Louis Vuitton series expected to be scene-setter for America's Cup

by Richard Gladwell and Louis Vuitton on 26 Feb 2010
Details of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy were announced in a media conference this morning at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

The regatta will be the first for the America's Cup teams since the 33rd Match was won by BMW Oracle Racing in Valencia, two weeks ago, and as such will take on a new urgency as positioning for the 34th America's Cup begins. Already some hiring of key people is underway as the teams begin the gearing up process.

Discussion at the conference quickly turned to the next America's Cup - a multi challenger event.

Emirates Team New Zealand CEO, Grant Dalton was quick to express confidence in BMW Oracle's commitment to the consultation process.

'All we can do, at this stage, is make sure we have got our options covered,' said Dalton. 'Whichever way the next America's Cup goes, we have to be ready to go.'

'Everything they have said since the outset in July 2007 has been done, and they have stayed constant - the involvement of the Challengers, Consultation, Fair Rules. Whether that will change or not, we shall have to see. But so far they have not moved one iota from that commitment.

'So it can only be bright for us.'

The discussion then turned to preferences as to the yachts to be used and whether a multihull was a better option. Dalton seemed to favour the multihull, with Louis Vuitton Event Director, Bruno Trouble taking the other view, commenting that the ORMA60 class had lasted just two years in France.

'The races were all won by the boat that only tacked once to the windward mark, the boat that tacked twice, was second, and so on', he added.

The regatta will be screened live on the big screen in the Viaduct Harbour, with nightly reports screening on television New Zealand's ONE from yachting reporter, Martin Tasker. The event will also be streamed live on the internet.

For the elimination rounds of the event, television coverage will be increased, going live on ONE for the final two days of the regatta.

As part of the Auckland Festival of Sail organized by Emirates Team New Zealand, the Louis Vuitton event will overlap with the Auckland International Boat Show.

Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, the recently-annointed Italian Challenger of Record for the 34th America’s Cup, will join seven other Cup contenders in Auckland in March to race on New Zealand’s Waitemata Harbor for the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland.

In France last November another Italian team, Azzurra, led by Francesco Bruni won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur, defeating the favorite Emirates Team New Zealand and its skipper Dean Barker 2-0. Both teams are part of the eight-syndicate entry for Auckland.

The only syndicate from last year, other than Emirates Team New Zealand, is Great Britain’s TEAMORIGIN, skippered by four-time Olympic medalist Ben Ainslie.

Four new teams are coming, all with familiar faces and powerful credentials. All four teams made their debuts in Nice. The French ALEPH Sailing Team is skippered by Bertrand Pacé. All4One is a combined French/German team with skipper Jochen Schümann. Artemis, from Sweden, has Paul Cayard as skipper. Russia’s Synergy Russian Sailing Team is skippered by Karol Jablonski.

The two Cup boats will dock in the heart of the Viaduct Basin on the quayside adjacent to Aucklanders’ favourite restaurants and wine bars, providing an unprecedented opportunity for spectators to view boat preparation and the departures and arrivals of the teams each day.

A third yacht supplied by BMW Oracle racing will be fully rigged and on standby for the racing, if required, so that will be no delay if one of the yachts is taken out due to damage.

Racing starts Tuesday, 9th March. Teams will take turns racing the two boats in four matches a day to complete a round robin seeding series before a ladder elimination culminating in the finals on Sunday, 21st March.

Preparations are well under way to host the top tier professional sailors