Louis Vuitton Pacific Series - A novice on the chase boat

by Max Bania on 12 Feb 2009
Max Bania describes his day out in the TVNZ chase boat at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series

I'm fortunate enough to have grown up in a time when yachting's profile has risen dramatically to capture the imagination of the New Zealand public.

I remember the euphoria that heralded Black Magic's victory in '95, and my father taking me down to the local bakery as word spread that they were handing out loaves of bread to anyone wearing red socks.

I gazed at the TV set in stunned disbelief as Dean Barker's crippled boat limped back to the viaduct during Team New Zealand's 5-0 surrender to Alinghi in 2003.

And I infuriated my flatmates during the 2007 Valencia regatta, keeping myself awake at all hours as Team New Zealand tried to wrest back the auld mug from its Swiss conquerors.

But I'd never had the opportunity to see America's Cup boat race live in front of my eyes - until Tuesday.

It's 10am on a stifling, overcast morning as I meet up with veteran yachting broadcaster Martin Tasker at the viaduct base.

He ushers me aboard one of the two camera boats and I'm introduced to skipper Peter, camera man Russell and sound technician Hari who are documenting the action for TVNZ.

Peter steers the boat to the edge of the start box and for the first time I catch sight of the great yachts.

But I'd never had the opportunity to see America's Cup boat race live in front of my eyes - until Tuesday.

New experience

On television they appear impressive enough, but seeing them live from sea level is a whole new experience.

The four yachts - decommissioned 2007 Cup boats donated by Team New Zealand and Oracle - glide effortlessly through the choppy water off North Head and from almost within touching distance, I am immediately struck by their impressive mobility.

They measure 24m from stern to bow and their masts reach a height of 34m, as high as an eight-storey building.

With the spinnaker up, their sail area is approximately 690mý - roughly the size of three tennis courts.

The first race of the day I'm watching is a sudden-death sail-off between the French K-Challenge and British Team Origin.

It's a clash of two young-guns of match racing: three-time Olympic gold-medallist Ben Ainslie aboard Team Origin against last year's world championship runner-up Sébastien Col.

And although the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has been billed as a friendly regatta, once out on the water, victory is the only acceptable result for any of the ten competing teams.

No love lost

Besides that, there is never any love lost where the French and the Brits are concerned.

The on-board audio from the boats illuminates the sense of drama and urgency as the skippers jostle for position in the start box, searching for any opportunity, however fleeting, to give themselves the jump on their rivals.

'One minute twenty to kill', announces Origin tactician Iain Percy calmly.

The K-Challenge brains trust display typical Gallic flair in their heated deliberation as it becomes clear they have been beaten to the favoured right hand side of the course by their British counterparts.

The start gun goes off and the boats head up the course under full steam.

It's only now that I appreciate the speed of these yachts: 12 knots may not sound much, but with our chase boat barely able to keep up despite full engine power, the yachts are fair rocketing up the harbour.

As well as keeping us alongside, Peter is scanning the course in search of pockets of pressure and surmising each boat's speed and direction.

'The French will have to tack away, I reckon', he says. 'They can't live there much longer'.

And so they do.

Cameraman Russell has arguably the toughest job of all.

With camera hoisted on his right shoulder, he expertly maintains a steady shot in spite of numerous distractions that include sea spray, the jolting of the boat, and me leaning over his shoulder to take photos.

Early drama

Drama unfolds as they round the first mark with TeamOrigin holding onto a slender lead.

Both boats mess up their hoists, resulting in an almighty tussle as both crews scramble to secure their limply flapping spinnakers.

From our vantage point on the left of the course a collision looks a distinct possibility, the frantic yelling aboard both boats confirming the gravity of the situation.

The protest flags fly repeatedly on both boats, each adamant that the other has encroached upon their water.

Martin is mild-mannered and always measured in his observations, but where tight racing scraps are concerned there is no masking his enthusiasm.

'Whoa, the flags are flying like billy-o!', he exclaims, as if this were the first luffing duel he's witnessed, rather than the thousandth - 'what an exciting race!'

All eyes are on the committee boat and when the yellow flag does indeed go up, it's K-Challenge that are penalised for their part in the altercation.

From here, the result is virtually a formality: former Team New Zealand crewman Ainslie is too clever to get involved in any further trouble and ultimately pulls away to secure a quarter-final berth for Team Origin.

It's a penalty that skipper Sébastien Col later tells us that he did not understand, unable to hide his disappointment at being eliminated from the regatta.

The afternoon promises further sudden-death drama but instead we are forced to endure a long and ultimately fruitless wait for more wind, and racing is called off for the day at 4pm.

I'm disappointed yet satisfied as we return to the port, elated to have taken the chance to get up close and personal with some of the most sleek and technologically advanced craft that sailing has to offer.

Happily, it's an opportunity afforded to all sailing enthusiasts in the Auckland region.

A unique aspect of this regatta has been the proximity of the racing to land and the superb vantage points afforded to spectators on North Head, Bastion Point and nearby beaches.

And with the challenger and cup finals beckoning this weekend in forecast improved weather conditions, a day on the harbour - be it on a boat amidst the action or on North Head with a picnic and a pair of binoculars - presents a rare and priceless opportunity to see these majestic cup boats in full flight.

For more Louis Vuitton pacific Serries news, stories and live streaming see www.tvnz.co.nz/sailing