Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Brothers

America's Cup- Oracle Team USA reveal state of repairs and re-launch

by Oracle Team USA on 20 Dec 2012
USA-17 sailing in San Francisco one month before her capsize Guilain Grenier Oracle Team USA http://www.oracleteamusamedia.com/

With a little more than a week remaining in the year, the focus for Oracle Team USA hasn’t changed, says a Team news release.

All eyes have been on 2013 for months, for years, with the same goal in mind: defending the America’s Cup in San Francisco next September.

Ask any member of the team their New Year’s resolution and it likely involves winning the Cup. Or more immediately, it’s sailing Oracle Team USA 17 again.

'The capsize has definitely been a setback,' said Oracle Team USA general manager Grant Simmer. 'We have lost a lot of sailing time and a lot of time for the team to figure out the new boat, which will be difficult to recover. We’re a sailing team, and it’s not great to be watching your competitors sailing when we’re unable to – that’s been tough. But, all of the team has really focused on fixing the issues, fixing the boat and getting back on the water as soon as possible.'

When the team’s AC72 pitch-poled in San Francisco Bay on October 16, the schedule changed. The wing was in pieces, the pod beat up, the hulls damaged from both water and as a result of the wing breaking apart.

Instead of waiting until the end of the year to reflect, the team found itself evaluating the program a couple months early.

'We’ve used the time to really reassess the entire program, to be more realistic about our planning, to be careful not to try to do too much, but to do everything that’s important and critical to development,' Simmer said. 'We’ve become more mindful of the risks.'

The boat was dismantled – beams disconnected, systems removed – and the broken wing stripped down to salvageable pieces.

Work began immediately, and two major boat build projects were soon underway at the team base at Pier 80. Repairs of boat 1 began side-by-side with the build of boat 2.

'We’re very grateful for all of the guys here who have had to dig deep to make this all happen,' said Mark Turner, Oracle Team USA shore team manager. 'The repairs of boat 1 certainly haven’t been the easiest of tasks to accomplish, and the list wasn’t small. That’s all been going on in parallel to building boat 2. So, there’s been a lot going on here, just as there’s been a lot going on in New Zealand with getting wing 2 built. Both places – here and in New Zealand at Core Builders Composites – have been going along at a good clip.

'The entire shore crew has pitched in and done things they’re not really accustomed to doing, whether it’s helping with the repairs on boat 1, composite work, putting together flaps for wing 2, or helping out with boat 2’s assembly process,' Turner said.

The second AC72 wing was already under construction, so timeline on completion was adjusted. That wing is scheduled to arrive to San Francisco early in the new year.

'After the capsize, the first step was assessing the extent of damage,' Simmer said. 'Clearly we had almost totally lost the wing. Luckily we had another wing in production at that time, and so we accelerated that process. With the platform we found there was quite a lot of water ingress in the hulls and the areas where the boat had suffered damage. So, we’ve repaired all of that, and the platform is currently going back together.'

Composite repair work has been completed and beams reattached. As the team heads into a much-needed holiday break, the work list on boat 1 will be whittled down.

At the start of the year, 'it’s all going to happen pretty quickly,' Turner said, with hydraulic systems, wench systems, nets and more going back in place. The new wing will arrive and testing will commence.

At the same time, boat 2 construction remains full steam ahead.

While the schedule may have changed, and plans adjusted, all have remained clearly focused on 2013. All are anxious to get the first AC72 back on the water. And, all have the same goal in the new year – to win.

'The team has really had to stand up to take on the extra work on getting the boat fixed, and they’ve responded fantastically,' Simmer said. 'You end up with more resolve at the end of a process like this. That’s true for this team, and I think we will be stronger because of it.

'We’ll be out sailing again at the beginning of February in our repaired and modified boat. We’re looking forward to a long list of testing and development that will ultimately lead us to the Cup. It’s going to be a busy and exciting year for all of us.'





RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERRooster 2025Sea Sure 2025

Related Articles

2025 29er Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1
Five teams tied at the top Ikke Huber / Liam Berger (Switzerland) lead the charge after sweeping all 3 races in the Green fleet — an impressive perfect score of 2 points. Lucas & Moritz Hamm, the dynamic twin duo from Germany, matched their Swiss rivals with consistency and pace.
Posted on 3 Jul
Onboard reporters in the Course des Caps
Enjoying the challenge of bringing the race to life In the Course des Caps - Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, the Onboard Reporters, or OBRs, are back doing a wonderful job of bringing IMOCA racing to life with pictures, videos, interviews and reports from the boats.
Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 2
Consistent American Magic Quantum Racing move clear ahead American Magic Quantum Racing stepped three points clear at the top of the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard today in Cascais, Portugal on the strength of a first and third from two breezy races.
Posted on 3 Jul
505 UK Nationals at Weymouth
Michael Sims and Carl Gibbon hold back Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn Apart from one 'stumble' in Race 7, the two leading boats were almost invisibly tied together to the point that after 8 races, they were tied on points.
Posted on 3 Jul
Unforgettable Transatlantic Race 2025 finish
First to arrive was Ocean Fifty Calamity, co-skippered by Timo Tavio and Kimo Nordström. It was rush hour in Cowes on Day 15 of the west-to-east Transatlantic Race 2025, as boats crossed the finish line in Cowes within minutes of each other after an epic 3,000-mile battle for top honors in IRC 1.
Posted on 3 Jul
iQFOiL World Championships set to open in Aarhus
Olympic medalists and world-class riders gather in Denmark for the biggest iQFOiL event of the year. The stage is set in Aarhus for a spectacular week of high-speed sailing as the iQFOiL World Championships 2025 kick off on 4 July, bringing together over 200 of the world's best windsurfers from more than 40 nations.
Posted on 3 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe to showcase new race tracker
Developed with PredictWind to revolutionise race coverage The Ocean Race, often described as the toughest test of a team in sport and widely recognised as a leader in impactful ocean health initiatives, and PredictWind, a global leader in marine weather forecasting, are collaborating on a new race tracker.
Posted on 3 Jul
Oliver Heer confirms 2028 Vendée Globe ambition
The Swiss skipper aims to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race with a newer boat After completing the Vendée Globe 2024 on his first attempt, Oliver Heer, the Swiss-German skipper of Tut gut Sailing, has confirmed his intention to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race.
Posted on 3 Jul
SailingFast to provide unrivalled event support
During the WASZP Games at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy SailingFast UK is set to land in Weymouth on the 8th of July and will be on-site until the 26th of July to provide the GOLD STANDARD in event support.
Posted on 3 Jul
2025 29er Europeans at Lake Garda Opening Ceremony
More than 500 sailors paraded through the Riva del Garda's beautiful streets The 2025 29er European Championship officially opened today in stunning Riva del Garda, hosted by Fraglia Vela Riva. More than 500 sailors paraded through the city's beautiful streets in a colorful, high-energy opening ceremony.
Posted on 2 Jul