| The latest sailing news from New Zealand and the world. |
17 Aug 2017 |
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  Sail-World NZ - August 16 - Our regular programme resumes
 | | Swuzzlebubble - Day 2 - Racing in the Euro Car Parks Half Ton Classics Cup 2017 at Kinsale Yacht Club, Ireland. © David Branigan / OceanSport |
Welcome to Sail-World.com's New Zealand e-magazine for August 16, 2017
Apologies for the lack of newsletters for the past three weeks, I have been involved in an unexpected book project which has required 18hours a day, seven days a week for the past three weeks or so.
The book is on Emirates Team New Zealand fortunes, and the America's Cup is starting from March 2003 to the end of June 2017. It is the first major New Zealand America's Cup book (running to over 200 pages - 60/40 text and images) in 30 years.
The book had to be done, and it is a major project with a top sports publisher. The end product looks excellent. All going to plan it will be on sale in early November, with strong advance sales.
More to come over the next few weeks, and of the second book from another major international publisher covering a similar but different period.
 | | Gemma Jones, Jason Saunders (NZL) - foiling in the Nacra - Aarhus Sailing Week Jesús Renedo Photography |
Meanwhile, the America's Cup scene continues to bubble away.
First up it is incredibly disappointing to see the America's Cup content taken down off Youtube, a month after the event concluded.
This does not just include the media conferences and other reports that were produced on a daily basis, but everything going back to the previous 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco.
Those Cup fans who follow the traffic on the old video will know that it kept getting replays and had some very viewer numbers.
There was an enormous of content generated during the 35th America's Cup - and most will not have got around to viewing all of it. It would seem to have gone for good now.
 | | All video content including medai conferences has gone from the America's Cup channel on Youtube. Richard Gladwell |
For all the comment about wanting to lift interest in the America's Cup, this seems to be a very strange way to do it.
But it gets worse. The America's Cup website has been switched to an online America's Cup clothing store based in Manchester UK.
Also gone is the America's Cup image library - a vital source of of some outstanding images for sailing and non-sailing media. But that has gone - diverted to the same discount-sale site. Won't affect Sail-World too much as we have our own content - but that's not the situation for most publications.
The America's Cup Noticeboard - which again was an excellent research source has also been diverted to the clothing store.
While the America's Cup, Bermuda edition is obviously over, when the much maligned Swiss team Alinghi lost the America's Cup in 2010, they at least kept the content available for several months.
The America's Cup Facebook page with over 400,000 followers was also taken down and then reappeared a few days later under the name of 35ACBDA - with all the original content.
 | | Now vanished content - 35th America's Cup 2017 Presented by Louis Vuitton, © ACEA 2017 / Gilles Martin-Raget |
Those with a passing knowledge of website and social media process will know that to hand-over the content is a simple matter of passing over the keys to the new owner, and the sites can continue in their original form for fans. The cost is relatively insignificant.
Questions have been asked of America's Cup Events Authority, but have not had the courtesy of a reply, as have other requested in the same vein. Most of those involved came off contract on July 31. The take-downs were not at the request of New Zealand Cup entities and were initiated offshore.
It is a complete travesty that this content should be removed by those who have the impression that they own it.
A concerted effort of Cup-Cleansing was made before the take-down to remove all the pirate copies of broadcast video from various sources. That was fair enough if the content was all replicated on free to view sources and pirate copies were unnecessary. But that is not now the situation.
Of course, the TV deals and App all had expiry dates of July 31, 2017, and even though there were replays available for 30 days after the Cup, these are now gone. From our enquiries, there is no intention by Sky in NZ (and probably elsewhere) to make the content available on an ongoing basis (for which they would require a licence from ACEA).
 | | The RC44 start is one of the most competitive in grand prix sailing – RC44 Marstrand World Championship © Pedro Martinez / Martinez Studio / RC44 |
The speculation over what will happen in Auckland is also bubbling away with plenty of comment but not much sense.
For sure the regatta will be held in Auckland, and in February 2021 - which is only three and a half years after Bermuda.
A bit of quick work with Google Earth will tell you that the Waitemata harbour is about half the width (and even less at low tide) of the Great Sound in Bermuda - and that was tight to accommodate America's Cup racing.
Going off North Head drops you in behind the influence of Rangitoto in a sea breeze (a very common wind direction in February) - which will make the racing a complete lottery.
And if you think that doesn't matter, try sitting in the traffic heading into Devonport on a Saturday - on the most congested road in New Zealand. Fans might put up with that for a once off Volvo Ocean Race start - but not on a regular basis of sitting in a car for four hours to see 40 minutes of racing.
Further out into the outer Waitemata harbour is the only sensible option.
Turning to the boat type - keelboat vs. catamaran - a factor that seems to be overlooked with the former is Auckland's three metre plus tides, which will require dredging for a keelboat base location.
Dredging and harbour intrusion is very difficult to get through a planning process, with sailors being at the forefront of protest action on previously mooted projects.
A catamaran is much more practical, as they can operate in the normal Auckland harbour water depth - without any need for dredging.
The other big advantage of catamarans (but for the same reason) is that other locations around the course such as Gulf harbour, Tamaki Estuary and other marinas can be used, which are not suitable for other than relatively shallow drafted keelboats. There is plenty of existing infrastructure which can be used without the need for new facilities.
Getting the teams out of the central City for the Cup build-up also has the advantage of the crews not having to battle with Auckland's rush-hour traffic - which is in full flight at 6.30am.
It also reduces the pressure on the need for inner city accommodation with the price gouging that invariably occurs with major sailing regattas, significantly increasing the cost for visiting teams.
Besides which those involved in the selection of the boat should be listening to the views of new generations of sailing fans and not hitting system reset on a type of boat which has grabbed the attention of a much wider sailing audience.
 | | Wingailed foiling catamaran don't require the same depth of water as keelboats - opening up more locations around Auckland Richard Gladwell |
Follow all the racing and developments in major and local events on www.sail-world.com by scrolling to the top of the site, select New Zealand, and get all the latest news and updates from the sailing world.
Good sailing!
Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor
sailworldnzl@gmail.com
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 | | keeping a close eye on Emirates Team NZ to weather - Louis Vuitton Pacific Series- Final Richard Gladwell |
 | | Emirates Team NZ led Oracle Team USA around 51 of the 54 marks in the 2017 America' Cup Richard Gladwell |
 | | Subdued spectators - Match, Day 4 - Race 7 - 35th America's Cup - Bermuda June 25, 2017 Richard Gladwell |
 | | Final day – Hempel Sailing World Championships © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy |
 | | Final day – 420 and 470 Junior European Championships © Elena Giolai/Fraglia Vela Riva |
 | | Day 2 – Laser Radial Youth World Championships Eric Faust |
 | | The Fastnet Rock as captured by the legendary photographer Carlo Borlenghi – Rolex Fastnet Race © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi |
 | | First around the Fastnet Rock and Multihull Line Honours for Tony Lawson's MOD70 Concise 10 © Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo |
 | | VO65 Dongfeng Race Team, skippered by Charles Caudrelier battled with MAPFRE all the way to the finish line, securing a win by under a minute – Rolex Fastnet Race © Paul Wyeth / RORC |
 | | Day 3 – M32 Series Scandinavia M32 Series |
 | | Gemma Jones, Jason Saunders (NZL) - Nacra - Aarhus Sailing Week Jesús Renedo Photography |
Zhik 29er Worlds - Wind and expectations mount - Day 5
Betsy Crowfoot, 
Bolstered by better breeze, with steady winds of 12 to 16 knots, the team of Benji Daniel, 16, and Alex Burger, 21, RSA, widened their lead to place a firm grip on first place in the 29er World Championship regatta. One-hundred-twenty-nine teams from around the globe are competing in the six-day event, hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, which concludes tomorrow, August 5.... [more]
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