Front row at Oracle OpenWorld

By ORACLE Racing Comms // Oct. 3, 2011

The America’s Cup trophy sits atop its Core Composite Builders’ carbon-fiber pedestal at the entrance to Moscone West convention center in downtown San Francisco. Inside, flying above visitors’ heads is the wingsail of an AC45. Alongside and capsized at an easy-to-view angle is an AC45 platform. Upstairs in Retail Row, PUMA has its clothing shop.

Yes, ORACLE Racing and the America’s Cup have a strong presence at Oracle OpenWorld 2011. The event is the world’s largest technology show, drawing more than 45,000 attendees for presentations, education, networking and, yesterday, for the bravura keynote opening address by CEO Larry Ellison.

Skipper Jimmy Spithill led a large group from the sailing, shore and support teams, given front row seats. There, they saw San Francisco Giants' owner and incoming CEO Larry Baer on stage with baseball's World Series trophy, which the Giants won last season for the first time since 1954, and to present Ellison with an honorary Giants' World Series championship ring.

Today, Golden Gate Yacht Club vice commodore Tom Ehman hosted the first of his Morning Shows for visitors, which also features the ORACLE Racing Simulator that has been such crowd-pleaser at America's Cup World Series events.

Conference attendee Aaron Lee was crowned first ever match race winner at Oracle Open World 2011. His prize? A team hat and Tee.

Link to article: Front row at Oracle OpenWorld
Follow Oracle OpenWorld at: Oracle OpenWorld

AC45 Road Test

By Kimball Livingston, SAIL // Sept. 2011

The joke was on me. I dosed myself with ibuprofen both the night before and the morning of, but my ride on AC45 #4 was the smoothest fast sail I have ever had: upwind at 16 knots, downwind at 29 – downwind in the sense that we arrived downwind of our starting point. The apparent wind was so far forward, I never once felt the breeze on the back of my neck.

In anticipation of World Series competition for the America’s Cup advance fleet – 45-foot one-design catamarans – ORACLE Racing trooped its two boats through San Francisco Bay this past June because, hey, everybody has to be some place, and if practice at home is good, practice at home in the venue of the next America’s Cup is ideal. Meanwhile, a lucky few civilians got rides in that booming seabreeze that is reason number one for racing the 34th America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay. I was one of the lucky few.

So there I was, two light fingers on the hiking stick, driving upwind at 16 knots, with Jimmy – “everyone wears helmets for a reason” – Spithill next to me, just in case I needed rescuing, and it was feeling effortless until Murray Jones, trimming the wing, advised, oh so politely, “It’s good to keep it at 16.” Um, right, the speedo was reading 15. I nudged her down, up came 17. Mr. Jones mentioned politely, “16 is good.” So I worked at it, and I could almost hold it, which says a lot about the boat and perhaps, the support of five well-practiced pros. Oh, did I mention the shriek of the apparent wind somewhere in the 30s?

Link to full article: AC45 Road Test
Photo: Below – Guilain Grenier/ORACLE Racing

America’s Cup Uncovered Episode 10

The America's Cup World Series Plymouth is drawing to a close, we follow the conclusion of the Match Racing Championships with Team Korea and GB Olympic hopeful Tom Daley. We'll also uncover the jet ski umpires and go behind the scenes with Emirates Team New Zealand, as the Kiwis look to end their regatta on a high.

Watch the episode: America’s Cup Uncovered Episode 10

Calm, cool and collected

Source: America’s Cup website // Sept. 30, 2011

In yacht racing, professional sailors have always been able to project an image of being cool, calm and in control - even in a crisis.

But now, with the amount of on-board TV and audio pick-up on the AC45s, we can see for ourselves whether the image of the cool, calm and collected sailor is really true after all.

Surely the man who has never dropped a race in the America’s Cup, the most successful Cup skipper of all time - Russell Coutts - must be one cool cat on the race course.

Well, maybe he was on the old America’s Cup keelboats, but like many sailors finding their way in the high speed world of wing-masted multihulls, he has been heard to get over-excited at times.

His fellow skipper at ORACLE Racing, James Spithill, is also renowned for his gunslinger cool under pressure. Seen as the heir apparent to Coutts in the keelboat match racing world, Spithill then went on to win the last America’s Cup more than 30 feet above the water at the helm of BMW ORACLE Racing’s giant trimaran.

With a lot of training in Auckland earlier this year, the young Australian has proved himself one of the masters of AC45 racing, although it didn’t go all his own way in Plymouth.

Spithill was quite candid about the fact that he and his experienced team on ORACLE Racing Spithill were not their usual calm selves when they found themselves on the back foot in some of the fleet and match races in Plymouth Sound.

“I think our composure on board is something we've already addressed, but something we're very weak on at the moment is sailing a race from behind,” admits Spithill.

Link to full article: Calm, cool and collected
Photos: Above – Ricardo Pinto/www.americascup.com; Below – Gilles Martin-Raget/www.americascup.com

Website aimed at small business coming soon

By Eric Young, San Francisco Business Times // Sept. 27, 2011

San Francisco small businesses have been asking for months about how they can compete for America’s Cup work.

The city responded on Tuesday - by telling them they will have to wait a bit more.

Mayor Ed Lee said San Francisco and America’s Cup officials will set up a website that “will act as the focal point for event organizers to announce business and contracting opportunities and for businesses to engage.”

The site won’t be up until mid-October.

City officials said businesses will be able to register at the portal to showcase their products and services for consideration. The portal will also offer San Francisco-based businesses the opportunity to be highlighted as a local resource through a special designation on the site page.

People who want to work for the America’s Cup race organizers can use an existing website - http://www.americascup.com/opportunities - to look for job opportunities.

Link to article: America’s Cup website aimed at small business coming soon
Related article: Mayor Lee and ACEA announce plans to boost local business participation in event

New venues, new challenges

Source: America’s Cup website // Sept. 28, 2011

While the teams are preparing for the next stop on the America's Cup World Series in San Diego, beginning November 12, the more farsighted are also thinking about what lays in story for 2012.

AC World Series venues Venice, Italy and Newport, Rhode Island will offer very different sailing challenges compared to what the teams have faced to date, according to veteran tactician John Kostecki.

The inaugural America’s Cup World Series 2011-2012 heads to Venice from May 12-20, 2012, before the final leg in Newport, Rhode Island, June 23-July 1.

The iconic city of Venice, Italy will host Cup style racing for the first time, while Newport, which has played host to some of the most legendary America’s Cup battles in the competition’s 160-year history, will welcome the event back for the first time since 1983.

Kostecki, an America’s Cup winner with ORACLE Racing in 2010 and now tactician on ORACLE Racing Spithill, has experience sailing in both spots.

“Venice is an incredible venue because we’ll be sailing right along the shore next to the historical city,” he says. “We’re going to see the new modern boats right in there so it’s pretty cool.

“There will likely be a little bit less wind and it is a pretty tight racecourse, quite similar to Plymouth in that it will be a short racetrack with many laps.

“So there will be more emphasis on boat handling and less emphasis on boat speed.

“Newport is a bit different again. It’s a natural amphitheatre with people lining both shorelines so it’s another fantastic venue.

“There is a lot of current running in and out of the bay so that’s going to be a very big factor. A lot can happen wind-wise, but most likely it will be a sea breeze at the time of year we will be racing so it should be a more consistent wind.”

Link to full article: New venues, new challenges
Photo: Guilain Grenier/ORACLE Racing

Naples authority to be announced today

Source: Il Mattino.it // Oct. 1, 2011

In Naples, Italy today the local ruling government was expected to present America’s Cup Naples, the organizing committee for the ACWS Naples. Naples is slated to host the America’s Cup World Series in April 2012 and an event in 2013 as well.

America’s Cup Naples will be responsible for marketing and planning of events to attract sponsors that will commit to both regattas. The ACWS was strongly supported locally by institutions and individuals in order to boost the city's image.

The immediate financial impact, or the hotel rooms and fans who flock Bagnoli, the seaside area of Naples where the event village will be hosted, is €38 million.

Link to article: Salpa «America's Cup Napoli» Lunedì nasce la nuova società
English version: America’s Cup Naples to be presented Monday
Related article: Naples to host two America’s Cup World Series events

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