americas cup

[GordMay]

Sailing: Golden Gate club querie Spanish Cup challenge
By Stuart Alexander in Lisbon
Published: 13 July 2007
Goto:
Sailing: Golden Gate club querie Spanish Cup challenge - Independent Online Edition > General

The official "challenge" issued by the Spanish yacht club, Club Nautico Espanol, to the winning America's Cup team, Alinghi, could end up in the New York courts. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison yesterday issued his own challenge for the next America's Cup and called into question the validity of the finish-line challenge from Spain at the end of the most recent contest on 3 July.

The Golden Gate Yacht Club representative Melinda Erkelens and syndicate representative Tom Ehman went to the club representing Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli, the Societe Nautique de Geneve, and presented a new challenge. The GGYC said the challenge from the Club Nautico Espanol de Vela was invalid.

[Alan Wheeler]

I don't understand Gord. What is the issue?? What do they mean by the "finish line challenge"?

[Alan Wheeler]

Duh, if I read the link first before asking a question. Never mind Gord. I read the link.

[TaoJones]

This was just announced this morning:

Latitude 38 - Northern California's Premier Sailing and Marine Magazine

It will be interesting to see if Golden Gate Yacht Club wins the suit against the apparently fraudulent acceptance of the "paper yacht club" the Spaniards cobbled together to become the Challenger of Record for the next A-Cup. If GGYC does prevail, and can force Allinghi to defend as early as next July in an all-catamaran America's Cup, then adding Russell Coutts to the team could prove pivotal.

TaoJones

[TaoJones]

According to the latest 'Lectronic Latitude, a career in sailing needn't lead to a life of poverty. In a story in today's 'Lec Lat, " . . . it's being reported that BMW Oracle will pay Coutts about $14 million a year for the next two years." For the full story, go to Latitude 38 - Northern California's Premier Sailing and Marine Magazine and scroll down to the story headlined, "Apparently Not 'Either/Or' Between AC and WSL." You'll find there an interesting rendering of the proposed 70' catamaran that will be the WSL (World Sailing League) platform.

TaoJones

[TaoJones]

Today's 'Lectronic Latitude carries an interesting item about a couple of guys sailing on the Bay over the weekend. What's interesting about that? Well, in addition to who the two weekend sailors were, there's the intriguing sidenote that Latitude 38 was contacted ex post facto, and asked to keep it quiet, even though the two were seen by hundreds of other sailors!??

~ ~ ~

Spithill and Coutts Racing on the Bay

October 22, 2007 – San Francisco Bay
If you were out on the Bay this weekend, you might have noticed two BMW Oracle Swedish Match Racing Boats out sailing, looking as if they were practicing match racing starts. We couldn't help but notice that James Spithill, helmsman of Luna Rossa in the last America's Cup, was at the helm of one boat, and Russell 'Mr. America's Cup' Coutts, the new honcho for BMW Oracle, was at the helm of the other.

Russell Coutts and James Spithill were not spotted not racing these BMW Oracle Swedish Match Racing boats on the Bay this weekend.
Photo Latitude / JR
© 2007 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.

For the full story, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[TaoJones]

It appears the next edition of the A-Cup will feature 90-foot racing vessels. This is from today's 'Lectronic Latitude:

~ ~ ~

The 90-Foot Beast

November 2, 2007 – Valencia, Spain

It's official - the AC90 Rule has been published and the future looks bright for the 33rd America's Cup.


Briefly, the rule says AC boats will be 90 feet in length overall with a draft of 6.5 m (21.3 feet) and a displacement of 23 tons. Designers from the six current entries have been hard at work for the past six weeks brainstorming ideas and all seems amicable at this writing.

The old and the new. Computer-generated models of the most recent AC boat which was 75 feet and the proposed new 90-ft boat.

Photo Courtesy 33rd America's Cup
© 2007 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc. / 33rd America's Cup

~ ~ ~

For more, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[Tnflakbait]

This is good to hear. Maybe we will see some real exciting stuff this next time.

Originally Posted by TaoJones

It appears the next edition of the A-Cup will feature 90-foot racing vessels. This is from today's 'Lectronic Latitude:

~ ~ ~

The 90-Foot Beast

November 2, 2007 – Valencia, Spain

It's official - the AC90 Rule has been published and the future looks bright for the 33rd America's Cup.


Briefly, the rule says AC boats will be 90 feet in length overall with a draft of 6.5 m (21.3 feet) and a displacement of 23 tons. Designers from the six current entries have been hard at work for the past six weeks brainstorming ideas and all seems amicable at this writing.

The old and the new. Computer-generated models of the most recent AC boat which was 75 feet and the proposed new 90-ft boat.

Photo Courtesy 33rd America's Cup
© 2007 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc. / 33rd America's Cup

~ ~ ~

For more, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[TaoJones]

From today's 'Lectronic Latitude, comes word that yet another shoe has dropped in the battle over the next America's Cup (Billionaires evidently have a lot of shoes! ).

~ ~ ~

America's Cup Talks Stalled

November 14, 2007 – San Francisco

Just when you thought it was safe to buy your ticket to Valencia, negotiations between America's Cup Defender Société Nautique de Genève (SNG)/Alinghi and GGYC's BMW Oracle have come to a screeching halt. If you'll recall, GGYC objected to SNG's proposed rules for the 33rd running of the world's most famous yachting event, claiming they favored the Swiss team. GGYC quickly filed a lawsuit which a New York court is reviewing.

~ ~ ~

For more, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[David M]

The Americas Cup has become a joke. There is far more interesting yacht racing available to watch. The St Francis/Rolex Big Boat Series minus the big boats is more fun to watch.

The Americas Cup organizers really need to examine themselves and figure out what the public would be much more interested in seeing.

1. Get the Cup out of the courts. The teams need to agree to mediation before they can enter a boat. The mediators all need to be real sailors and not attorneys, whose goal is to render a fair and quick decision which promotes the sport of sailing, fair competition and benefits the Cup

2. Get boats that are truly fast. Most all of the modern maxi racers are faster than ACR's.

3. Get all the boats on the start line. Match racing is boring to watch.

4. Eliminate the "Defender" concept. All boats from all countries start fresh. Whoever gets the lowest number of points for the entire regatta wins the Cup. The winner of the last cup should not be able to dictate the new rules. This is not fair competition to make rules which favor you and make it harder for the competition.

5. Get rid of foreign crews/owners. If you are not a citizen of that boats country of origin/registry then you can't race on that boat.

6. The hulls should all come out of the same mold. Whats the point of competition if one hull is significantly faster? Class racing is the future of sailing. Standardizing the hull, keel and rig would make the Cup less expensive which would provide for more competitors and therefore more interesting.

Unfortunately, the people who run the cup will never "get it". Many of the old traditions are hurting the Cup...and clearly not benefiting it.

[NoTies]

Originally Posted by David M

5. Get rid of foreign crews/owners. If you are not a citizen of that boats country of origin/registry then you can't race on that boat.

What would we do with all the unemployed Kiwis then?

[David M]

Put them all on their own boat or boats...let the Kiwi's prove they are the best without foreign help.

[TaoJones]

From today's 'Lectronic Latitude, here's the latest on how things stand with the America's Cup:

~ ~ ~

Latest Salvos Over America's Cup

November 16, 2007 – San Francisco and Geneva

Remember how great the last America’s Cup was? The close racing, the exciting TV coverage on the Versus channel, the good feeling that it was finally an event worthy of sailing’s oldest trophy?

Neither do we.

~ ~ ~

For the rest of the story, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[GordMay]

America's Cup Delayed
The Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), organizers of the 33rd America's Cup, which was due to be held in Valencia in 2009, have decided to delay the competition until 2011.
The decision comes in the light of legal action by the US team BMW Oracle against current cup holder Team Alinghi, of Switzerland, on the basis that it has chosen an illegitimate yacht club as lead challenger for the next event. The action is based on a claim that the Valencia yacht club does not meet the terms of the competition as a legitimate venue.
The America's Cup is generally held each three to four years.
Goto:
http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20071022191132ywamericascup07.html

[David M]

Ahhahahaha.... the lawyers finally did in the Americas Cup. That's too funny. The petty bickering wins over common sense.

Somebody needs to come up with a new challenge that supersedes the Americas Cup....they can keep their Maori beaten, ugly trophy.

What if the A/C Committee threw a party and nobody came?

Perhaps Mr. Ellison would be willing to front the bucks for an all new challenge?...minus all the A/C bullcrap.