America's Cup 33 Valencia - Race One........ Third Time Lucky?

AC 2010 Race One........ Third Time Lucky?

As I write this, it looks very much as though Race One is going to happen today..... The committee boat is in position about 26 nautical miles east of Valencia and seems to be setting a course to allow for a wind shift which is due to reach the race area soon. Both Alinghi 5 and BMW Oracle are testing the conditions and making final adjustments to get the most out of their craft. If you are in Valencia and can bear watching without sound, then Punt 2 is showing the race and you can stream live information from www.americascup.com or from www.bmworacle.com. If you have one of those amazing ‘digiboxes’, there is a dedicated Americas Cup channel close to the Aprende Ingles channel. We will up-date you as more details become available but latest info is that racing will begin ‘soon’, which could be in as little as 15 minutes time.....

photo courtesy of bmworacleracingblog.blogspot.com

Mike O’Neill
12.00 Friday

America's Cup 33 News - Day One, Race One........ almost!

At 0700 this morning, the two giant multihulls prepared to leave their berths; Alinghi 5 from the Puerto America’s Cup, BMW Oracle (or USA, as the boat is named) from their berth in the commercial port, the only place where they could find sufficient room to store their 68m (223 foot) wing mast.

It had already been announced that owner Larry Ellison would not be aboard USA because of critical weight restrictions but it came as quite a shock to learn that Russell Coutts, winner of three America’s Cups and still considered by many to be the best match race sailor in the world, would not be on board either! Alinghi 5 carried a crew of 14, while USA had only 10, a clear indication that they expected a light-weather race, where weight-reduction is considered more important than the skills of those crewmen left behind.

The two boats reached the course area 26 NM off the coast in good time for the 10.06 start; then spent the next four hours waiting whilst race director Harold Bennett tried to lay a fair course. Trouble was, as the morning went by the southerly breeze in the start area was countered by a westerly breeze at the planned windward mark, just 2 miles off El Saler beach.

At two o’clock, Bennett decided to abandon the start, reasoning that, if the wind died during the race, the 7 hour time limit could have the 2 huge multihulls racing in the dark; not a comfortable scenario...... The race will now be started on Wednesday, when the weather looks like clearing.
Mike O’Neill

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