody is excluded; there's just a natural selection as we speak to teams and people who have already participated in the America's Cup. In the next two months we will identify potential new teams and speak to them. Basically what we want is to consult the event's stakeholders. Then we will take the decisions. We can't use a system of votes, because we need to consider all the aspects of the organization, TV, logistics etc…

World Yacht Racing Forum: Do you have a preference between monohulls and multihulls?

Russell Coutts: I honestly don't, and as a team we don't either; what we want is the best event.

World Yacht Racing Forum: There are many rumors concerning the venue. How open is the selection process and what are the criteria?

Russell Coutts: Well, San Francisco is an appealing venue to Larry as everyone knows. But the selection process remains open, and it is not restrained to the US. The first criteria will be the sailing conditions, as we want to create a great event. Delays kill the sport and we must avoid this. I must say that I am gratified to see how motivated the potential venues are: the interest is huge.

BMW Oracle wins RC 44 Copenhagen Cup

[Source: BMW Oracle] The tricky conditions, strong and shifty wind, put one team after the other out of contention for the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup fleet race title. Separated by one point ahead of the last race, BMW ORACLE Racing and No Way Back had a last race of their own…

The cold and windy conditions prevailed for the last day of the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup. Four beautiful races took place today; they led to the elimination of one team after the other from contention for the fleet race and overall titles.

Igor Lah’s Ceeref was the first and biggest casualty of the day, going from second overall to eight. “Just a day of hell”, summarised tactician Rod Davis. The team’s worse moment occurred when they collided with Paul Cayard’s Katusha during a tacking dual. Ceeref got two points penalty whilst Katusha had to stop racing in order to change their crash bow. They got redress from the Jury.

Highlights from the RC44 Copenhagen Cup. Copenhagen, 13 June 2010. Video copyright RC44 Clas

Many teams broached, ripped their spinnakers or suffered in a way or another. Team Sea Dubai, who got some brilliant results today – a 2nd and a 1st – lost it all because of two DNF’s due to a spinnaker problem and a man overboard during the last race; an incident that occurred as the team was controlling its third place overall against Artemis and that cost four places in the overall ranking!

The wind was blowing quite hard throughout the day, at 18 knots with gusts up to 25 that put great emphasis on crew work and tactical decisions.

BMW ORACLE Racing, who was fifth overall this morning, started the day with a 1st and a 2nd. On the other hand, No Way Back couldn’t do any better than 4th and 6th. With both Team Aqua and Artemis failing to obtain consistent results, the final race would definitely be between those two teams.

Both of them started the last race at the pin end of the line, with BMW ORACLE Racing controlling No Way Back. The American team reached the top mark ahead of its opponent, and chose the worse side of the course during the run, letting the Dutch team grab the lead within this personal race (John Kostecki’s 17 had a huge lead over the rest of the pack).

Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts then opted for the left of the course during the second beat whilst Pieter Heerema and Ray Davies went to the right. The American’s choice was the right one. The american team then controlled No Way Back until the arrival, crossing the line in third, two places ahead of its opponent.

Winner of the fleet regatta and second of the match race event earlier in the week, BMW ORACLE Racing conquers the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup – the combined fleet / match race ranking ahead of Chris Bake’s Team Aqua.

The next regatta will take place in Valencia on July 27 – August 1.

They said: 


Larry Ellison, helmsman, BMW ORACLE Racing: “This has been a fantastic event. Yesterday we practiced in strong winds and reached the speed of 25 knots. In hindsight, it has helped us a lot today: I felt very confident and more precise at the helm. Having said this people sometimes put too much credit on the helmsman: this is a real team effort and all the guys did a great job. Russell was also fantastic at making the tactical choices.”

Great comeback victory for Larry Ellison. Copenhagen, 13 June 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Pieter Heerema, helmsman, No Way Back: “Everything was open ahead of the last race; unfortunately we were a bit out of phase. I am happy with our result but not pleased with the way we got there. It was all a bit messy. Of course the conditions were difficult but we should be able to master this. Altogether I have loved this event. I just found that the weather was unfair with the venue.”

Terry Hutchinson, tactician, Artemis: “This was a tough day for the helmsmen and it also required a great team effort to succeed. There were massive wind shifts but at the end of the day it didn’t really matter if you went right or left; you just had to be in phase with the shifts. This morning Torbjorn told us to make the best of it and have fun. That’s what we did; I feel very privileged to have an owner like him.”

Chris Bake, helmsman, Team Aqua: “It has been very challenging few days. Today we struggled during the first two races and then I started to feel settled. I am pleased that Team Aqua won the match; it was difficult for me to arrive and settle in immediately, I took me a little while.”

René Mangold, helmsman, AEZ RC44 Sailing Team: “We were sailing with two new people and we struggled because of this: we couldn’t look out of the boat. We definitely need more practice and we will do this in the future.”

Fleet race, final results after eight races:

1) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 8, 6, 2, 41, 2, 4, 3 – 30 points
2) Team No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 10, 1, 4, 1, 4, 6, 2, 5 – 33 points
3) Artemis, Torbjor Tornqvist / Martin Hestbaek, 3, 5, 8, 2, 5, 5, 6, 4 – 38 points
4) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 2, 3, 9, 5, 6, 9, 3, 2 – 39 points
5) 17, Anders Myralf 4, 7, 6, 7, 9, 1, 7, 1 – 42 points
6) Katusha, Guennadi Timtchenko, 6, 8, 1, 8, 3, 4, 7 (RDG), 5,3 (RDG) – 42,3 points
7) Team Sea Dubai, Harm Muller Spreer, 7, 4, 3, 6, 2, 11 (DNF), 1, 11(DNF) – 45 points
8) CEEREF, Igor Lah, 5, 2, 7, 3, 7, 8, 10, 8 – 50 points
9) Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, Daniel Calero, 1, 10, 5, 9, 8, 7, 5, 7 – 52 points
10) AEZ RC44 Sailing Team, René Mangold, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 3, 9, 6 – 66 points

RC 44 Copenhagen Cup – Overall Ranking:

1) BMW ORACLE Racing, 2, 1 – 3 points
2) Team Aqua, 1, 4 – 5 points
3) No Way Back, 4, 2 – 6 points
4) Artemis, 3, 3 – 6 points
5) 17, 5, 5 – 10 points
6) Team Sea Dubai, 7, 7 – 14 points
7) Ceeref, 6, 8 – 14 points
8) Katusha, 9, 6 – 15 points
9) AEZ RC44 Sailing Team, 8, 10 – 18 points
10) Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, 10, 9 – 19 points