America's Cup Competitor Meeting

At a fifth 33rd America's Cup Competitor Meeting in Valencia, Alinghi, the Defender, the Spanish Challenger of Record and 16 of the 17 challengers (China absent) discussed amendments to the Competition Regulations, which are now in the final drafting stage. They also agreed a Protocol amendment which will loosen the restriction on designers moving between teams. The group appointed two additional members of the Arbitration Panel. The 19 competitors also named David Pedrick (USA) Technical Director for the 33rd America's Cup.

The Host City agreement was also discussed, along with plans to run the pre-regattas in 2009 and the Match in 2010 in Valencia. Negotiations are moving forward with the Spanish administrations and AC Management is confident of announcing a deal with Valencia in the near future. The competitors decided that participation in the 2009 pre-regattas on ACC Version 5.0 yachts is to be compulsory for all teams and it is intended that syndicates be allocated bases once they confirm their participation in these races.

ETNZ Winner of Pacific Series

The Race Committee delayed the next start while it waited for conditions to moderate. However, three hours later with the wind gusting over 30 knots, it abandoned racing for the day and said it would shorten the best-of-seven final to a best-of-five. Racing resumed the next day.

Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America's Cup, congratulated Emirates Team New Zealand on winning the inaugural Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Cup in Auckland, New Zealand.

Alinghi won the first match of the best of five series, but ETNZ took the next three to claim the LVPS Cup. Next for these 33rd America's Cup teams are the pre-regattas scheduled for July and October this year, followed by the Spanish Challenger of Record's annual regatta in November.

Alinghi Passes to Final Stage

Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America's Cup, competing in Auckland, New Zealand this month in the inaugural Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has raced its way into the Finals beating rivals BMW Oracle Racing 2-0 in a best of three competition. The Swiss team now passes into the final stage against Emirates Team New Zealand for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Cup which begins on Friday and wraps up on Saturday. In the LVPS Finals draw this evening, Alinghi drew NZL92 as their race yacht for the rest of the series while ETNZ will race NZL84. Emirates Team New Zealand drew the preferred starboard entry for tomorrow's first race.

3rd Victory for Greeks

It was three out of three for Greek Challenge on Monday and a fantastic end to their participation in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. The America’s Cup newcomers from Greece met the South African team for the third time, and were victorious in the sail-off for 8 challenger spot in this prestigious event.

Similar to the other two races, the prestart was aggressive but again Brady got the upper hand, crossing the line with great style in what was described as one of the most convincing starts of the regatta. The Greek stretched out a lead in the first beat, at times leaving Shosholoza 120 meters behind.

The crew carried out an excellent spinnaker hoist after the mark and soon Brady put a lid on Cian’s ambitions in the run, rounding the leeward gate comfortably ahead.

Trying to play it safe, the Greeks sailed conservatively in the 2nd beat, giving Cian the opportunity to momentarily come back. Shosholoza then tried to get the umpires in the game by forcing a possible port-starboard incident at the second weather mark but didn’t succeed. The Greek boat was on the left layline powering on towards the mark while Shosholoza was slowing down on the right one. The two boats were on collision course but Brady had more than enough space to safely round the buoy ahead of the South African team.

Greek Challenge didn’t give their opponent any breathing space in the last run, making sure they matched them gybe for gybe. A good tactical call on the last stretch allowed the Greek boat to take advantage of a puff of wind on the right side of the course and gain an additional couple of boat lengths, crossing the finish line half a minute ahead of Shosholoza.

The Greek team leaves Auckland on a very positive note. The sailing team was formed a mere month ago, trained only one week in Valencia onboard the K-Challenge boats and then another few days in Auckland, prior to the start of official racing. The goal of sailing competitively has been achieved by the Greek team and the 3 wins are the icing on the cake. The foundations have been laid for more success in the future.

LVPS Round Robin2

Racing in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series took on fresh intensity today as a newcomer team from Italy defeated hosts Emirates Team New Zealand and champion Swiss team Alinghi snatched a last minute victory from Britain's TEAMORIGIN.

The biggest upset of the day came as the newcomer, Damiani Italia Challenge, steered by Francesco Bruni convincingly put away undefeated Emirates Team New Zealand in the best tacking duel seen in this series after winning the start.

The ten international teams were racing in the first of five day's competition in the second round of the match race regatta on Auckland Harbour. After a long wait for a northerly breeze to fill in they raced in conditions that ranged from ten knots for the first of five races to 18 knots by the end of the day.

China skipper Ian Williams narrowly held off Shosholoza's Paolo Cian until the start of the second run when the South African boat had gennaker problems that saw them trawling the big chute like a giant drogue.

There were two other races. Cup champion Russell Coutts dished out a master class on starting technique in his matchup with Italy's Luna Rossa sailed by Peter Holmberg. The Americans won by 58 seconds.

There was a closer race between Gavin Brady steering the Greek Challenge and the French boat Pataugas K-Challenge with Sebastian Col at the helm. The French prevailed all around the course.

Greek Helmsman on AC Boat

After Saturday’s first ever victory, Greek Challenge wrote another page in the history of Greek sailing. For the first time ever, a Greek sailor took the helm of an America’s Cup yacht during a world-class event. Theodoros Tsoulfas, prominent offshore Greek sailor, helmed the Greek Challenge yacht in the team’s last race of Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Round Robin 1, against Team Origin from the UK.

Gavin Brady, the New Zealander that steered the yacht so far in the Series, switched positions with Tsoulfas on Tuesday and called tactics in what turned out to be a very tricky and shifty day. In addition, 11 out of the 17 crew were Greeks, marking another first. Never before in the Series, Greek sailors were the majority onboard.

The race was closer and tighter than what one would have expected, especially against an outstanding helmsman of the caliber of Ben Ainslie, 3-time gold Olympic medalist. Greek Challenge crossed the starting line on the right and Origin on the left, slightly ahead. During the first beat, the Greeks managed to stay on Origin’s trail, rounding the first weather mark a mere 14 seconds behind the British yacht. Despite being a novice, Tsoulfas was able to stay close and round the leeward gate 17 seconds behind Ben Ainslie. In the second half of the race, Greek Challenge slipped back and crossed the finish line 58 seconds behind the British yacht.

Greek Challenge finishes Round Robin 1 with 1 win and 3 losses. Due to the penalty received in the race against Alinghi, Greek Challenge has no points and will now compete in the Silver Fleet, together with China Team, Shosholoza and Pataugas K-Challenge. There will be no racing on Wednesday and the Greek team will come back on the water of Waitemata harbor on Thursday, facing Pataugas K-Challenge.

AC33 Rule Boat

The AC33 has been designed through consultation between the Defender, the Challenger of Record and the 17 other entered teams. Designers and team managers from the 19 America’s Cup syndicates met regularly in Geneva, Switzerland, and Valencia, Spain, since the design process began in early November 2008.

This group agreed to develop a boat similar in cost to the America’s Cup Class Version 5.0 boat, but with a more exciting performance. The AC33 Rule evolved to a race yacht of 26m maximum length overall, with 5m of draft and a displacement of 17.5tonnes.

The sail plan area is greater than with the ACC Version 5.0 but without overlapping headsails, and as with the AC90 Rule contemplated in 2007, the boat has a bowsprit and the spinnaker area is limited only by sheeting constraints, not by measurement of dimensions. Given the lighter displacement, the AC33 will be more demanding to sail upwind, and will provide sparkling performance on the runs. Maximum beam is 4.8m, which will seem wide to people used to the appearance of the Version 5.0 yachts, where the last generation of yachts had a beam not much more than 3m in many cases.

Team Greek Challenge

In the opening race today (Friday) France's Pataugas K-Challenge will race aboard USA 98 against China Team in USA 87. The second race will see Britain's TEAMORIGIN in NZL 92 starting against Italy's Luna Rossa 84. The third race will be Emirates Team New Zealand in USA 98 versus Damiani Italia Challenge sailing USA 87. The last race of the day is the newcomer Greek Challenge in NZL 84, up against Switzerland's powerful Alinghi.

Greek Challenge presented on Friday morning its crew line up for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. Without losing its Greek identity, the team crew has a strong Kiwi flavor, with a total of 8 New Zealanders out of the 21 sailors that will be racing off Auckland's harbor for the next 2 weeks. Twelve Greeks will be defending their home colors and the 21-man roster in Auckland is completed with 1 South African.

Gavin Brady, 5-times America's Cup helmsman, will drive the boat in the team's maiden participation in a world-level regatta, against the world's top America's Cup teams. In fact, the first ever Greek team for the America's Cup will have to face none other than Alinghi, current defender and 2-time winner, in its first race.

The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is the first step in a long-term effort to develop young sailors from Greece and create a stable platform that will lead to a competitive America's Cup team.

Greek Challenge Crew List

Bowman: Kevin Batten, NZL
Mid Bowman: Michail Pateniotis, GRE, Pavlos Kagialis, GRE (Reserve)
Mastman: Dimitrios Benakis, GRE
Pitman: Jeremy Scantlebury, NZL
Pit Assistant: Anestis Karayiannidis, GRE
Port Grinder: Angelos Boubouras, GRE
Starboard Grinder: Konstantinos Chaniotis, GRE
Upwind Trimmer: Carsten Schon, NZL
Downwind Trimmer: Athanasios Pachoumas, GRE, Zachary Hurst, NZL (Reserve)
Mid Grinder: Stu Clarke, NZL
Mainsail Trimmer: Rodney Keenan, NZL
Traveller: Dan Slater, NZL, Panagiotis Mantis, GRE (Reserve)
Helmsman: Gavin Brady, NZL
Floater: Antonis Bougiouris, GRE
Navigator: Marc Lagesse, RSA
Aft Grinder / Skipper: Sotiris Buseas, GRE
Runner: Alexandros Tagaropoulos, GRE, Theodoros Tsoulfas, GRE (Reserve)

Greek Challenge made history today by engaging for the first time with another LVPS team in the waters of Auckland's Waitamata Harbour and winning. They finished Thursday's practice session more upbeat than any other team, because they obtained an advantage over BMW Oracle during their light air practice session this morning. Was it a fluke, or will they be able to repeat the performance in their first matchup in the Round Robin series against Alinghi on Friday afternoon.

Little is known about Greek Challenge CEO, Sotiris Buseas' herculean effort to build the nascent syndicate... The Greeks turned to ISAF #1-ranked match race skipper, Sebastien Col and his World Match Racing Team colleagues for on the water coaching in the Pataugas K-Challenge boat. Nervous at first, Col was impressed with the Greek team. All are very good sailors in their own disciplines, but aside from Marc Lagesse, they had never sailed an America's Cup class boat before. To everyone's surprise, the total immersion ACC training sessions worked well and Patugas K-Challenge's boat was no worse for the wear when the rest of the K-Challenge team arrived in Valencia for pre-LVPS training.

America's Cup in 2010

AC Management today announced the entry list for the 33rd America's Cup that includes 19 teams, eight of which are new entries. All of the 32nd America's Cup challengers have re-entered, but one.

Aside from the Defender, Alinghi and the Challenger of Record, Desafío Español, a total of 21 teams presented a Notice of Entry and 17 were accepted. Three of the entered teams are pending minor details towards their official registration and have been granted an extension until January 15. Three other teams were denied entry as no further documentation beyond the Notice of Entry was received by the December 15 entry deadline. Carbon Challenge has withdrawn.

The teams have been working together over the past few months at regular Competitor Meetings to amend the 33rd America's Cup Protocol and to design the new class rule; this process is ongoing and will continue into the New Year with further meetings planned and a publication date for the class rule scheduled for the end of January.

The 33rd America's Cup schedule is for two pre-regattas in Valencia in 2009, the first in July and the second in October, plus the Club Náutico Español de Vela annual regatta in November, followed by an America's Cup Match in 2010.

33rd America's Cup teams (in order of entry):
Alinghi, Société Nautique de Genève (SUI) – Defender
Desafío Español, Club Náutico Español de Vela (ESP) – Challenger of Record
Shosholoza, Royal Cape Yacht Club (RSA)
TeamOrigin, Royal Thames Yacht Club (GBR)
Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZL)
DCYC, Deutscher Challenger Yacht Club (GER)
Green Comm Challenge, Circolo di Vela Gargano (ITA)
Ayre Challenge, Real Club Náutico de Dénia (ESP)
Victory Challenge, Gamla Stans Yacht Skallskap (SWE)
Argo Challenge, Club Nautico Gaeta (ITA)
Mascalzone Latino, Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia (ITA)
Team French Spirit, Yacht Club de St Tropez (FRA)
Luna Rossa, Yacht Club Punta Ala (ITA)
Russia Team - Fiona, Yacht Club Seven Feet (RUS)
Joe Fly, Società Canottieri Lecco (ITA)
K-Challenge, Cercle de la Voile de Paris (FRA)
Greek Challenge, N.O.K. Poseidon - Nautical Club of Kalamata (GRC)
Dabliu Sail Project (ITA)
China Team, Qingdao International Yacht Club (CHN)

33rd America's Cup

A large majority of the teams entered in the 33rd America’s Cup today achieved another milestone in the process of getting the event back on the water during a second Competitor Meeting at the Société Nautique de Genève in Switzerland.

Ten of the 12 entered challengers present at the meeting, along with the Defender Alinghi, expressed a unanimous will to work together constructively towards a class rule and regulations that satisfy all entered competitors.

Amongst other topics, it was agreed that:

• The Arbitration Panel be expanded to five members, with the two additional members being appointed by all the entered competitors through a democratic process


• The Race Committee has been agreed by all the entered competitors


• Other America’s Cup Race Officials, the Technical Director and Umpires will be selected following a similar process amongst ISAF officials


• Two pre-regattas will be organised in 2009 before the 33rd America’s Cup in 2010

All participants expressed their satisfaction with the process and their confidence in ongoing plans progressing towards a 33rd America’s Cup. They also urged BMW Oracle Racing once again to drop their lawsuit and enter this process.

The next Competitor Meeting is scheduled for December.

Another Yet Opinion

Now that there is only one last chance left for an appeal, last week's decision by a New York court to re-instate CNEV as Challenger of Record puts the whole future of the America's Cup at risk. For if their decision stands, our sport's premier match will come to an end as a genuine sailing competition. What we will have instead will be a regatta that just pretends to be the Cup.

Predictably, we have heard panicky cries for a multi-challenger event at all costs. It is almost as if the rules don't matter. But what sort of event will it be when a sham COR has already connived at ensuring the defender can't lose?

In case you've forgotten, let's recall the protocol Alinghi now brazenly promotes as its "vision."

Alinghi claims the right to choose, at its sole discretion, the regatta judges, the committee, the umpires and the measurers, even going so far as to state that they must be its employees. Alinghi, again at its sole discretion, claims the right to accept a challenge or to penalize a rival and to change the rules at any time. Little wonder this protocol was immediately opposed by seven syndicates.

Faced with a stacked deck, top-level syndicates will stay away. You can argue it is still better to join and hope for change. But that's how a lamb thinks before it gets into bed with a wolf. We might as well rename it the Alinghi Cup now.

The three judges may have swallowed the bait that any multi-challenger event is better than a Deed of Gift match. But if so why even have rules? For a defender can now collude with anyone to fix the game. Incredibly, this ruling says the America's Cup Challenger of Record doesn't even need to own a boat!

Sure, we will still have an event called the America's Cup. But top sailors will know it's a sham. And it won't take sponsors and fans long to catch on either. Already we have seen Louis Vuitton, who have been a key part of the Cup's whole identity, go. What looks like a race will in fact be a procession. Ernesto Bertarelli's vision turns out to be a cynical marketing ploy that gives his commercial subsidiary, ACM, total control.

Oracle have courageously tried to stop an Alinghi take-over. There is only one round left in the court process. We have to hope Oracle will win. Because if they don't the modern Cup will have just come to a shameful end.

Vincenzo Onorato
Mascalzone Latino

iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week

America's Cup Defenders Alinghi was another America's Cup team, the third placed BMW ORACLE Racing skippered by James Spithill, which got things off to a flying start today by taking the first four race wins - was the scoreboard set for another shake up?

Alinghi were back in the pack on the first lap of races two and three, rounding mark one back in 9th position ! at one stage. But they kept a cool head to pick off several boats on e ach leg, scoring consistant fourth, fifth and sixth places to keep their nose in front overall.

As expected TEAMORIGIN were putting in a spirited fight, splitting to the opposite sides of the racecourse to their Alinghi rivals and scoring a string of second and third places to take second overall and eat away at Alinghi's lead - at one point there were just four points in it. Alinghi came back strongly in the penultimate race - taking a brave port tack approach to the start line they led the race from start to finish, extending their advantage on the leaderboard.

Going into the final race there were seven points in it - and with double scores available TEAMORIGIN could still get in front. Alinghi went for a port tack start, while TEAMORIGIN hit the line at speed. Alinghi chased TEAMORIGIN's tail right around the course, but while TEAMORIGIN held on to win it was Alinghi who had done enough to take the event overall.

Larry Does it Again

Earlier this week the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) declaring Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) the rightful Challenger of Record for the 33rd America’s Cup and denying the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) this status.

After wasting more than a year in litigation and losing arguments, BMW Oracle has gone to court for the second time to force its strategy of eliminating numerous America’s Cup teams entered as legitimate challengers.

Brad Butterworth, team skipper of Alinghi and four-time America’s Cup winner, comments: “I’m disappointed that given the opportunity for a multi-challenger competition as a result of the Appellate Court decision, BMW Oracle has chosen to further delay the 33rd America’s Cup.”

SNG and CNEV have already made plans to organise the most competitive and spectator friendly America's Cup challenger series in history and that despite BMW Oracle’s unsuccessful year-long attempt to preclude competition and turn the America's Cup into a two team duel. BMW Oracle is now attempting to further delay and frustrate the conduct of the America's Cup by filing a frivolous, but time consuming appeal.

BMW Oracle was unable to advance to the final round of the America's Cup in the 31st and 32nd events, having been eliminated in the challenger series on each occasion. SNG and the entire sailing community is offended by BMW Oracle’s attempts to accomplish through expensive litigation initiatives what it has never been able to achieve on the water, which is to be a finalist in the America's Cup.

SNG, by contrast, won the 31st America's Cup by winning the challenger series and defeating the then Cup holder and then successfully defended the trophy in the 32nd America's Cup. SNG seeks to defend the Cup against the opponent who proves the strongest by winning the challenger series on the water. When given the opportunity for a regatta against the Defender Alinghi, BMW Oracle clearly demonstrated its intent to win through legal manoeuvering rather than accept competing fairly on the water.

Troubled 33rd AC Restores

The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court today ruled in favour of the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) declaring Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) the rightful Challenger of Record for the 33rd America’s Cup and denying the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) this status.

Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi president, comments: “We are delighted with this result; we can now continue with our vision of a multi-challenger event. The court’s decision validates our actions and enables us to put the America's Cup back on the water.”

Lucien Masmejan, SNG lead counsel, comments: “After a year of litigation interference by the GGYC, we are extremely pleased that the Appellate Division has found its challenges to SNG's conduct of the 33rd America's Cup baseless. The GGYC’s actions have wasted a lot of time, effort and resources over the past year and we hope that it does not appeal. We must now evaluate whether adjustments have to be made due to the time consumed by its improper litigation initiatives.”

The decision of the Appellate Division reads: “…...the orders of the Supreme Court, New York County (Herman Cahn, J.), entered March 18, 2008 and May 13, 2008, which, inter alia, declared CNEV's challenge invalid and GGYC the Challenger of Record under the Deed of Gift, should be reversed, on the law, with costs, CNEV declared the Challenger of Record, and, in keeping with the Deed of Gift's requirement that the defender be given at least 10 months' written notice to prepare for the challenge, the 10-month notice period should be tolled until service of a copy of this order.”