Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing maintained its winning momentum and unbeaten record in the opening round of the Louis Vuitton Cup with a comfortable victory over the French Areva Challenge team in Valencia today.
With a bye in the first match, USA 98 had a relatively light workload, but still holds its place at the top of the leaderboard, 1 point clear of Emirates Team New Zealand.
“We had the race in control at the start and then the plan was to cover and extend,“ said BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler.
Race summary: The two yachts started on opposite ends of the line in a 7-8 knot breeze. USA 98 left the line on port tack at the Committee Boat end, with the French crew on starboard at the pin end. At the first windward mark, BMW ORACLE Racing led by 44 seconds and extended to 48 seconds at the leeward rounding. USA 98 kept extending and rounded the final mark with a commanding 1 minute 57 second lead, which opened up further to 2 minutes 54 seconds at the finish.
Quotes from Peter Isler: “When the wind started to go light we realised it could get random out there, so we probably played it more conservatively than usual. We just played by the book and did not do anything fancy. We could see lead changes going on in the other match, so we realised anything could happen. It was a tricky race course out there.“
Valencia, Spain. The opening round of the Louis Vuitton Cup was set alight today with a classic match race battle between two of the so-called Big Guns going all the way to the wire. BMW ORACLE Racing led the Italian Luna Rossa Challenge in a heart-stopping race all the way round the track to win by 6 seconds.
The victory over the powerful Italian team followed a more comfortable 1 minute 18 second win over the Swedish Victory Challenge team earlier in the day. Both wins left BMW ORACLE Racing alone at the top of the leaderboard, the only team undefeated as the first Round Robin reached its much-delayed halfway mark.
"That was one of the great America’s Cup boat races of all time,“ declared USA 98 navigator Peter Isler after the match against Luna Rossa Challenge. At no stage of the race were the yachts separated by more than 15 seconds. "That is how it is meant to be when two evenly matched teams meet in a classic match race,“ said Isler.
Race One summary: After an aggressive start by USA 98, the BMW ORACLE Racing team quickly established control and stretched away around the track against the Swedish Victory Challenge team. The mark rounding deltas grew from 48 seconds at the first mark to 1 minute 14 seconds at the second and 1 minute 22 seconds at the third. USA 98 crossed the finish line 1 minute 18 seconds in front.
Race Two summary: The fight went blow for blow all the way round the track with USA 98 coming off the startline with a slight advantage, holding the right hand side. USA 98 rounded the first windward mark with an 8 second advantage. At the second mark, it was just 9 seconds, as the two yachts rounded opposite sides of the leeward gate. At the third mark rounding, BMW ORACLE Racing was 15 seconds ahead and then came a major battle of nerves as the two yachts went gybe for gybe down the run. Again, the afterguard on USA 98 fiercely protected the starboard advantage and, after a 10-gybe leg, squeezed across the finish line just 6 seconds ahead of Luna Rossa Challenge.
Peter Isler quotes: "The first windward leg was an example of classic match racing. We came off the startline even, but we had the right hand side. Then we saw two even boats drag racing all the way to the port layline, with USA 98 holding position to windward of Luna Rossa. It felt great. They are a very strong team. They certainly held our attention all the way.
"The atmosphere on board USA 98 was calm and professional. We felt that everything had stepped up a notch from previous races. Our weather team did a great job and the crew on board were very smooth. We just wanted to do our job right.
"The difference in the end came down to winning the start.“
Gavin Brady, tactician, quotes "There was a lot going on at the back of the boat, that’s for sure. It was a team effort all the way. It was a slugfest all the way around the track. We needed to go out there and do our job and that is what we did.
"On the final run to the finish against Luna Rossa, we backed ourselves to defend our lead. It is sometimes hard to defend downwind in light winds, but we held on. The whole crew did a great job.“
Valencia, Spain. After waiting in vain for more than two hours, the Louis Vuitton Cup Race Committee sent the fleet back to shore without racing after the wind once again failed to reach suitable levels for racing.
The schedule for tomorrow remains the same as today. BMW ORACLE Racing will meet the Swedish Victory Challenge team and the Italian Luna Rossa Challenge team – weather permitting.
Ross Halcrow, genoa trimmer, quotes: "The weather outlook for tomorrow does not look too promising. We give it a 50-50 chance of getting one flight of matches away. But it does look as if the weather will start to improve after that.
"I have sailed in a lot of regattas around the world, but I have never lost so many days before. Usually, however, you are doing regattas in season. At the moment in Valencia, we are still out of season.
"We made good use of our time today. We tested three new asymmetrical spinnakers and also did some upwind sailing, so we got some good work achieved, despite the conditions.“
Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing maintained its winning momentum with three wins from three starts in the opening round of the Louis Vuitton Cup, posting a come-from-behind win over the South African Shosholoza team in Valencia today.
BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler, commented: "It is never fun to be behind, but I was really impressed at how our team handled the situation. There was a lot of confidence on board and they just kept plugging away until they got back into the lead."
The score puts BMW ORACLE Racing on top of the leaderboard with Luna Rossa Challenge. Both teams have nine points, three points clear of the next competitors. Racing was slightly delayed today as the officials waited for a light 7-8 knot breeze to stabilise. Only one flight of matches was completed as the breeze dropped away towards the end of the afternoon.
Race One summary: USA 98 had to come from behind to defeat the South African Shosholoza Team, which led around the first two marks by 27 and 21 seconds respectively. USA 98 overtook on the second windward leg and led around the final mark by 38 seconds, stretching to a 47 second lead at the finish line.
Peter Isler quotes: "After the start, we were ahead, but then Team Shosholoza got to the right hand side of us. The right kept coming through on the first windward leg and they got ahead. It was impressive sailing by the South Africans.
"When we are behind, we obviously do everything we can to close the gap. We were watching the South Africans out of the corner of our eye as they went around the leeward mark (where they let their spinnaker trail in the water and had to cut it away). At that mark, our guys did a great take down. I think we would have made a gain there anyway, even if the South Africans had done a normal rounding.
"On the second windward leg, we kept plugging away. We got a little shift and moved into the lead.”
Valencia, Spain. With the opening four days of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup lost because of no wind, the schedule has been revised to effectively restart the regatta today.
A meeting this morning between Regatta Director Dyer Jones and representatives of the 11 teams competing in the Louis Vuitton Cup agreed to “reboot” the regatta, starting today with Flights 1 and 2 (weather permitting) and then continue the racing with consecutive flights until Round Robin One is completed, hopefully by Wednesday, April 25, with Thursday April 26 and Friday April 27 currently earmarked as reserve days.
Any flights postponed will be raced at the earliest opportunity on the next race day. This is a change from the current system, where flights that cannot be completed on schedule are pushed back in the program.
BMW ORACLE Racing was represented at the meeting by Business Director, Russell Green. “We are pleased that the Race Committee has not started racing in marginal conditions. It is paramount that the quality of racing is maintained. We have all worked for the past three or four years to prepare for this event.”
While agreement has been reached on the plans for Round Robin One, discussions are to continue before making any changes to the remaining Louis Vuitton Cup schedule – Round Robin Two, the Semi Finals and the Finals.
“We recognize that going forward the racing schedule may have to be further revised to ensure that the fundamental principle of good quality racing is observed,” said Green.
LOUIS VUITTON CUP ROUND ROBIN ONE – Revised Schedule
Friday 20 April
Flights 1 and 2: USA 98 vs United Internet Team Germany and China Team
Saturday 21 April
Flights 3 and 4: USA 98 vs Team Shosholoza and Victory Challenge
Sunday 22 April
Flights 5 and 6: USA 98 vs Luna Rossa Challenge and bye
Monday 23 April
Flights 7 and 8: USA 98 vs Areva Challenge and +39 Challenge
Tuesday 24 April
Flights 9 and 10: USA 98 vs Mascalzone Latino Capitalia and Desafio Espanol
Wednesday 25 April
Flight 11: USA 98 vs Emirates Team New Zealand
Thursday 26 April
Reserve Day
Friday 27 April
Second Reserve Day* (Any missed matches will be raced on the next available race day, not moved to the back of the program as originally arranged.)
Outstanding Victory Earns the Acura Miami Grand Prix Boat of the Week Award
Miami, Florida, USA (March 13, 2007) - After nine grueling races spread out over four days, it came down to the final race to determine the winner of the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship. In fact, victory was decided in the last 20 feet of racecourse for champions Steve & Fred Howe aboard their Warpath, who edged out Erik Maris's Twins for the win. Sixteen boats representing the U.S. and seven foreign countries competed March 8-11 on Biscayne Bay in the Acura Miami Grand Prix. With the class win, the father and son duo earned the Farr 40 class's Baxter Trophy, the regatta's overall Boat of the Week and a Rolex timepiece.
"This is a big win for us," said Steve, who spends most of his time at the Warpath helm. "It was the culmination of our plan to keep chipping away, over the past four years that we've been in the class. We were in the top six at the last three World Championships, so we've always been knocking on the door, but not able to close it. With this regatta, everything came together."
After Acura Key West Race Week, Warpath needed to do something drastic. With a disappointing 14th-place overall finish out of 17 boats, the team brought on a new tactician. Ian Williams, who spends most of his time on the match racing circuit, maintaining his #2 world ranking, was an unknown for his fleet racing capabilities, but quickly proved himself, according to Howe. "Since it was our first time sailing together, there was a bit of uncertainty, but after speaking with other guys in the class, they spoke favorable of him and we decided to try him out. After our first day of practice, he was a perfect fit as far as personality and knowledge and skills."
The championship was by no means wrapped up for Howe, he pointed out. Twins led the fleet in points over the first three days. In fact Warpath didn't appear to be headed for first place after the first day of racing. Twins scored a 1,2 and was closely followed by Nerone, owned by past world champion Massimo Mezzaroma (Rome, Italy) and Norwegian Steam, owned by Eivind Astrup (Oslo, Norway), both tied and gunning to the top slot. Warpath was in 9th place.
By the second day of racing, Twins was still holding the lead, with Nerone a close second. However, Ernesto Bertarelli and his Alinghi had moved into third place. Despite a 9,12 finish on day one, the America's Cup holders picked up the program and collected a 4,2. Also, on the second day, Nanoq, owned by HRH Prince Frederik of Denmark, won a race under the tactical eyes of Bouwe Bekking and jumped from eighth to fourth in the overall standings. The third day of racing seemed to turn the tide of fortune for Warpath. Only five points separated the top five teams and Warpath was now in second place overall, finishing fourth in the day's first race and then winning the next. By now, the California boat had claimed two first-places and looked poised to claim the championship.
Before starting the final day's racing, the team on Warpath discussed their plan. "The last day was no different than the others," said Howe. "Our plan was to go out and sail our races, with the objective of sailing the best race we could."
With a second-place in the day's first race, Warpath was now tied for first place with Twins. "Coming into the last race tied with Twins definitely put the pressure on us for the last race," said Howe.
"It was a really exciting race," he continued. "We got a better started and that allowed us to cover Twins up the first beat. We were match racing with them, keeping them behind us. We did a good job of holding them off, but they managed to catch up on the last run. We probably beat them by only half a boat length."
Looking back, did Howe ever think they had the race - and the championship - locked up? "It wasn't given to us by any means," he said. "We had to recover from the first day, we had a new group, and we had some bad races. Each day was pretty close racing. I call it a typical Farr 40 race, a game of inches. For us it was a few feet."
The Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship joins other prestigious Rolex-sponsored 2007 events including the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Swan Cup, Rolex Big Boat Series, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. For more information about the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship at the Acura Miami Grand Prix, including the full list of entries and results, go to the regatta's official event website premiere-racing.com. For more information about the Farr 40 Class, please visit farr40.org
Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship at Acura Miami Grand Prix
March 8-11, 2007
Final results (16 boats, 9 races)
Place, Boat Name, Skipper, Home Port, Race 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9, Total points
1. Warpath, Fred & Steve Howe, San Diego, Calif., 4-10-13-1-3-4-1-2-5, 43
2. Twins, Erik Maris, Paris, FRA, 6-1-2-7-9-5-4-4-7, 45
3. Nanoq, HRHPrince Frederik, Copenhagen, DEN, 12-7-5-5-1-9-3-1-6, 49
4. Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Geneva, SUI, 1-9-12-4-2-3-6-11-3, 51
5. Old Boys, Eduardo Souza Ramos, Sao Paulo, BRA, 2-4-8-11-6-1-7-14-2, 55
6. Nerone, Massimo Mezzaroma, Rome, ITA, 9-3-1-6-8-7-5-7-9, 55
7. Flash Gordon 5, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, Ill., USA,
3-5-10-2-14-11-2-6-8, 61
8. Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba, Cala Galera, ITA, 14-8-7-8-4-8-10-3-1, 63
9. Ramrod, Rod Jabin, Annapolis, Md., USA, 10-11-6-13-7-2-12-5-11, 77
10. Norwegian Steam, Eivind Astrup, Oslo, NOR, 7-2-4-10-12-6-14-9-14, 78
11. Opus One, Wolfgang Stolz, Frankfurt, GER, 5-6-3-14-5-12-13-10-17DSQ, 85
12. Cannonball, Dario Ferrari, Portofino, ITA, 11-13-15-3-11-15-11-12-10,
101
13. Groovederci, John Demourkas, Santa Barbara, Calif.,USA,
13-17DSQ-11-16-13-10-15-13-4, 112
14. Monick, Nicklas Holm, Tuborg, DEN, 16-15-14-15-10-13-9-8-13, 113
15. Barking Mad, James Richardson, Boston, Mass./Newport, RI, USA
8-12-9-12-15-14-16-15-12, 113
16. Aleph, Hughes Lepic, YC de France, FRA, 15-14-16-9-16-16-8-16-15, 125
For many Midwest sailors the 2007 season is a quarter over. They did not wait for the Spring Solstice to get started on this season's activities. Some racers went south for the midwinter regattas and for the premier events such as Key West Race Week and the Miami Rolex Trophy races.
Hundreds of iceboaters remained in the north and drove to such exotic destinations as Ghost Lake Montana, North Central Minnesota, and Moss Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The longest recorded drive was 32 hours each way. Often there was no sailing by the time everyone arrived. The good news is that the finest piece of black ice of the past 20 years was discovered on Green Bay and in the blink of eye, three regattas were scheduled for this area on the same weekend. The Northwestern fleet (50 boats) included monster stern steerers, Skeeters, Renagades and a mixture of smaller classes. The Nite class (35 boats) held their championships there and as did the DN class (140 boats). There was enough room for all. For coverage and some great photos of this event check out iceboat.org.
Overall the sport of sailing is doing a better job of publicizing its events. Results are being provided on a real time basis. Text messages and photos from cell phones are being transmitted right from the rail. Key West and Miami coverage also included on the water videos from Jobson Sailing which were available minutes after the completion of the race. One video was especially impacting as it followed the progress of one boat. The boat worked its way from the first race where it finished deep in its class, through to the following races, improving each race until it eventually won its class. It played out just like a movie.
The coverage also excelled with the DN Gold Cup and North American Championships. Check out the video coverage on You Tube © and the link through iceboat.org.
Galley cooking can be cramped and difficult, varying with each wave. Whether cooking for one or an entire crew, at the dock or in open waters, a reliable recipe can make galley cookery easier and more enjoyable.
With this in mind Torresen Marine is requesting your tried and true galley recipes for our new monthly feature, Galley Ho. Cruisers and racers alike are invited to send recipes, including personal anecdotes and any applicable photos. Each month one recipe will be chosen from the batch and we will print it, credited to you, the cook on board.
Please send your name, vessel name and model, recipe, anecdote and images to Galley Ho.
Our very own shipping and receiving clerk, Melissa Avery, submitted this month's recipe. Melissa's vessel may be a tent, but we felt that her recipe was just as useful on board as in camp.
ZipLoc ® Omelets
Ingredients:
Large or Extra Large Eggs
Optional:
Diced Ham
Chopped Onion
Grated Cheeses
Chopped Green Pepper
Chopped Tomato
Bacon Crumbles
Salsa
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Have crew write their name on a quart sized ZipLoc ® freezer bag with a permanent marker.
3. Crack 2 eggs (and no more than 2) into bag and shake to break them down.
4. Add a variety of optional ingredients, i.e. ham, cheese, onion, green pepper, tomato, etc., and seal bag.
5. Place bag in boiling water for 13 minutes.
6. Remote bag from water, cut open and serve.
Just Say No To Ether
Nearly every week customers post inquiry to the Torresen Marine Diesel Direct forum asking about how to overcome starting difficulties with their diesel engine. Nearly as often, the subject of starting fluids and ether accompanies the conversation. It appears that we all want a quick fix. Instead of getting to the root of the problem we look for a magic potion that will solve the problem in a spray form.
Not only does the use of ether not solve the problem; it also is liable to shorten the life of the engine by causing serious damage. The damage could include cracked piston ring grooves or the rings and pistons themselves. When a cylinder fires from normal injection, the fuel burns for the entire stroke of the piston. Ether explodes when the compression gets it hot enough and that could be well before the piston is at the top of its compression stroke and the forces exerted are well beyond the design of the engine.
Our recommendation is simple. Stay away from ether.
There are a number of things that must be right to start any engine, especially on the first try of the day. Here is a summary list you should consider (not in any specific order):
1 - Valves should be properly adjusted.
2 - Starter motor must be in good condition - after years of service, it is not unlikely that there is wear in the starter motor that slows it's speed. Slow speed can be critical to cold
starts.
3 - Battery - if it is nearing the end of its life or wasn't rated properly to begin with, it could be the cause of slower starter motor speed. Batteries must be of good quality and fully charged.
4 - Battery cables must be properly sized and in good condition. All connectors should be clean. Tight connection does not always mean a good connection. Failing wires and/or the connections could result in reduced power to the starter motor.
5 - Lubricating oil should be to specification.
6 - Fuel octane level should be 45 or higher. A good quality fuel is an important part of running your diesel engine.
7 - The end of the fuel return line should be submerged in fuel.
8 - Injection timing - very critical and the most difficult to correct. This should be the last thing to evaluate and correct.
If evaluation and correction of the above doesn't give the results you want, the symptoms are those of lowered compression. A compression test, made with the proper tester, can confirm this. You may even want to do this before trying to set the injection timing.
In the mean time - if you have access to electrical power, try putting the output of a hair dryer into the air inlet on the engine for a few minutes before the first start of the day. It
can work wonders, but it won't correct your problems.
Hard starting can be attributed to a number of reasons, including compression, HP fuel pump, fuel, air intake, injector, injection timing, etc.
If you have used ether, there is a good chance that you have broken a piston or possibly a piston ring. Try taking the compression with your rubber nosed compression tester. If you can hold it in the hole, your compression is too low. You are looking for pressures that approach 400PSIG and it takes a pretty sophisticated set-up to read it.
Valencia, Spain. After three days of waiting for suitable racing breezes, the Louis Vuitton Cup Race Committee has yet to fire a starting gun. Today, the fleet was sent ashore once again after waiting in vain for two hours for the breeze to build and stabilise enough for racing.
BMW ORACLE Racing tactician, Gavin Brady, commented: "We don’t really feel disappointed, because we really don’t want to race in these extremely light conditions. After three years of development, we don’t want to let it all come down to a lottery. We are here to race, but we want to race in good conditions."
Brady said that in these extremely light and fickle winds, if one yacht picked up just half a knot more windspeed than another, it could decide the race. "We don’t want races to be decided on the roll of the dice,“ he said.
BMW ORACLE Racing was to have raced Luna Rossa Challenge today, one of the so-called Big Four teams in the 32nd America’s Cup fleet. That match, like the other four lost from the first two days, will be pushed to the back of the program. Tomorrow USA 98 is scheduled to meet the French Areva Challenge and the Italian +39 teams.
BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler, commented: "We had high hopes of racing today, but it did not happen again. We have to take what Mother Nature is giving us, but now we are having to think about how this affects the regatta going forward. Already we are in a situation where some of the make-up races will have to be sailed during Round Robin Two.“
Today Vanguard, the North American manufacturer of the Laser sailboat and other lines of small boats announced its sale. Effective immediately, Gavel Securities Limited (the holding company of Performance Sailcraft Europe Limited - PSE and Laser Sailboats Limited - LSB), has acquired Vanguard Sailboats.
Chip Johns (former president of Vanguard) and David Graham (current president of Vanguard and director of PSE) have spoken at length about the great value of merging the two companies for some time; Gavel acquiring the shares of Vanguard is the best outcome for all parties. Chip Johns will stay on indefinitely as a consultant to Gavel as the integration and transition takes place.
“I am delighted we managed to close this transaction” stated David Graham. “It will create opportunities for employees, the industry, and most importantly the sport of dinghy sailing, a positive move for all concerned. Vanguard / PSE have many successful classes other than the Laser class, for example (amongst others) the Sunfish and Laser SB3. This transaction will allow further development / distribution of all classes”
“Combining the two well respected builders from the two continents will be incredibly positive for the growth of dinghy sailing,” said Chip Johns, former president, Vanguard Sailboats. “The combined companies will be able to focus more resources on promoting and growing the sport.”
For more information about Laser sailing you may visit the Torresen Marine Laser web site at Laser Sailing Direct. For more information about Sunfish sailboats you may visit the Torresen Marine Sunfish web site at Sunfish Direct.
Valencia, Spain. For the second day in succession, wind failed to make an appearance off Valencia, forcing the abandonment of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup. The cancellation means the Louis Vuitton Cup remains stalled, with no matches raced so far in Round Robin One. USA 98 was scheduled to race against the South African Shosholoza and Swedish Victory Challenge teams today, but these matches, like yesterday’s, will be pushed to the end of the program.
Tomorrow’s schedule is for BMW ORACLE Racing to meet Luna Rossa Challenge, one of the so-called Big Four teams in a clash that will be watched with keen anticipation. In the second flight of the day, USA 98 has a bye.
Today’s pattern followed yesterday’s example, with the yachts drifting around the course area for nearly three hours while the Race Committee waited for the wind to stabilise sufficiently for racing. At 4.30pm, the officials sent the fleet back to shore, having decided there was no prospect of running races in the prevailing conditions.
BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler, commented: "The crew was eager to get going today, especially after the delay and disappointment of not racing yesterday. However, the weather conditions this morning were not much more hopeful than yesterday and our weather team correctly predicted that there was little chance of improvement. The good news is that we believe conditions will be better tomorrow and that we will be able to complete at least one race."
The cancellation also meant Spanish model Laura Ponte, the Spanish ambassador for Swiss watchmaker and BMW ORACLE Racing team sponsor Girard-Perregaux, missed out on the experience of racing with the crew of USA 98 in the 18th man seat. Before joining the crew at the midday dockout, she said she had grown up around boats and was looking forward to the experience of racing with the team.
Charleston, SC (13 April, 2007) - Friday’s dawn brought an unexpected gift for the eight offshore classes that sailed on two courses outside of Charleston Harbor today. Despite dire predictions of calms, a ten-knot Northeasterly provided plenty of breeze for all offshore classes to start on time, with close tactical racing in most of the fleets. The breeze didn’t make it into the harbor, leaving the Melges 24, J/80, J/24 and PHRF G class with some time to kill. Most of them didn’t mind too much, since there were bottlenose dolphins to entertain the inshore fleet.
Meanwhile, the scratch boat in the A fleet showed what a truly modern race boat is capable of. The TP52 Decision beat the fleet by over 15 minutes, getting her only bullet of the day, while two Melges 32’s match-raced their way around the course, finishing within seconds of one another. According to Dan Dickison, crewing on Melges 32 Vamoose, the racing between the two boats was more than just close. “I think the total elapsed time difference for all three races between us and roXanne was probably 70 seconds.” That was enough for the North Carolina-based roXanne to take the lead of this tough class, despite her and Vamoose being the shortest boat in the class.
It’s no secret that super light sport boats are fast in these kind of light conditions, so it was a bit of a surprise to see the not-quite-sport boat Beneteau 10R NKE prevail over some of the more powered-up boats in the class, like the SR33 As If, which sits in second. It shouldn’t be such a surprise given NKE helmsman Don Finkle has had so much success in Beneteau classes, and Don won at least one race by only one second on corrected time. When the breeze gets up, these speedsters should be a lot of fun to watch.
The U.S. representative team for the Pan-Am games aboard J/24 Jesus Lizard rafted up with some of their hometown friends while the fleet milled around in light, extremely shifty conditions. The expected southerly didn’t show up until after 1 p.m., and the Race Committee made the most of it, banging off three races in quick succession. The course location stretches over shoals and channels, and local knowledge proved the key, with Josh Putnam picking the right current lines and eddies to power Jesus Lizard to a strong lead in the J/24 class, despite an I-flag OCS that made the third race a tough one.
The locals did their thing in the Melges class as well, despite some serious out-of-town talent competing. Ned Goss, tactician aboard Reggie Fairchild’s Wireless, pointed their boat to a 4,2,1 scoreline, “We just played the current as much as we possibly could, and it worked for us.” Three out of the top four Melges 24’s are from Charleston, and their advantage is obvious, at least in the light winds that dominated today. Olympic medalist and former Soling World Champion Jeff Madrigali, crewing with Team Gill, said, “We’re happy with our improvement today [10,6,3] as we’re learning to sail with each other for the first time as we build up to the Santa Cruz Melges Worlds next month. The current in the harbor is tough, but we’re having a great time and we’re looking forward to more breeze tomorrow.”
Charleston, SC (12 April, 2007) – Registration Day dawned with the kind of weather that brings sailors to South Carolina every April for Charleston Race Week, an event that continues to grow despite shrinking fleets at so many other big U.S. events. Twenty-knot winds and 80-degree temperatures made boat set-up enjoyable, especially for those who had to dig themselves and their boats out from last week’s snow, sleet and other nastiness up in the Midwest and Northeast.
Nearly three-quarters of the 150 crews competing have driven, sailed and flown in from somewhere else, and teams from San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Great Britain and a dozen other cities and states will try to overcome the locals’ knowledge of the tricky tides and wind shifts that make Charleston such a challenging place to race. Boats as slow as a Capri 25 and as fast as a Transpac 52 will battle those currents in their quest to win trophies and prizes, including top-shelf Raymarine radar and chartplotting gear.
“We just can’t think of a better place to sail in April than Charleston,” said Bill Shellhorse, owner of the super-fast Farr 36 Meridian. “It’s our first Charleston Race Week, but everyone kept telling us that the competition, venue, and hospitality can’t be beaten. Key West takes up so much time and money that we decided to truck the boat to Charleston from Virginia Beach instead.”
With another record number of entries, PHRF and One Design sailors have found Charleston as a real refuge for end-of-winter racing. The Melges 24 and J/24 Classes have shown the biggest growth with 40 boats between both classes, and the competition in the Melges class should be the best ever, with a number of teams gearing up for their World Championship next month in Santa Cruz.
Sailors are constantly commenting about the hospitality and generosity of the event staff, but that’s just a way of life here. While the Florida regattas continue to get more expensive and inaccessible, CRW offers free dockage to nearly a hundred boats, and generous sponsors like Gosling’s guarantee some truly “Dark N’ Stormy” evenings on the lawn at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.
According to Ned Goss, owner of Charleston-based Ocean Sailing Academy and a competitor in the Melges 24 Class, “Charleston is such a remarkable venue, not only because of the great attitude of the folks that live and sail here, but also because of the incredibly tough sailing conditions here. The College of Charleston’s top NCAA ranking isn’t rocket
science – if you sail on tough water and tricky breeze, you learn to be a good sailor. Throw in a community that’s truly happy to help another sailor, and there’s no better place on earth to sail. Of course, I may be biased.”
Racing starts tomorrow at 10:00 AM, and for the first time, the action will be broadcast in real-time on the web. Results will be available in near real-time as well, long before the sailors get in from the course.
Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing ended the Louis Vuitton Act 13 regatta on a high note with a strategically calculated finish that secured its place in the overall challenger rankings.
Thinking of the big picture, skipper Chris Dickson and the USA 87 crew gave up a 1st place finish in the final race of the regatta to ensure BMW ORACLE Racing retained its second place in the Louis Vuitton Challenger rankings. Having led most of Race 7 with the Italian Luna Rossa team in 2nd place, the USA 87 team calculated that a finish in that order would propel Luna Rossa to 2nd place in the standings and drop BMW ORACLE Racing to 3rd.
“We slowed the action down and let Alinghi go through,“ said BMW ORACLE Racing navigator Peter Isler. “It is a lot easier to engineer these things when you are leading the race. It seems amazing that after three years of racing, the challenger points situation came down to the final beat of the last race of the last regatta.“
Race One summary – USA 87 finished 6th after finding itself on the wrong side of a windshift on the second windward leg of the race. The team then had to take last minute avoiding action at the mark rounding to allow two right-of-way starboard tack yachts to cross ahead.
Race Two summary – USA 87 was determined to capture the right hand side of the course at the start and succeeded. The team then committed itself to the right and secured the lead. But, for strategic considerations they were prepared to sacrifice the race win to secure a better place in the overall challenger rankings.
Quotes from Peter Isler – On the final race: “It was pretty crowded at the Committee Boat end of the startline, but we nailed the start we wanted. Heading far out to the right hand side of the course on our own was a little nerve racking, but it certainly paid off for us.“
On the big picture strategy: “If we had won the race with Luna Rossa 2nd and Alinghi 3rd, Luna Rossa would have ended up ahead of us in the overall challenger rankings. We had to engineer a situation to put Luna Rossa 3rd or worse in the final race. We slowed the action down and let Alinghi go through. As it happened, Mascalzone Latino also got ahead of Luna Rossa, so they ended up in 4th place.
“When we started the final beat of the final race, we were the third ranked challenger overall. When we rounded the mark at the end of that windward leg, we were the second ranked challenger.”
On the regatta overall: “Everybody learned a lot. It helps everybody – the teams, the umpires and the race officials – to get into race mode. Everybody will be more polished going into the Louuis Vuitton Cup. We were able to check the competition and it was a great warm-up for our team. We exposed some places where we can work hard to improve and we have learned a lot about our boat. In the process we have had fun. It is always fun to go racing again.“
Final Louis Vuitton Challenger Rankings after 13 Acts
1 Emirates Team New Zealand (158pt)
2 BMW ORACLE Racing (147pt)
3 Luna Rossa Challenge (145pt)
4 Desafio Espanol (106pt)
5 Mascalzone Latino Capitalia (103pt)
6 Victory Challenge (83pt)
7 Team Shosholoza (73pt)
8 Areva Challenge (72pt)
9 +39 Challenge (66pt)
10 United Internet Team Germany (42pt)
11 China Team (18pt)
Act 13 Team Standings after 7 races:
1 Alinghi (78pt)
2 Emirates Team New Zealand (64pt)
3 Mascalzone Latino Capitalia (63pt)
4 Luna Rossa Challenge (60pt)
5 BMW ORACLE racing (57pt)
6 Desafio Espanol (55pt)
7 Team Shosholoza (43pt)
8 Victory Challenge (35pt)
9 Areva Challenge (31pt)
10 United Internet Team Germany (29pt)
11+39 Challenge (17pt)
12 China Team (15pt)
Valencia, Spain. A series of misfortunes after the first downwind run cost USA 87 dearly and halted its charge through the fleet in Race 5 of the Louis Vuitton Act 13 regatta – and cost the team places on the overall leader board.
Racing in brisk conditions, USA 87 consolidated its position as top challenger in Race 4 of the series. In Race 5, USA 87 was climbing back through the fleet after being forced away from the favored side of the first windward leg.
At the end of a downwind charge that saw BMW ORACLE Racing overtake three yachts and move into striking distance of the leaders, a wave swept across the bow, knocking back the bow crew and ripping the genoa out of the headstay foil. This set in train a series of setbacks as the crew tried in vain to rehoist a headsail, but were forced to sail the second upwind leg with a mainsail only.
“We had got ourselves back into the race,“ said BMW ORACLE Racing tactician Gavin Brady. “We came into the leeward mark on a big puff of wind. A wave washed over the bow, knocking the foredeck crew back down the deck and ripping the headsail out of the foil. The foil was damaged and could not be repaired, so we had to make the tough call to go up the second windward leg without a headsail.“
Race One summary – Skipper Chris Dickson and the crew of USA 87 did an excellent job at the start, hitting the pin end of the line at the signal. Two penalties were handed out at the start, against Desafio Espanol and Luna Rossa, both for barging in at the Committee Boat end. The on-the-water umpires also penalized Emirates Team New Zealand for tacking too close to BMW ORACLE Racing during the first windward leg. Alinghi was 1st, but the battle at the finish line was extremely close with Mascalzone Latino Capitalia crossing in 2nd place. Third place went to Luna Rossa Challenge with USA 87 just 1 second behind in 4th.
Race Two summary – USA 87 suffered a serious setback when damage to the headsail foil at the end of the first downwind leg forced the crew to sail the second windward beat under a mainsail only. Emirates Team New Zealand was 1st, Luna Rossa Challenge 2nd and Alinghi 3rd.
Quotes from Gavin Brady – On the wave that swept across the bow during Race 5: “That is one of the things that can happen in fleet racing, where you get a lot of boats coming into the mark at the same time. It generates waves coming in from all different directions. We nearly lost two of our guys overboard. I was surprised they managed to stay on the boat. It was pretty impressive.“
On Race 4: “We played it fairly conservatively. Emirates Team New Zealand were penalized for tacking too close to us and from then on we just played a conservative game. The top four boats were very close.“
On learning about the opposition: “It was a different day today. It was the first time we saw these yachts sailing in real waves. Our performance was as expected. We are definitely one of the stronger teams in a breeze. We know that our boat is quick enough that if you get into trouble, you can get back into the race.“
Team Standings after 5 races:
1 Alinghi (55pt)
2 Emirates Team New Zealand (47pt)
3 Luna Rossa Challenge (46pt)
4 Mascalzone Latino Capitalia (45pt)
5 BMW ORACLE racing (39pt)
6 Desafio Espanol (37pt)
7 Team Shosholoza (33pt)
8 United Internet Team Germany (22pt)
9 Victory Challenge (21pt)
10 Areva Challenge (20pt)
11+39 Challenge (17pt)
12 China Team (11pt)
Valencia, Spain. Racing on Day Three of the Louis Vuitton Act 13 regatta was abandoned today after the breeze failed to make an appearance.
Race officials held the fleet of yachts on station for more than two hours, but shortly before 4.30pm they announced that racing would be abandoned. The expected conditions were for moderate winds and waves.
The waves were there, but with only light and very unstable breeze, the yachts would have struggled to complete a race. This abandonment means that the reserve day on Saturday will probably have to be used to complete the regatta.
Today, at the midway point in the Louis Vuitton Act 13 regatta, skipper and CEO Chris Dickson paused briefly to review progress. With an opening day win on the scoresheet and lying 2nd on the leaderboard, the team is well-placed with four more races scheduled to sail.
However, Day One and Day Two served up mixed fortunes for the team as the Valencia weather defied prediction and shifted around all points of the compass. In Race Three yesterday, the team broke a spinnaker pole, briefly lost a man overboard (but recovered him without missing a beat) and saw their hard-won lead turned upside down with a massive wind shift in sight of the finish line.
Dickson was philosophical. Asked about the spinnaker, he said: “The last downwind leg turned out to be an upwind leg. The spinnaker and the pole did not like going upwind.”
On the changing fortunes of the team, he noted: “On Day One, we passed a lot of boats to win the first race. Yesterday, a lot of boats passed us when we were winning the race. I guess if you were religious, you would say God giveth and God taketh away. Yesterday, He took away.”
Overall, he expressed satisfaction with the progress. “I am very happy with the way the team is going. We are a little bit up and down with the results, but we are very happy.”
Team Standings after 3 races:
1 Alinghi (33pt)
2 BMW ORACLE racing (27pt)
3 Emirates Team New Zealand (27pt)
4 Desafio Espanol (26pt)
5 Luna Rossa Challenge (25pt)
6 Mascalzone Latino Capitalia (25pt)
7 Team Shosholoza (19pt)
8 Areva Challenge (12pt)
9 United Internet Team Germany (11pt)
10 Victory Challenge (10pt)
11 +39 Challenge (9pt)
12 China Team (7pt)
Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing opened the 2007 America’s Cup class season with a dramatic come-from-behind win in the first race of the Louis Vuitton Act 13 fleet racing regatta in Valencia today. Racing was marked by extremely difficult wind conditions, with regular rain squalls sweeping across the course and playing havoc with the wind direction. After the completion of Race One, racing was abandoned for the rest of the day because of the unstable breeze.
“The conditions were very tricky,“ said BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler. “After the start, the after guards really had to improvise their tactical decision-making as thunderstorms building over the land moved across the course and disturbed the sea-breeze.”
Race One summary – After a perfect time on distance start at the pin end of the line, USA 87 saw its chances fade in the early stages as the wind shifted right and favoured the rest of the fleet. However, skipper Chris Dickson and the crew did a great job of hauling themselves back into contention, moving up from 10th place at the first mark to 7th at the third mark rounding. Then, by picking the shifts and executing a very demanding move by simultaneously gybing and changing spinnakers, they moved into a decisive lead on the final downwind leg to win the opening race by 3 min 34 secs.
Quotes from Peter Isler
“Today provided a good example that the race is never over until it is over. While we are obviously pleased to take the win, not too much can be read into today’s result. The positions at the mark roundings were dictated much more by windshifts than boatspeed. It is just another confirmation that Valencia is a very tricky place to sail.
“We did not learn too much today because of the conditions, but over the next six races, we hope to gain little snippets of performance read-out from the boats around us.
On the simultaneous gybe and spinnaker replacement while crossing in front of Alinghi: “The crew work and boat handling was great all day. We needed to plant that gybe exactly in the right spot in front of Alinghi. Then we added to the degree of difficulty by calling for a simultaneous spinnaker peel. The guys came up with the goods and we made a big gain.”
Team Standings after 1 race:
1 BMW ORACLE Racing (12pt)
2 Team Shosholoza (11pt)
3 Mascalzone Latino Capitalia (10pt)
4 Alinghi (9pt)
5 Emirates Team New Zealand (8pt)
6 United Internet Team Germany (7pt)
7 Luna Rossa Challenge (6pt)
8 Desafio Espanol (5pt)
9 Areva Challenge (4pt)
10 +39 Challenge (3pt)
11 China Team (2pt)
12 Victory Challenge (1pt)
The seminar will be held on both April 14 and April 15 at Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station. The seminar is a one day event, beginning at 8:30 AM, and is $95.00 with a $5.00 discount for current US SAILING members. April 14 is sold out, but there is limited space left for the April 15 seminar.
Organized by US SAILING, developed by Cruising World, and Sponsored by West Marine, Zodiac North America and Oregon Scientific, the Race to Mackinac and U.S. Sailing Safety Seminar is a certified safety program for offshore sailors, required for many races, and recommended for anyone who wants to learn about safety relating to offshore sailing. Skippers, you and at least 30% of your crew should attend one of these seminars every five years.
The seminar features a continental breakfast, box lunches, and cash bar following the event. Please make your reservation by calling Chicago Yacht Club, 312-861-7777, and ask to attend the April 15 Safety-At-Sea Seminar. Payment options include Credit Card or Chicago Yacht Club member charge. No payment refunds after April 1, 2007. This event is moderated by some of the top names in sailing safety, using US SAILING certified curriculum.
For More information Contact:
Chicago Yacht Club
400 E. Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 861-7777
Valencia, Spain. As racing for the 32nd America’s Cup is about to commence in Valencia, Spain, BMW has launched an auction of 32 unique artworks – with all the proceeds going to support under-privileged children in Latin America. This year sees the America’s Cup return to Europe for the first time in 156 years of competition. BMW ORACLE Racing is among the leading participants competing for the right to challenge defending champion Alinghi for the America’s Cup starting on 23 June. First a single Challenger must be selected from 11 teams, representing nine nations, who will race in the Louis Vuitton Cup elimination series, starting on April 16.
Located in the heart of the redeveloped Port America’s Cup in Valencia, the BMW ORACLE Racing base offers a spectacular environment for VIP guests and spectators. The team base is also on of the locations where BMW is displaying samples of the “32 Originals” – superb mementos of the 32nd America’s Cup. The collection of artworks comprises sections of a mainsail from BMW ORACLE Racing’s America’s Cup yacht, USA 87. Each piece is mounted and framed and comes with a plaque signed by a member of the racing team afterguard to confirm its authenticity and indicate where it came from on the mainsail. Three of the artworks are 150 X 100cm, while the remaining 29 are 60 X 42cm.
USA 87 made its racing debut in the Louis Vuitton Act 10 match race event in Valencia last year and won the regatta over 10 other challengers and the Swiss Defender, Alinghi. The artworks have been created from hand-selected sections of the 218 sq m mainsail used in that regatta.
The auction opened on April 1 and closes at midnight Central European Time on July 7. During that period, a sample artwork will be on display at the BMW ORACLE Racing base in Valencia, Spain. Photographs of all 32 pieces can also be seen online at www.bmw-32originals.com. Bidders can select the specific artwork of their choice and enter the auction. The format is a ‘silent auction’ in which the bids remain confidential. Each bidder therefore has only one chance to enter a bid – so they should take their best shot from the outset.
Bids can be made on-line at the auction website, or via terminals in the public area of the team base in Valencia, or on the BMW ORACLE Racing website (www.bmworacleracing.com). The minimum bid is 10 Euro. There is no upper limit.
Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing dropped the skirts shrouding the underwater secrets of its two new-generation race yachts in Valencia today, revealing a refined rather than revolutionary package of keel, bulb, rudder and winglets.
“Today is a bit of America’s Cup theatre,” said team design co-ordinator, Ian Burns. “It is exciting to see all the skirts come off. For the design teams, it is a bit like taking an exam, but being allowed to look at your friend's paper. After months of secrecy, suddenly all is revealed and out in the public domain for scrutiny and analysis. While the immediate attention is on the underwater appendages, this is really an opportunity for our 38-member design team to take a bow. We have worked hard to ensure that every aspect of the yacht, from the top of the mast to the bottom of the keel not only represents the state of its particular art, but also that everything works together.
“The whole design has been optimized for a balanced package, tailored to Valencia conditions and to the particular requirements and racing style of our sailing team.
“Of course, this is only the preliminary exam. The real test begins when the America’s Cup fleet goes into battle on the water, first for the Louis Vuitton Act 13 fleet regatta, starting on April 3 and then for the Louis Vuitton Cup, which starts on April 16.”
Favourable winds and waves are important but not enough to race for the America’s Cup. It needs a combination of a high tech yacht and tactical expertise to win the preliminary races and the Cup itself. BMW ORACLE Racing, one of the top challengers, is using PTC technology to design, manage and optimize the product development data for the boat that will eventually sail against the Swiss Alinghi team in the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007 in Valencia, Spain.
While these high-tech racing yachts require multi-million dollar budgets and tens of thousands of hours of engineering time, the R&D costs take much of the budget. There are a lot of similarities between the premier league of sailing and motor sports which do not stop at the multi-million dollar budgets: Just like race cars, yachts need to be very stable and light at the same time. Their lightweight design is required to achieve high speeds, and stability is needed to control two forces of nature: water and wind.
Eleven teams from nine nations have lined up to win the oldest sports trophy of the world, but only one will have the chance to take the wind out of the sails from last year’s America Cup winner Alinghi. After this year’s preliminary Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts, BMW ORACLE Racing is among the three challengers best positioned to win the world’s most famous sailing competition. The 32nd edition of these races take place next summer and the designers of all the teams are working feverishly to deliver the perfect boat. Three teams participating in the America’s Cup, including BMW ORACLE Racing, rely on PTC’s Pro/ENGINEER design software, which is a proven 3D CAD software also in the automotive industry and in motor sports. “This design software helps us shorten development times,” said Ian Burns, Design Coordinator at BMW Oracle Racing. “Automation is the key to compressing manual processes that used to take two to three weeks down to only a few minutes.”
The challenges are many when designing an Americas Cup yacht: There is almost nothing you can buy – everything has to be designed from scratch in a limited time frame, which requires maximum creativity and the capacity to incorporate input from various disciplines and locations to the design process. The BMW ORACLE Racing team is geographically dispersed over four countries in three different continents. Headquarters and the main development site are located in the US, but most of the mast, rig and sail design is done in Auckland, New Zealand whereas the manufacturing is done at BMW sites such as in Eisenach (keels), Germany. Finally the sailing team testing the equipment is based in Valencia, Spain.
Intensive High-tech driven testing
The America’s Cup is often compared with the Formula 1 car racing competition due to its high tech characteristics and the ongoing design work throughout the racing season. The design team is using the most advanced software tools available to design and optimize the shape of the hull, the keels, the bulbs, the masts and the sails while experimenting with the most sophisticated materials available to make the boat as robust and light as possible. Though the overall design of the “USA-87” yacht is finished, the preparatory races for the America’s Cup as well as the internal test races show whether the technical effort was worthwhile and where design modifications are still to be done. Since computer simulation cannot substitute intensive testing on the water, skipper Chris Dickson’s sailing crew is on the sea racing two boats against each other as often as possible in order to optimize the yacht for the upcoming series of match races.
There is no communication with the shore crew during the races, but dozens of sensors on the boat read all kind of criteria providing insights into how the yacht is handling in different racing conditions. For example, cameras at the top of the mast take photos of the sails and pick the stripes on the sails with optical recognition software and sensors provide hydraulic pressure data. All this information is fed into a database and evaluated at the end of each day during a post-sail brief with the boat crew and the technical staff. A lot of data deciphering has to be done to realize a minimal fraction of a mile per hour faster.
Optimizing a yacht for the America’s Cup is more complex than trying to make the yacht as fast as possible for only one race because these boats compete against each other in many match races. “You do not have to be the fastest around the race course, you just have to beat the other team,” explains BMW ORACLE Racing’s Burns. “There are a lot of tactics. Some teams might optimize around a particularly fast boat sailing upwind whilst sacrificing speed downwind. Other teams may optimize on a slower but more movable boat in order to out maneuver the other team.” When optimizing the keels and other underwater components, the designers have to take into consideration possible wind and weather conditions for a particular competition with the hope of an accurate forecast, because the teams are not allowed to change the configuration of the boat once the match races have started.