BMW Oracle to loan USA-87 and USA-98 to LV Pacific Series

[Source: Louis Vuitton] The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has doubled in size, with the addition of two race boats loaned by the BMW Oracle Racing team permitting an entry of 12 teams. Eleven teams have already entered the international match racing event and all but two have already paid entry fees. There is only one racing slot remaining.

“Thanks to the kind offer of BMW Oracle to lend two fully-equipped race boats we are able to expand the entry list to 12 boats,” said Louis Vuitton spokesman Bruno Troublé.

The two yachts, USA 87 and USA 98 will be shipped from Valencia, Spain to Auckland, New Zealand where the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series will take place from January 31 to February 14, 2009. The American boats will join the Emirates Team New Zealand yachts NZL 92 and NZL 84 to provide two pairs of boats for match racing. Troublé said that the Italian team Mascalzone Latino had also spontaneously offered its boats for the series but the organizers had chosen the American boats because of similarities in their design.

BMW Oracle's USA-87 will also be used in the LV Pacific Series. Valencia, 28 June 2006. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

“We’ve had very strong interest for this friendly event,” said Yves Carcelle, president of Louis Vuitton. "Within a week of its announcement, 23 teams expressed interest – and eight teams registered and paid their fees while three more completed their entry form.’’

“It will be exciting to see Russell Coutts back at the helm at this level of competition against Dean Barker of Emirates Team New Zealand,” added Carcelle.

The following teams have officially entered:
Emirates Team New Zealand
K Challenge (France)
Mascalzone Latino (Italy)
BMW Oracle Racing (USA)
China Team (China)
Team French Spirit (France)
Australia First (Australia)
Team Shosholoza (Republic of South Africa)

Three more teams have entered, but will announce their participation at a later date.

The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is being held in association with the New Zealand Government, Emirates Team New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS), Auckland City and Sky City Entertainment Group.

Three daily match races are planned on a two-mile windward-leeward course laid at the entrance to Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, between Rangitoto Island and the city foreshore. There will be a daily draw to decide which yacht competing teams will sail that day.

Identify the boats

We received a great number of replies and the first correct one came considerably fast, one hour after posting the quiz, from a reader in Copenhagen. Here are the correct sailnumbers of the boats, in the order they appear from the top: USA-87 (BMW Oracle), ITA-86 (Luna Rossa), FRA-93 (Areva Challenge), ITA-94 (Luna Rossa), ESP-97 (Desafío Español) and USA-98 (BMW Oracle).

So far our quizzes have been limited to some obscure parts of a racing boat. Today we focus on the big picture and our test will consist of identifying 6 America's Cup yachts being towed out of Port America's Cup. All photos were taken today Thursday while the boats were on their way out to another day of training, taking advantage of the considerably good wind conditions so far. Some might be obvious while others, hopefully, not so.

The first person to correctly identify all boats will receive a surprise gift from Valencia Sailing. As a result and in order to be able to reach you, please send your replies by email. Don't leave an anonymous comment at the bottom of the article since we will not know who you are.

Speaking of wind conditions, Paul Cayard's comment this morning on his website is very revelatory: One thing I think could throw a curve ball at some teams is the weather in April. April is still definitely spring and the previous racing in Valencia has never started this early. February was 15-20 knots 75% of the time. Most teams have designed their boats for 9-14 knots which is expected in June. But to get to June, you have to survive April and May. The competition is going to be tough. I think there will be a number of "upsets". All this will mix up the results a bit more than expected and create some anxiety for the teams that are "supposed" to be there in May.

It will be fast and furious for six teams; the regatta will be a three week event for them. You only have to look at that reality to become extremely motivated.

Valencia, 22 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia, 22 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia, 22 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia, 22 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia, 22 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia, 22 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

BMW Oracle's twin sisters

Apparently, the Challenger of Record wants to make our life difficult with the one and only photo of the team's first two-boat sail in Valencia yesterday.

BMW Oracle's USA-87 and USA-98 sailing in Valencia together for the first. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo courtesy of the BWM Oracle Blog

Taking every precaution, the American team's boats docked out of the base earlier than usual and returned at different times, again earlier than usual. Curiously, when ALL other teams had either left Port America's Cup or were about to do so, this BMW Oracle boat was RETURNING. Which one is it?

According to the rumor mill in the host city of the America's Cup, the apparent intention of this move was to switch the boats. We'll have to wait until "Unveiling Day" on April 1st when all teams will be obliged to free their boats from all covers as well as identify them. Still, only a few experts will be able to distinguish between them. At this stage, if your two new (modified) boats are not almost identical then you have probably made a serious design error in one of them.

One of BMW Oracle's two boats being towed INTO Port America's Cup. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

One of BMW Oracle's two boats being towed INTO Port America's Cup. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

BMW Oracle starts two-boat training in Valencia

[Source: BMW ORACLE Racing] BMW ORACLE Racing began the final two-boat race training session in the lead-up to Louis Vuitton Act 13 and the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup starting next month in Valencia.

The team’s two 2007-generation race yachts USA-98 and USA-87 lined up together for the first time today as skipper Chris Dickson and the sailing team performed a series of tests and in-house races in the waters off Valencia today.

“It is great to be here in Valencia in the race venue with our two race yachts,” Dickson said. “I am satisfied with where we are at this stage – everyone has put in a supreme effort. We’ve achieved a lot but there is still plenty to do. With our end-goal now in sight with racing about to begin, there is a renewed energy and focus within the team. Everyone is aware of how intense the racing will be through the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup. Now the challenge is to reach our maximum performance at the right time.”

The team sea-trialed USA-98 in New Zealand and ran a two-boat race training session there in January and February. USA-98 arrived to Valencia by Antonov February 23 and underwent on-the-water technical checks last week. USA-87 also sailed last week for the first time following winter modifications.

“We now have two 2007-model America’s Cup Class yachts,” Dickson said. “All we learned from USA-87 in 2006 was incorporated into USA-98. The winter period also gave us the opportunity to upgrade USA-87, bringing 87 into the current model year. We now have the hardware in place to do the job.”

BMW ORACLE Racing will continue the two-boat race training programme through March in preparation for the 2007 racing season which begins with Louis Vuitton Act 13 (fleet racing) on 3rd of April. The Louis Vuitton Cup starts 16th of April.

BMW Oracle's armada ready to enter the battlefield

While we were in the base of the Spanish America's Cup challenger Desafío Español for the arrival of Spain's Queen, we spotted, across the basin, the BMW Oracle shore crew preparing their brand new boat USA-98. Just a day after the first sail of USA-87, after several months, it seems that the team is ready to start training with their two latest-generation yachts and if one is to judge by the state of the yachts and the presence of the lift, this could take place this weekend.

Our apologies for the photos but they were taken from a very big distance. We will certainly keep a very close eye on these two boats from now on. Finally, we refer to these two yachts according to the corresponding number on the boat shed.

BMW Oracle's USA-98 and USA-87 in front of the base. Valencia, 1 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

BMW Oracle's USA-98 and USA-87 in front of the base. Valencia, 1 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

BMW Oracle's USA-87 is back on the water

After an absence of several months, USA-87 of BMW Oracle, reappeared this morning in front of the team's base in Port America's Cup. Together with her new sistership USA-98 this was one of the most anticipated appearances given the fact BMW Oracle is after all the Challenger of Record.

The most obvious change, even for an untrained eye, is the disappearance of the bowsprit. Ironically, USA-87 was the first yacht in the 32nd America's Cup to incorporate such an element in its design and was then followed by Alinghi who tried it on both SUI-64 and SUI-91 as well Shosholoza on RSA-83 and finally China Team on CHN-95. Apparently, BMW Oracle's design team has concluded it was not a feature worth keeping in the boat.

What hasn't changed though was the jumperless mast.

Note: We write about USA-87 because it is the yacht that came out of the boat shed numbered 87 and we assume BMW Oracle keep their boats in the corresponding sheds. If now it turns out it actually was USA-98, then we hope they don't race with the wrong yacht and get eliminated in the first round of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

USA-87 of BMW Oracle back on the water after several months. Valencia, 28 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

USA-87 of BMW Oracle back on the water after several months. Valencia, 28 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

USA-87 of BMW Oracle back on the water after several months. Valencia, 28 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

USA-87 of BMW Oracle back on the water after several months. Valencia, 28 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

USA-87 of BMW Oracle back on the water after several months. Valencia, 28 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

In all photos there is a clearly visible difference in the glare below and above a line on the bow. We tried to draw it on this picture. Could this be the possible cut line of the new bow? This difference was first noticed by user "Huevos Rancheros". Valencia, 28 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing