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TEAM EMIRATES – Work on the Emirates Team New Zealand base in San Francisco is well and truly underway on Pier 30/32. Here is an update from Joey Allen on site.
Posts tagged americas cup
ITS HERE
TEAM ARTEMIS – Time to un-wrap the new boat
RACING ON FOILS
AMERICAS CUP – Artemis Racing and ORACLE TEAM USA have been using their turbo-charged, foiling AC45s to get match fit on San Francisco Bay.
As ORACLE TEAM USA coach Philippe Presti says, this is a risk-free way to get race experience in foiling boats, without putting the AC72 program on the line.
“It’s going to be pretty hard to sail two AC72s in race mode so close to the Cup,” sailing coach Presti said. “There’s a lot of risk with that. So to have the AC45s in foiling configuration allows us to push hard with in-house racing and against other competitors like Artemis Racing.”
“It’s good to race another team,” said ORACLE TEAM USA trimmer Joe Newton. “You can never in-house put on the same pressure as you do racing another team. It’s completely different. We’re looking at how the boats work, seeing what they do to go fast and what’s not so fast. So just trying to take little bits away that we can translate to the AC72.
For Artemis Racing, the training is a chance to experience foiling catamarans while waiting for their second AC72 – the foiling one – to come on stream.
“We’ve been sailing the foiling AC45 for about a month,” said Troy Tindill, the boat captain for the Artemis Racing AC45 foiling boat. “We’ve just had another week against ORACLE TEAM USA and the boat is going pretty good and it’s been a great training tool.”
“We’re learning a lot about the boat with foils in the pre-start,” agreed ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “We haven’t done that at all with the big boat. And it’s always nice to go against another team because you’re under pressure and you don’t want to lose.”
THE AC45 LIVES ON
TEAM ORACLE – With the America’s Cup World Series schedule now complete, ORACLE TEAM USA turns to their modified AC45′s for a comprehensive in-house racing program, in addition to finding some time to foil against the Challenger of Record across the Bay, Artemis Racing, during some valuable training exercises. [ © Amory Ross / ORACLE TEAM USA ]
FIGHT OR FLIGHT
TEAM ARTEMIS – This week Artemis Racing took on Oracle Team USA on the Foiling AC45′s. Troy Tindill discusses status of the foiling AC45 program and how the team on board is syncing.
SUMMER OF RACING
AMERICAS CUP – This weekend the countdown clock will mark two months to the start of the “Summer of Racing” in San Francisco. An Opening Ceremony is planned for July 4 and will be followed on July 5 by a special fleet race for all teams. Racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series, officially begins on July 7 with a match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge of Italy. It continues on July 9 with Sweden’s Artemis Racing taking on the New Zealanders, and July 10 with Luna Rossa against Artemis Racing. The Louis Vuitton Cup schedule is packed with action. Some highlights:
- The Louis Vuitton Cup round robins are scheduled July 7-Aug. 4. Wins are worth 1 point
- The Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Final, a best-of-seven series, is scheduled Aug. 6-14
- The Louis Vuitton Cup Final, a best-of-13 series, is scheduled Aug. 17-30
- Racing is scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Start times for the round robins and semi finals are scheduled for 1:15 pm PT (Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays) or 2:15 pm PT (Wednesdays)
- Mondays and Thursdays are scheduled reserve days
- In the round robins and semi finals, one race is scheduled per day with a target elapsed time of one hour
- In the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, two races are scheduled each day, each with a target elapsed time of 30 minutes
The top team at the end of the round robins gets to choose whether it advances directly to the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals or races in the semi finals. With a break of 12 days in the offing, presumably the winner would choose to go to the final and let the other two teams continue slugging it out in the semis.
Throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup the defender, ORACLE TEAM USA, will also have access to the race course four days per week, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, sometimes sandwiched around the challengers’ racing.
The America’s Cup Finals are scheduled Sept. 7-21, with racing set for Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The match is a best-of-17 series. Two races are planned each day, lasting approximately 30 minutes, and beginning at 1:10 pm PT and 2:10 pm PT. A break of approximately 30 minutes between races is mandated by the Protocol.
WE’VE GOT TO DEVELOP THE FASTEST 72
TEAM ORACLE – Speaking over the weekend, ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill says his team can’t let up on its development push following the launch of its second AC72.
“Quite simply, we’ve got to develop the fastest 72 on the Bay and we have to keep this process going,” he said. “I think we’ll be doing this until the last race of the America’s Cup. We’ll be doing everything we can to keep modifying, keep improving, and that’s what’s great about this team. We have a proactive build team and engineering team. You give them a challenge and they grab it with both hands and run with it.”
ORACLE TEAM USA launched its second AC72 one week ago and had it up on foils on its maiden sail. The boat has been in the shed since then as the team serves a Jury penalty that restricts it from sailing an AC72 for five days. The American defender can return the 72 to the water on Wednesday.
In the meantime, Spithill says he’s looking forward to seeing all three challengers sailing on San Francisco Bay. While Artemis Racing has been training out of Alameda, both Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge have been based in Auckland, New Zealand. But that’s all about to change as they relocate to the America’s Cup venue this month.
“For us, it will be fantastic to have a couple more boats out on the Bay,” Spithill said. “We look forward to lining up against them. We’ve been doing a little bit of work with Artemis and that’s been really beneficial for both of us. Right now, I think it’s too early to say who is a threat. Until we line the boats up on the water we won’t really know.
“But as far as our sailing team goes, we’ve got to take a lot of confidence from our results in the America’s Cup World Series,” he continued, enjoying an opportunity to needle the opposition. “The other teams haven’t been able to deliver which would be quite concerning for them.”
ORACLE TEAM USA crews have won all three of the 2012-13 match racing titles at the America’s Cup World Series and in Naples, Tom Slingsby finished what Spithill started, winning the fleet racing season championship for the team.
Spithill did have one piece of friendly advice for the newcomers to San Francisco Bay – don’t underestimate how quickly you run out of room when you’re sailing at 40+ knots.
“The thing about the Bay is how small it is in these boats,” he said. “You don’t have the luxury of just running for miles if you get in trouble or you need to sort something out. It can happen very fast here. But they’ve spent a lot of hours on their boats, they’ll adapt quite quickly and pretty soon I think it will become pretty crowded out there.”
LONDON CALLING
AMERICAS CUP – Two of sports’ most prestigious trophies, the America’s Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup, were presented in London as they paused on their way home to San Francisco after the America’s Cup World Series-Naples.
The twin trophy tour visited the Royal Thames Yacht Club in Knightsbridge, the first ever club to sponsor a challenger (James Ashbury’s Cambria in 1870), before the Cups were presented at the Mall Galleries located on The Mall by Admiralty Arch.
Christine Belanger of Louis Vuitton, Iain Murray, Regatta Director of the 34th America’s Cup, and Tom Ehman, vice-commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club spearheaded the trophies’ presentation.
The Mall Galleries’ function was hosted by luxury yacht charter specialists Ocean Independence, partner of the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta and Program. The regatta is part of the Summer of Racing, interleaved with the America’s Cup Finals and raced September 9, 11 and 13.
2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the Louis Vuitton Cup, success in which is the stepping stone to the America’s Cup itself. Challenger racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup begins in two month’s time on July 4. The winner from Artemis Racing (SWE), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) or Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 goes through to there America’s Cup Finals to meet the current champion and defender ORACLE TEAM USA on September 7.
SPITHILL TALKS ABOUT RED BULL YOUTH AC
RED BULL YOUTH SAILING – From SAIL MIX today
WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO
TEAM EMIRATES – If you are a sailing enthusiast or America’s Cup follower in Auckland take a walk across the viaduct right now and you will notice something feels different. There is a feeling that you aren’t meant to be here anymore.
Despite Auckland seeing more Americas Cup action over the summer than where the event is going to be held, it is now apparent that the mass migration north is well and truly underway. The massive tents have gone, the dozens of containers have vanished, the fleet of chase boats hs departed and of course the AC72 is somewhere in the Pacific Ocean heading towards the northeast. Only a handful of stragglers remain in the shell of the big red and black Emirates Team New Zealand shed tying up loose ends and getting ready to join the growing contingent on Pier 30/32 under the bay bridge in San Francisco.
Remarkably it is now only a matter of weeks until the entire team will be fully functional and back flying around in the AC72 on a very crowded San Francisco bay- there isn’t a lot of water for four AC72’s and all of their entourages.
Things move quickly in this game, so this calm before the storm is time to take a breath and get ready for a dramatic five months ahead.
TEAM PLAYERS
TEAM EMIRATES – Meet the Shore Team: OLIVIER BRETON
ROLE: Hydraulics Engineer
BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB: Developing systems that are efficient and reliable.
THE AMERICA’S CUP: Its about winning the oldest trophy in sport with good team spirit.
Its a lot about the team spirit.
MORE MODIFICATIONS FOR ARTEMIS
Written by ARTEMIS RACING – During the AC World Series event in Naples the AC72 was not allowed to sail. So we used this time as a chance to modify the boat some more. The shore crew have been working tirelessly to make things happen here. Mark Carpenter, head of platform maintenance, explains the mods and how the shore crew tackle the work set out for them.
BOAT #2 LOOKS LIKE A WINNER!
AC NEWS – Patience is a virtue for ORACLE TEAM USA who, after two anxious days, finally get the green light to commence sailing trials on their new AC72. All systems were go, and “17″ quickly took to flight during her maiden voyage on San Francisco Bay. [ © Amory Ross / ORACLE TEAM USA ]
ORACLE ON THE WATER
TEAM ORACLE – Boat 2 spread her wings on the San Francisco Bay earlier today.
ORACLE BOAT 2
TEAM ORACLE – Officially launched the team’s second AC72 today, April 23, from the team base at Pier 80 in San Francisco. Helmsman Jimmy Spithill led the team and audience in a toast after Oracle Chief Marketing Officer Judy Sim broke a bottle of champagne across the bowsprit. The boat was then lowered into the San Francisco Bay before docking out for the first time.
“It’s an awesome day. We’re all very, very excited to get it out on the water,” said Spithill. “We hope to develop the fastest AC72 that will hit the Bay. There’s been a lot of energy, a lot of hours, put into this boat from the entire team. Now, it’s up to the sailors, along with the support of the rest of the team, to get out there and really try to get the most out of this boat.”
Spithill recognized the months of work put into the design and build of the boat in preparation for the launch. “We have the best, most committed shore team, build team, design team, and the entire team is behind us, supporting us,” he said. “They’re the first to arrive, the last to leave, work 7 days a week, just to provide us with a reliable, race-winning boat, ready to go.”
Named ORACLE TEAM USA 17, the boat is the second AC72 launched by ORACLE TEAM USA and marks the start of the next phase in the team’s campaign. Training commences on the new boat this week, and by late spring the team plans to have both AC72s on the Bay as they prepare to defend the America’s Cup this September.
“There’s been an enormous amount of work that has gone into this boat,” said CEO Russell Coutts during the launch. “It represents extreme performance and extreme engineering. It represents a significant improvement in performance over where we’ve been before. And probably most importantly, this represents the boat that is going to defend the America’s Cup, for America, in America.”
The event included remarks from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who noted that this is a week of celebration as the Port of San Francisco marks its 150th anniversary tomorrow.
Bay Area native and ORACLE TEAM USA tactician John Kostecki described the thrill of sailing on the San Francisco Bay.
“We’re going fast, probably faster than a car on the Golden Gate Bridge,” Kostecki said. “Upwind we’re doing speeds of around 20 knots, downwind we’re doing speeds over 40 knots. It’s really going to be interesting to take into account the current, that is ever-so-changing, and the winds that are ever-so-changing here on the Bay. That’s what keeps San Francisco an interesting and exciting place to race sail boats because it’s always different every day.”
The day’s sailing session was cut short as winds were blowing above 20 knots. The team plans to be back out on the water later this week.
“It’s all coming together,” said trimmer Joey Newton. “It was a tough time after the capsize, and we felt like we were a little behind the other teams, and I think we were. Now, it really feels like we have everything pointed in the right direction, and we’re starting to make pretty big steps. We’ve got high hopes for this boat, and I’m sure it’s going to be fast.”
TEAM ORACLE TALKS ABOUT RACING PRADA
TEAM ORACLE – On the final day of racing at the America’s Cup World Series in Naples, Italy, ORACLE TEAM USA won the match race championship. Skipper Tom Slingsby and crew also finished second in the fleet racing, giving ORACLE TEAM USA a second consecutive ACWS second championship.
LIFE AS A SKIPPER IN THE ACWS
YOUTH SAILING – Charlie Ekberg Ehulund talks about sailing with Artemis Racing
TOM SLINGSBY TAKES THE HELM
TEAM ORACLE – At the America’s Cup World Series season finale in Naples, Italy, Tom Slingsby took the helm for ORACLE TEAM USA – his first regatta as skipper of an AC45. The crew quickly demonstrated the depth of talent on the team, and sat poised for success heading into Super Sunday racing.
ETNZ: LAST DAY IN NAPLES
TEAM EMIRATES – The final day of racing in Naples came on the ‘Super Sunday’ where it was triple points. Not a great day for the team but they wrapped up the regatta in 3rd place overall.
AC WORLD SERIES DAY 1
AC WORLD SERIES – Here is a replay of Day #1 in Naples.
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