| The latest sailing news from New Zealand and the world. |
14 Sep 2017 |
|
| |
  Sail-World NZ - Sept 14 - America's Cup debate..Volvo OR crew moves
 | | MOD70 Trimaran Orion in the 2016 The Rolex Big Boats Series © Rolex/Daniel Forster |
Welcome to Sail-World.com's New Zealand e-magazine for Sept 14, 2017
The shock waves from the weekend interview given by the Patron of Luna Rossa, Patrizio Bertelli continue to ripple around the America's Cup world.
Used to the long drawn out series of announcements from the organisers of the 34th and 35th America's Cup, fans and media expected a controlled information release, on a prescribed date, and one which often raised more questions than answers.
Most were caught unawares by Luna Rossa's Patrizio Bertelli giving an interview to an Italian newspaper and letting out some key points of the next America's Cup Class, a couple of weeks ahead of time.
However, we should not be surprised.
Who in the media can forget the stunned look on his skipper and tactician's faces when the volatile Italian fashion magnate issued a media release accusing the Luna Rossa afterguard of 'suicide tactics' in the fourth race of the 2000 America's Cup Match in Auckland?
 | | The winning team from the Royal Akarana Yacht Club in New Zealand receives the Statue of Liberty perpetual trophy – 11th International Yacht Club Challenge Manhattan Yacht Club |
Seated at the elevated top table in the waterfront media centre for the 2000 America's Cup, skipper, Francesco de Angelis - who had been voted as the second most sexy man in New Zealand in a poll by an Auckland radio station - was explaining the reasoning for the tactic which got them on the wrong side of what proved to be a persistent shift. Alongside him was tactician and sailing great, Torben Grael, winner of five Olympic sailing medals, several world championships and later the Volvo Ocean Race.
Mid-way through the question and answer session someone waved a Luna Rossa media release and asked de Angelis his response to the accusation of 'suicide tactics' by the Luna Rossa crew. The urbane de Angelis looked briefly shocked, saying they had not seen the statement and left it to Torben Grael to respond.
'He thought we gave Russell [Coutts] a birthday present. It wasn't intended', said Grael who in terms of sailing expertise had to answer to no-one. 'I think we are the first ones to feel bad about it and Patrizio [Bertelli] has the right to be upset as well, that is why he made that statement. We didn't see it as suicide. We thought we were doing the right thing and it ended up it was not. That is part of racing, it can't always go right, sometimes it goes wrong, and when it goes wrong, you look a little stupid.'
 | | Ready for racing - the fleet lined up in Cowes Yacht Haven ready for launching this morning – Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Fiona Brown Communications |
de Angelis was more to the point: 'That statement is pretty straightforward, there is not much to say about it. That is his feeling, and the facts are clear. There is not much more to say.'
Three years later in 2003, it was the same Patrizio Bertelli who fired Doug Peterson, an America's Cup winning designer after Luna Rossa performed poorly losing their first two races in the opening round robin. They only won a third against Le Defi (FRA) who failed to finish and then lost two more before their first contested win in Race 6 against Victory Challenge of Sweden.
Mr Bertelli wanted an 'ice-breaker' bow like the other boats, and according to who you believe he either drew it on the back of a cafe serviette, or full size on the boat, before commissioning radical bow surgery. He got his ice-breaker bow and the Italian results improved - but not enough to make the Finals.
 | | Leg Zero, Turn the Tide on Plastic compete in the Around the Island Race. Volvo Ocean Race. 02 August, 2017 © Ainhoa Sanchez / Volvo Ocean Race |
At the end of that campaign, he sat down with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport and declared that he would not be back for the 2007 America's Cup.
'This adventure is over,' Mr Bertelli told the newspaper.
By one estimate he'd spent $120million on the two campaigns and would sell the six IACC yachts and equipment. 'I could sell them, I've already had requests, even from Italy,' he said.
But as we now know, he had a change of heart and did come back for the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia making the Final but losing 5-0 to Emirates Team NZ. And again in 2013 for San Francisco cutting a deal with the Kiwis to buy a design package for a foiling AC72.
 | | NZ's Jo Aleh up CQS mast © John Feder / The Australian |
Just before the launch of Luna Rossa's AC72 in Auckland, Patrizio Bertelli explained why he had returned to the America's Cup, triggered by the withdrawal of Mascalzone Latino, the then Challenger of Record. Mr Bertelli said they felt this withdrawal bought dishonour to Italy and they started looking seriously at a Challenge. The relationship did not please Oracle Team USA and Artemis Racing who complained to the International Jury, successfully clipping the wings of the two love-birds.
After they won an Extreme 40 regatta earlier in 2012, Luna Rossa had virtually decided to go ahead, but did not have the time to run up their own design team, so they talked to Emirates Team NZ. The Challenge for the 34th America's Cup was intended to extend into the 35th America's Cup, just completed in Bermuda.
Bertelli made a strong attempt to set up a winning team for the 2017 America's Cup, only to have the mat whipped out from under his feet in late March 2015, after a deal was cut with the majority of the Challengers and the Defender to shift to a smaller boat than the AC62 - which had been announced as the class nine months earlier.
So given what has gone before, maybe the interview with La Stampa last weekend should not have come as a surprise.
 | | Simon Koster – foiler - Mini Transat © Jacques Vapillon / Mini Transat |
Clearly with the deal that has been cut with Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa as Challenger of Record does hold the whip hand on several aspects of the 36th America's Cup, as they are entitled to do as Challenger under the Deed of Gift.
So we should expect the coming America's Cup to be fairly, but not carefully orchestrated.
Also expect the unexpected to happen with Luna Rossa, if only to keep the Defender and others on their toes.
Looking ahead to the Protocol we can probably expect a hard line to be taken on the key points of nationality, and construction in the country of the Defending or Challenging Club. As well there will be a class rule developed - without being one design as were the hulls, cross structure, wingsail and jib in the AC50 class.
All will be revealed at the end of the month at Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron unless Mr Bertelli elects to sit down for a another chat with an Italian newspaper.
 | | Physics of monohull foiling - but maybe more suited to the downwind Southern Ocean legs of a Volvo OR or Vendee Globe and not around the buoys in an America's Cup © VPLP |
Yesterday morning I had an hour long discusison with long-time America's Cup colleague, Tom Ehman who has jumped the fence and become part of the sailing media, running a new website sailingillustrated.com based in San Diego and San Francisco. The replay of this discussion can be seen in this edition click here. We don't often see eye to eye on Cup issues, but the discussion is always interesting.
Tom is well connected on the Challenger and former Defender side of the America's Cup equation. In a story published earlier in the week Tom forecasts 11 teams on a 'probables' list and a further seven teams on the 'possibles' list.
That is a normal number for this stage of the America's Cup cycle. The story can be read by clicking here
With 12 teams (11 plus Emirates Team New Zealand) the space requirements will probably need to increase on the Auckland waterfront to around 37,000 sq metres - using the space used per base in Bermuda as a guide and the pressure to have those bases up and running by mid-2019 which was a stretch initially, will become even more intense.
 | | Richard Gladwell and Tom Ehman on Sailing Illustrated's "Tuesday with TFE" web sailing show. |
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
Please forward news stories and images these directly to Sail-World NZ using our new very easy to use submission system, or forward to the email address: sailworldnzl@gmail.com as text in the email and attach images in the standard way for emails.
To subscribe to Sail-World.com's NZ e-magazine published two or three times weekly go to www.sail-world.com and click on Newsletter and Subscribe. You can see previous newsletters by clicking on Newsletter and then Archive from the drop-down menu.
To check if you have been missing one or more Sail-World newsletters - then check on Archive in the Newsletter section - and if you are missing some, then enter a new gmail.com email address for you.
Or if you are a potential advertiser and want to understand how Sail-World can work for your company, website or product, then drop a line to Colin Preston at nzsales@sail-world.com
 | | Mamma Aiuto! skippered by Japan's Naofumi Kamei, winner in Copa del Rey MAPFRE – GC32 Racing Tour Jesus Renedo / GC32 Racing Tour |
 | | Skipper Simeon Tienpont (left) with Roberto Bermúdez de Castro (Chuny) aboard Team AzkoNobel during the Leg Zero of the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race © James Blake / Volvo Ocean Race |
 | | New York Harbor – 11th International Yacht Club Challenge Manhattan Yacht Club |
 | | Annalise Murphy (IRL), Leg Zero, training on board Turn the Tide on Plastic. Volvo Ocean Race. 07 September, 2017 © Jeremie Lecaudey / Volvo Ocean Race |
 | | Day 1 – Erik Maris' Zoulou capsized in the big waves prior to racing today – GC32 Orezza Corsica Cup Jesus Renedo / GC32 Racing Tour |
 | | Abby Ehler has joined Team Brunel as boat captain for the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race Team Brunel |
 | | Andrew Cape and Bouwe Bekking – Volvo Ocean Race © Richard Edwards / Volvo Ocean Race |
 | | François Gabart aboard the MACIF trimaran Jean-Marie Liot / DPPI / Macif |
 | | Day 24, Race 1 – Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Clipper Ventures |
 | | Day 1 – A wet ride in windy Calvi – GC32 Orezza Corsica Cup Jesus Renedo / GC32 Racing Tour |
|
|
|
|
|
|