Friday, January 29, 2010

the 33rd America's Cup - Let me try to explain.........


The 33rd America’s Cup match has been delayed so many times, it is hard for the serious players, let alone the spectator to understand the latest reasons. So let me try to explain:

A. Alinghi 5 has sails which were produced on a mould in America, then shipped to Switzerland to be glued together and finished.

B. GGYC says the whole boat, including sails, must be ‘constructed’ in the country of origin, eg Switzerland, and has taken the matter to court.

C. SNG say that, if Alinghi 5’s sails are banned, Alinghi will forfeit the series rather than race and then find they are disqualified.

"We have been clear: If BMW Oracle succeeds in disqualifying the Defender's sails then there will be no Match," Meyer said. "Russell Coutts [BMW Oracle skipper] will have won the America's Cup for Larry Ellison without sailing."

D. Everything else is just ‘smoke and mirrors’. No other legal issues are involved.

So why have BMW Oracle raised the question of sails when they know that American-made sails were used by almost all teams in the 32nd AC event without any complaint or protest. Why has it become such an issue now?

Tom Ehman of GGYC says: ....... the 33rd Match is not a normal regatta. It is not even a normal America’s Cup. It is a “Deed of Gift match” in which the clear wording of the Cup’s ruling document must be adhered to by both teams.

This statement suggests that, in previous Cup events, the use of American sails was a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between all the teams involved. Given the bad blood that exists between these two teams, it is clear that agreement or compromise is simply not possible at this late stage. It is also nearly certain that the Supreme Court will not rule on this case until after the series has begun.

Unless someone ‘blinks first’, racing will go ahead on February 8th, weather permitting. What happens after the ‘grudge match’ has been settled, and one team has ‘won’ the America’s Cup? It seems quite likely that the whole show will end up back in court. Why?, because the two teams have failed to reach agreement on so many points up to now, it seems very probable that one or the other will find a reason (genuine or spurious, depending upon your viewpoint) to protest the whole event. The fact is, they have to go racing on February 8th just to satisfy the New York Supreme Court that they were acting in accordance with the Court’s ruling; that is: if you are going to race, the race must start no later than 10 months after the Court ruled that you should!

It will still be a thrilling spectacle and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a true ‘Battle of the Giants’. We will be there on Monday, February 8 (not the12th as previously reported) and we hope to see you there.
Mike O’Neill

Thursday, January 28, 2010

KASABIAN; PiL, The Specials, Ian Brown, The Prodigy are set to appear at FIB Benicassim 2010


FIB organisers have announced first confirmations of the line up for FIB Benicassim 2010 and it's all Brit so far; The Prodigy , Dizzee Rascal , Ian Brown (ex Stone Roses) , Kasabian, The Specials, and PiL (Public Image Limited, Sex Pistols' John Lydon's Band) are all set to play the spanish festival on the weekend of 15th -18th July 2010. More as we get it.
Read Anita Darling and Lolita Devine's report on Last year's Fest here

Formula One official 2010 Trials - part of proceeds to go to Haiti

Formula One official 2010 Trials
Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste
01-01 February
A great weekend's entertainment and an absolute must for any petrolhead. 25€ gets you a grandstand seat for the whole three day event but as little as 5€ will get you into the circuit and there are VIP box offers too!
Seven of F1's 13 teams - namely Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Renault, Sauber, Williams and Toro Rosso - have confirmed their participation in the opening group test of the 2010 pre-season.

The good news is also that part of the proceeds of the day will go to help the victims of Haiti. "Fans who buy a ticket for the tests in Valencia will also perform a humanitarian act to help after a tragedy," Garcia said.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Love Indie music? Tanned Tin is just up your alley!





The very curiously named Tanned Tin Festival takes place at the Teatro Principal and the Sala Opal in Castellón from tomorrow 28 January until the 31st - It features no less than 34 rising stars of the indie scene in concerts both during the day at Sala Opal and the night at Teatro Principal. The Line up is as follows:
Thursday 28 - Teatre Principal
McEnroe 20:00h
Lacrosse 20:40h
David Thomas Broughton 21:20h
Arborea 21:55h
Dean & Britta 22:40h
The Wave Pictures 23:40h
Giant Sand 0:40h
Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs 1:50h

Friday 29 - Teatre Principal
Ecstatic Sunshine 20:00h
Thee, Stranded Horse 20:35h
Picastro 21:20h
Callers 22:10h
Luke Haines 22:55h
Robin Guthrie 23:50h
The Third Eye Foundation 0:50h
Sleep Whale 2:05h

Saturday 30 - Teatre Principal
Kristofer Aström 20:00h
Sea of Bees 20:40h
Richard Buckner 21:20h
The Wowz 22:15h
L'Altra 23:10h
Dean Wareham plays Galaxie 500 0:10h
Savage Republic 1:15h
DD/MM/YYYY 2:15h

Wednesday 27 - Veneno Stereo
Fiesta presentación. Entrada: 6 € (fuera de abono)
Betunizer

Thursday 29 - Sala Opal
Jozef Van Wissem 13:00h
Jason Urick 13:35h
Sir Richard Bishop 14:15h
Homenaje a Jack Rose 15:05h

Saturday 30 - Sala Opal
Ching Chong Song 13:00h
Jamie Stewart 13:35h
Joe Pernice 14:25h

Sunday 31 - Sala Opal
Mi and L'au 13:00h
Castanets 13:40h
The Clientele 14:25h
The Joe K-Plan 15:15h

Formula One Trials at Cheste


Great news for all you petrolheads out there! The official trials for Formula One 2010 take place the weeknd of the 01-03 February at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit at Cheste. Three days of Formula One thrills for a very low price - 25€ get you grandstand seats for the whole weekend. Get on down! If you need a hotel click here for great rates!
If you want more information on what's on and what's great in Valencia visit our site by clicking on the title above!

Arctic Monkeys Headline MTV Winter in Valencia



The third MTV Winter to be held and televised to millions of MTV viewers around the world takes place on 13 February in the wonderful City of Arts & Sciences in Valencia, Spain. It is usually a spectacular night and this year looks like it will be no exception with a great line up headed by the Arctic Monkeys, who are supported by the Mystery Jets, Lightspeed Champion and Fuzzy White Casters. Get there early as the event is free and people come from miles to see it.

America's Cup 33 News - It is going to be broadcast live - and free on the web!

photo©2010 David Inwood
The Société Nautique du Genève (SNG), trustee of the America’s Cup, has delegated the responsibility for organising the media and event activities for the 33rd America’s Cup to Consorcio Valencia 2007. The 33rd America’s Cup promises to be a regatta unlike everything which has been seen so far.

The two fastest boats in history will fight for the America’s Cup over race courses that are up to six times bigger than the ones used in the 32nd America’s Cup. For this reason, the TV coverage of the racing will be key. For the first time in history, the races will be broadcast live and free of charge through www.americascup.com to reach the biggest, widest possible audience, including all the fans who will not be able to be in Valencia to witness live this historic competition

The on-shore action will be concentrated at the Veles e Vents, the landmark building central to Port America’s Cup. A giant screen will be installed for fans and spectators to follow the races live as well as enjoying a host of complementary activities around the Port area. The International media centre with capacity for 150 journalists will be in close proximity to the Veles e Vents.

Jorge Gisbert, General Director of Consorcio Valencia 2007: « We are very grateful to have the event back at Port America’s Cup, in the short term we have available we will do our utmost to set the stage for an unforgettable event here in Valencia. »

To organise this event in a short time Gisbert has surrounded himself with an international team involved in the execution of the 32nd America’s Cup. This team led by Michel Hodara (SUI, 48) consists of seasoned professionals in the field of television, media, public entertainment and hospitality.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Alinghi's Marquee flies on Valencia's High winds!


David Inwood is our man on the spot at the port in the lead up to the 33rd America's Cup here in Valencia. David and his wife are overwintering on their yacht in the Marina Juan Carlos 1 and have already experienced more extreme weather conditions in their few months here than most of us have seen in ten years!
Today was no exception ...
We've had a wild and wonderful morning in winds gusting up to 59kts. Apart from minor damage to boats around us, the main event was seeing the new Alinghi marquee at the end of the marina blown to smithereerns!

read Mike O'Neill's excellent columns on the recent events leading up to this latest America's Cup