United Internet Team Germany ready for racing

by America's Cup media on 23 Mar 2007 United Internet Team Germany has been quietly going about its business in Valencia since returning from a match racing event in Kiel last August with BMW ORACLE Racing and Team Shosholoza. The German team returned to Port America’s Cup to launch and test Germany I (GER 89), in the summer and have been testing and training ever since.

Now, having sorted out a few teething problems with the new boat, skipper Jesper Bank says the team is looking forward to racing with the 2007 season less than two weeks away.

'Today we have a reliable boat. We’ve had the breakdowns that we needed to have - some major structural failures, to be honest - but we've got rid of the rotten structures and it's good now. We can sail in any conditions and handle the boat. What we still have to do is 'ripen' the boat, I guess you would say. We have to be realistic and realise that we'll be up against teams with a more mature set-up. We'll be racing in some conditions where we're hoping our set-up is right, but we haven't had time to get the confirmation yet.'

A new boat equals new hope
Overall, Bank is extremely happy to have the new boat. He doesn’t expect it to be the fastest Cup boat in the fleet, but he is hoping to be more competitive in GER 89 than he was with GER 72 last year. Of course, a more competitive boat puts more pressure on the sailors.

'We have had some test races out here where we've been looking at each other on the boat and said, ‘Oh, it's not that hard after all,’' he says laughing. 'Once the boats are more even in speed, you can look at your positioning on the race course which has the major impact on the outcome of the race. Now, we’re in that situation against at least some of the teams.'

'When we finish sailing these days, we have completely different de-briefs. It all falls back on the afterguard now. When we make good or bad decisions we can see it on the race course. Before, we never knew when we were geniuses or clowns because it didn't really have any effect. The difference would be in finishing one minute behind or two.'

Scaling up
This is the second America’s Cup for Bank, who sailed with Sweden’s Victory Challenge in 2003 in Auckland. But his dominating performances have come in the Olympics, where he can claim two Gold Medals in the Soling Class (1992, 2000). He also has six World Championships in different classes. Moving from success in a small keelboat, like the Soling class, where his team included two others, to leading an America’s Cup team of some 70 people has been a major adjustment. But Bank says it is part of the price you pay when you tackle sailing’s biggest prize.

'Every now and then you have that thought where you wish you could just lift the little boat off the trailer, put it in the water and go sailing,' he says, with a bit of longing for that simpler time in his voice. 'You don't need to discuss it with anybody, or need to coordinate it or have a meeting.'

'But what we are trying to do here is compete for the top sailing trophy in the world. There is a reason why it's the toughest trophy to win. If it was a matter of just sailing a boat that you'd bought off the shelf, then anyone could do it. The complexity at the Cup is so much bigger than anything else in sailing that it's a real challenge. You have to be the best in so many different fields.'

New additions
Last week, United Internet Team Germany announced its sailing team for the season. Among the major changes, experienced tactician David Dellenbaugh, has joined the afterguard as tactician.

'I think the addition of David allowed us to make some good rotations to stabilise the sailing team and the boat. If you look at our 'backup' sailors, you see how good we are because we have some people there that you might be surprised to see they’re not on the boat. But we'll be rotating a lot and I expect we'll use about 25 sailors in our planned rotation of crew.'

With just 12 wins from 59 starts, Bank knows it is important to start winning quickly in the Louis Vuitton Cup, but he is aware his team still has a long way to go. Early wins will go a long way to maintaining support in Germany, and keeping the sailors motivated and happy.

'There is a lot more publicity around the America's Cup and the German team than I could ever have imagined. It's almost scary, because now we have to deliver on the promise,' Bank says. 'But nothing is as motivating as a win. On days when we've sailed well, and the boat has performed well the beer sure tastes a lot better,' he laughs.

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