| The latest sailing news from New Zealand and the world. |
03 Sep 2017 |
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  Sail-World NZ - Sept 3 - Bronze for 49erFX..Jimmy on Jimmy..Oz hiring
 | | Isaac McHardie / William McKenzie "foiling" on the second day of racing in the Qualifying of the 49er Worlds, in Portugual 49er Worlds |
Welcome to Sail-World.com's New Zealand e-magazine for Sept 3, 2017
The main racing interest this week has been the performance of the New Zealand sailors in the 49er and 49erFX Worlds being sailed in Portugal.
After leading the series in the shortened Qualifying round, Olympic Silver medalists Alex Maloney and Molly Meech slid back to second overall after the first four pressure races in the Final Series, finishing in third place overall after a tricky series
The 2016 Bronze medal winning crew in Rio has won the world title with the Gold medalists second overall, and the Olympic Silver medalists finished third.
The Final day's racing and then three races in the Medal Race phase were conducted in ideal conditions after a delay waiting for the breeze to fill in.
The trade winds came in for the penultimate day - the women got their four races away, but the breeze increased to over 30kts for the men - and racing was called off.
Light winds have beset the regatta, delaying racing on the final day and causing the loss of the first two day's racing. Disappointingly for the Men, three days racing were lost.
 | | Alex Maloney and Molly Meech - 2017 49er and 49erFx Worlds, Final day, Portugal Ricardo Pinto |
The good news for New Zealand is that a second Women's crew was able to turn in a very encouraging performance. Erica Dawson and Kate Stewart started the series well and were in the top ten until the penultimate race day - when they scored a DNF in the final race of the day.
It's an excellent effort - particularly considering that Kate Stewart was sailing in the Youth Worlds at Torbay just over nine months ago.
The Mens crews are struggling a little - with the reduced racing schedule making every race vital.
All crews are contesting High-Performance funding for their 2020 Olympic campaigns, with top ten placings overall putting the crews in a solid position for the first and major Qualifying Round in Aarhus, on Denmark's Jutland peninsula in less than 12 months time.
The first of three America's Cup books coming out before mid-October, Jimmy Spithill's authorised biography 'Chasing the Cup - my America's Cup journey' came out on Tuesday.
We have a review of the book in this edition. Most of it is very good - particularly the first 12-13 chapters which are most of the book. Spithill gets a rather antagonist press in New Zealand - but asks for it with some of his comments. However he shines as one of the characters of the event, which really lacks personalities of his ilk.
 | | New Zealand cross behind Denmark - 2017 49er and 49erFx Worlds, Final day, Portugal Ricardo Pinto |
He does sell the reader short on several key issues from the last two America's Cups.
Oracle Team USA spent a lot of time spent a lot of time in the Jury Room in the 34th America's Cup, beginning with their attempt to try and get foiling ruled illegal in the AC72. That issue doesn't get a mention - but was a significant turning point in that America's Cup and is probably the most significant development in the sport over the past decade.
He does talk about the extra weight in the AC45 kingposts, but only to claim that he could not believe anyone in Oracle Team USA had any involvement, and later that 'this action must have slipped through a crack in our organisation.'
Spithill does make the point that its impact on the AC45's speed was negligible - which is quite correct. And also quite correctly that the AC45 series had no influence on the America's Cup itself, yet they were heavily penalised in the Match. But if it was a minor matter of little consequence - why didn't the team promptly conclude their internal investigation into the matter and then hand that written report over to the International Jury and let matters take their course.
Obviously, it could be claimed that there are team issues are not part of a personal biography. But the off-stage game is a vital part of any America's Cup. And Oracle Team USA was way better at it than other teams - probably the best since Warren Jones and Australia II. If you look at most winning America's Cup teams they win the off the water side as well as the on the water aspect.
 | | - 2017 49er and 49erFx Worlds, Final day, Portugal Ricardo Pinto |
Turning to the current, or just completed America's Cup Jimmy Spithill makes no reference as to why the other five competitors were at odds with Emirates Team New Zealand. Why The Framework was so vital and what was in the document. Neither does he talk about the Arbitration Panel case.
He does touch on what Oracle did in the five days between the first and third days of the America's Cup Match, but again there could have been more. No mention on the believed weight reduction, or the removal of the hybrid cycle position, which he had talked up as a success story right up to the final three days of the Match.
One does wonder how this book would have looked if Oracle Team USA had won the America's Cup for the third time - or maybe there is a second volume to come.
For all that it is still a very interesting book and a worthwhile read - particularly to understand why Jimmy Spithill is the way he is. And how he achieved what he has by coming through a very different path to others in the 35th America's Cup.
 | | Emirates Team New Zealand and Oracle Team USA cross the start line - Race 9 - Bermuda June 26, 2017 Richard Gladwell |
In breaking news, we have a report - expected to be confirmed on Monday - that Iain Murray, America's Cup Regatta Director in San Francisco and Bermuda, will be joining Australian Sailing as Performance Director. In that role, Murray will be in charge of the Olympic effort for the 2020 Olympics.
Over the past three Olympics, Australian sailors have won medals in 11 events and were the nation's top sport at the 2012 Olympic Regatta in Weymouth. The Big Fella has big shoes to fill and the outstanding record of the Australian Sailing Team will be watched with interest on Murray's Watch.
 | | C-Tech have been a long time supplier to America's Cup champions Emirates Team New Zealand C-TECH |
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Good sailing!
Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor
sailworldnzl@gmail.com
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 | | Day 4 – Olivia Bergström and Lovisa Karlsson (SWE-34) – 470 Junior World Championships Junichi Hirai/ Bulkhead magazine © |
 | | Yamaha Motor New Zealand announces the 2018 WaveRunner range. Yamaha Motor |
 | | Maxi Edmond de Rothschild © Yann Riou / Gitana SA |
 | | Maxi Edmond de Rothschild © Benoit Stichelbaut / Gitana SA |
 | | La Grande-Motte - Nacra 17 World Championship © Didier Hillaire |
 | | Daichi Takayama and Naoya Kimura (JPN-4601) checking behind – 470 Junior World Championships Junichi Hirai/ Bulkhead magazine © |
 | | Peter Burling and Jimmy Spithill - 35th America's Cup © BMW | Studio Borlenghi |
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