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terça-feira, 15 de janeiro de 2013

2nd Boat to ETNZ

Fonte: Team New Zealand

The much anticipated Emirates Team New Zealand AC72 Boat 2 has been delivered from Cookson’s Boatyard to the team base in Auckland’s Viaduct.
After months of continuous hard work and over 40,000 man hours the second of the teams AC72′s has been completed.
The job now is to piece it together then fit it out with all of the complex systems and get it out on the water in the next few weeks to be load tested, tuned and resume the sailing program to get it up to speed in final preparations before shipping it to San Francisco for the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup in July.

terça-feira, 8 de janeiro de 2013

Taking the big cat apart piece by piece

Fonte: America's Cup

The Emirates Team New Zealand AC72 has been reduced to its component pieces, a delicate operation which took the best part of two weeks to accomplish. Winch drums and some hardware has been removed to be installed on Boat 2 which will be delivered to the team’s Auckland Viaduct Harbour base early in January.
Shore crew members have worked long and hard to complete decommissioning before Christmas. From tomorrow they will have a little time off before setting about the task of commissioning Boat 2 for its launch in early February.
Chris Cameron’s pictures are here.

A sailor’s life is not an easy one


Fonte: America's Cup


As you all relax for the holidays, spare a thought for the Emirates Team New Zealand sailors who will be training hard every day to keep in shape for getting back out on to the water early in the new year. Here’s an update on the gym training programme from David Slyfield.

quinta-feira, 22 de novembro de 2012

America's Cup boat's capsizing sparks questions, fears

Fonte: mercurynews.com



1 of 10
Oracle Team USA capsizes boat

In this photo taken Tuesday Oct. 16, 2012 and provided by Oracle Team USA, crew members hang from the mesh netting after the Oracle Team USA AC72 boat capsized on San Francisco Bay in San Francisco. The America's Cup champion syndicate is assessing the damage to its 72-foot (22-meter) catamaran, after it capsized and was swept by a strong current more than four miles (six kilometers) past the Golden Gate Bridge before rescue boats could control it.(AP Photo/Oracle Team USA, Guilain Grenier)


SAN FRANCISCO -- When Larry Ellison's new 72-foot America's Cup boat capsized on a practice run and was sucked through the Golden Gate in a crippled mess, the second-guessing and doubts among the sailing community began: Has Ellison's plan to turn the world's most famous yacht race into a high-tech white-knuckle NASCAR of the sea gone too far for speed?

"Everyone wants the fastest boat," said Richard Spindler, founder and publisher of Latitude 38, a sailing magazine based in Mill Valley. "But you can't win the race unless you finish."

Now, a month after Oracle Racing's new, custom-made USA 17 cartwheeled into San Francisco Bay, hurled its hotshot crew into the cold waters and crumpled the main sail structure, Ellison's pride is on the line as the sailing syndicate races against the clock to perform repairs and be ready to compete by September's America's Cup finals.

After winning the last Cup, Ellison was allowed to dictate the size and basic design of the boats for all the entries in this year's race. But some doubters are wondering whether the towering catamarans are too unwieldy and expensive and should follow the lead of Howard Hughes' giant flying boat, the "Spruce Goose" -- which was shelved for good after one flight.

Even America's Cup officials are talking about downsizing the catamaran for future races. But there's no time to turn back for this race.

"It's definitely a setback," Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill

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said of the newly built boat's capsize Oct. 16. He was at the helm and blames his risky maneuvers in especially rough conditions, not the boat design, for the catastrophe. "But it's not one that will stop us from winning the Cup," he said.



The boat's wreck on only its eighth practice run has focused scrutiny on the fundamental design of the so-called AC72 -- a new class of America's Cup boat built for excitement and speed. All three challengers have launched their customized versions, and at least one competitor is already complaining that the rigid wing serving as a mast and sail is too big.

If Ellison's team loses, the event he won in Spain in 2010 and brought for the first time to San Francisco -- promising millions of dollars in economic development and a thrilling spectator experience -- would move to the winning boat's home port.

Stephen Barclay, CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority, said the 72-footers are not too dangerous for the bay, but they are being reconsidered for future races because they are so expensive and big, requiring upward of 30 people to get them in and out of the water by crane. Only three teams, New Zealand, Sweden and Italy, could afford to challenge Oracle for the trophy next

he Oracle Team USA AC72 catamaran is capsized Oct. 16, 2012, on San Francisco Bay. (Guilain Grenier/Oracle Team USA)summer, compared with roughly a dozen challengers in past years.



Still, the capsize exposed the fundamental dilemma of the America's Cup: How extreme can a boat design be when it is racing in the bay's already extreme conditions with the most competitive sailors on the planet intent on going as fast as possible?

Along with wearing crash helmets and sharp knives strapped to body suits, Spithill's crew will now tuck into their chest pockets mini oxygen canisters. If sailors end up trapped underwater, they'll have 10 to 15 breaths to cut their way out from beneath the netted trampoline that spans the twin hulls.

"We have to plan for the worst," Spithill said. Still, "I think the boat has to be a challenge. It needs to have all the horsepower and risk. If you can only race to the top of first gear, it's boring. You need to be pushed."

He was pushing the limits a month ago in 30-knot winds clashing with the strongest ebb tide of the year. No one was injured when the boat pitch-poled end over end. But the rigid wing became a battering ram on the helpless hulls as it was flushed through the rough waters of the Golden Gate and then collapsed. Pieces of the wing are still washing up at beaches.

Spithill received a call from Ellison, his billionaire boss who founded Oracle, the next morning. —‰'Champions get through this. I have no doubt you'll get through it,' " Spithill recalls Ellison saying. "It's what I needed," Spithill said, "that outlook and attitude."

But the capsize spooked competitors. So far, Team New Zealand has had little trouble navigating its AC72 in strong winds, but when it heard the news of the capsize while out sailing off the New Zealand coast, it immediately "buttoned back," said Richard Gladwell, who covers the team for Sail-World.com in Auckland.

When Sweden's Artemis Racing launched its 72-footer out of Alameda last week in similar tidal conditions, "we didn't go anywhere near that part of the bay," said CEO Paul Cayard.

There is no fatal flaw to the AC72, Barclay said. But he acknowledges that "decisions were made early to make these boats exciting," including choosing a larger, faster 38-meter wing sail over a slower 32-meter one.

Cayard is already questioning the wisdom of that decision: "We would have been better off with a small wing."

The America's Cup has always been as much a test of sailing skills as a design competition -- and the history of the Cup is littered with examples of teams pushing the limit. . In 1995, One Australia cracked like an egg during a challenger series and sank in seconds.

"If nobody takes risks there will be no progress. Howard Hughes did that. So did Boeing," said Dirk Kramers, Oracle's chief engineer who led the design of the AC72. "Whatever lessons are learned from one cycle will be applied to the other. That's what's kept this game alive for 100-and-some-odd years."

segunda-feira, 16 de abril de 2012

Luna Rossa thrills crowd - wins grand finale Fleet Racing Championship at the America’s Cup World Series in Naples

Fonte: AC

Chris Draper led his Luna Rossa crew to a thrilling win in the final fleet race in Naples, Italy, collecting 50 points for his efforts to vault up the leaderboard and win the AC World Series Naples Fleet Racing Championship. The victory kicked off celebrations among the tens of thousands of Italian America’s Cup fans lining the Naples waterfront to catch a glimpse of their heroes.




© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download


© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download



© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download


© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download






“We’re very pleased with the event, with the team effort,” an excited Draper said afterwards. “We didn't have huge expectations, but to come away with a first (in the fleet racing) and a second (in the match racing) is awesome."

Conditions were light, tricky and testing on Sunday, but Draper and his crew were up to the challenge. As was James Spithill and his ORACLE Racing crew, who appeared to be dead and buried in last place early in the race, only to recover and claim an impressive second place.

“The key thing was hanging in there and looking for the opportunities, and there were plenty out there,” Spithill said. “JK (tactician John Kostecki) and the guys did a very nice job… In those sorts of conditions you can go from hero to zero in a matter of seconds. We knew we just had to hang tough and wait for the opportunities. The guys found some good ways back and got us up there.”

Earlier in the afternoon, the Match Racing Championship was decided when Terry Hutchinson and his Artemis Racing team took advantage of a pre-start mistake by Chris Draper’s team to sail away with a win in the sudden-death Final. The victory was a vindication of sorts for Artemis, who had capsized in the first race of the regatta, damaging their wing and being shut out of the points on Wednesday.

“I can't say enough about the effort from the guys on the boat and on the shore,” Hutchinson said. “After Wednesday, we’d have taken today's result, that's for sure. Our team trainer says it's not how you fall down, but how you get up. Now we have to come back in a few weeks in Venice and work on our consistency.”

No records were set in this edition of the AC500 Speed Trials, as the light winds meant the fastest runs came at the end, during a brief period of stronger conditions. ORACLE Racing Bundock was able to fend off Artemis Racing by a microscopic .02 seconds to post the fastest time.

A major story in Naples has been the enthusiasm of the city as shown by the size of the crowds in the event village. Sunday was no exception, with the crowds lined deep along the waterfront to watch the action. Much of the support, unsurprisingly, was for Luna Rossa.

“We sailed along the shore after the finish and it's insane to see how many people are here,” said Luna Rossa’s Draper. “As a sailor you'd never imagine having so many people watching. It's great for the sport, and great to be part of an Italian team in front of all these people. We're very proud.”

The America’s Cup World Series now packs up and moves north to Venice, for the fifth stop on the circuit in May.

The results from Naples mean there is a new leader on the overall AC World Series Championship leaderboard. ORACLE Racing Spithill has overhauled Emirates Team New Zealand to lead by a slender one point after four events. The 2011-2012 AC World Series concludes in Newport, Rhode Island on July 1, where it appears the Championship will be decided.

Fleet Racing Championship - Standings (seven races):

1. Luna Rossa - Piranha (Helmsman: Chris Draper); 92 points
2. ORACLE Racing - Spithill (Skipper: James Spithill); 77 points
3. Emirates Team New Zealand (Skipper: Dean Barker); 60 points
4. Energy Team (Skipper: Yann Guichard); 54 points
5. Team Korea (Skipper: Nathan Outteridge); 49 points
6. Luna Rossa - Swordfish (Helmsman: Paul Campbell-James); 41 points
7. Artemis Racing (Skipper: Terry Hutchinson); 40 points
8. ORACLE Racing - Bundock (Skipper: Darren Bundock); 37 points
9. China Team (Skipper: Fred Le Peutrec); 15 points


Match Racing Championship – Sunday’s races

Final – Artemis Racing beat Luna Rossa Piranha
SF1 – Artemis Racing beat Luna Rossa Swordfish
SF2 – Luna Rossa Piranha beat ORACLE Racing Bundock



2011-12 America’s Cup World Series Provisional leaderboard


Place Team Match Points Fleet Points TOTAL POINTS

1  ORACLE Racing - Spithill 30 37 67

2  Emirates Team New Zealand 30 36 66

3  Artemis Racing 33 21 54

4  Energy Team 25 23 48

5T  ORACLE Racing - Bundock 26 21 47

5T  Team Korea 25 22 47

7  China Team 12 14 26

8  Green Comm Racing 11 12 23

9  Luna Rossa - Piranha 9 10 19

10 Luna Rossa - Swordfish 7 5 12



See full results here

quinta-feira, 12 de abril de 2012

ACWS - Dia 2

Emirates Team New Zealand dominates on day two with Luna Rossa performing well in front of large crowds in Naples
Naples, Italy, 12/04/2012

America’s Cup World Series leading skipper Dean Barker showed his Emirates Team New Zealand remains the class of the fleet by winning both fleet races on Thursday. In scoring two victories, Barker now sits clear ahead of his rival James Spithill by a whopping 9 points on the Naples leaderboard.


© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download


© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download



© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download


© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Download

The local favorites, the two Luna Rossa Challenge crews, also had a good afternoon in the beautiful sea breeze conditions just off the sea front of Naples, with each crew earning a second place finish.

“That’s more like what we prepared for. The boys sailed awesomely today, the boat handling was epic,” said Chris Draper, the helmsman on Luna Rossa Piranha, who scored a 2-3 this afternoon. “We’re really pleased.”

Crowds lined the waterfront on this sunny afternoon to watch the racing, with the finish line just meters from the shore.

“The people of Naples are really turning out in force to support us,” Barker said, as he and his crew saluted the crowd after finishing. “If this is what happens on Thursday, I can only imagine what we’ll see on the weekend.”

Before the fleet races today, three matches were sailed, one of which pitted the two ORACLE Racing teams against each other. On this day, it was Bundock winning over Spithill, an upset of the form guide.

“We were up against the winner of the America’s Cup, so to walk away with his scalp was great,” skipper Darren Bundock said with enthusiasm. “It pushes us straight through to the semi finals, so we’re looking good in the match racing.”

Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa Piranha were the other match race winners and both will advance to the next stage of the competition; the losers in each match have been knocked out and assigned a final finishing position.

The teams also completed the ‘spare’ race on Thursday afternoon. This fleet race will only be scored if there is no racing on Sunday. In that case, the race will be broadcast on Sunday afternoon and reported on at that time.

The program for Friday starts with Match Racing followed by two Fleet Races. The start of the first match is scheduled for 1330 CEST.

Fleet Racing Championship - Provisional Standings Day Two (after four races):

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (Skipper: Dean Barker); 38 points
2. ORACLE Racing - Spithill (Skipper: James Spithill); 29 points
3. Luna Rossa - Piranha (Helmsman: Chris Draper); 27 points
4. Team Korea (Skipper: Nathan Outteridge); 27 points
5. Energy Team (Skipper: Yann Guichard); 25 points
6. Luna Rossa - Swordfish (Helmsman: Paul Campbell-James); 24 points
7. ORACLE Racing - Bundock (Skipper: Darren Bundock); 16 points
8. Artemis Racing (Skipper: Terry Hutchinson); 12 points
9. China Team (Skipper: Fred Le Peutrec); 4 points

Match Racing Championship – Provisional Results:

Q1 - Artemis Racing beat China Team
QF1 - ORACLE Racing Bundock beat ORACLE Racing Spithill
QF2 - Luna Rossa Piranha beat Team Korea

China Team finishes ninth in the Match Racing Championship; Artemis Racing advances to QF3.

ORACLE Racing Spithill finishes seventh in the Match Racing Championship; ORACLE Racing Bundock advances to SF2.

Team Korea finishes sixth in the Match Racing Championship; Luna Rossa Piranha advances to SF2.

See full results and format here.

segunda-feira, 30 de janeiro de 2012

Team New Zealand já tem asa para vento fraco

Após o seu desenvolvimento, começaram os treinos com a nova asa desenhada para vento fraco.

O team new zealand já treina com ela.

segunda-feira, 21 de novembro de 2011

ORACLE Racing Spithill Takes the Double, Winning Today’s Fleet Racing Championship at the America’s Cup World Series in San Diego


Fonte: America's Cup

© 2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-RagetDownload
© 2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-RagetDownload
© 2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-RagetDownload
© 2011 ACEA/Bob GrieserDownload


San Diego saved the best for last, testing the international America’s Cup World Series fleet with the strongest winds of the week, with gusts approaching 20 knots on Sunday afternoon, making for great racing conditions. The teams didn’t disappoint the fans gathered on Broadway and Navy Piers – the race was full of intrigue, with plenty of lead changes on the race course, and lots of near misses and thrills and spills from start to finish.

ORACLE Racing Spithill, winners on Saturday of the Match Racing Championship, came from behind to win the Fleet Racing Championship, becoming the first team to secure a double win at the AC World Series. Once again, team principal Larry Ellison was on board with the team today.

“We really wanted to win the double,” said skipper James Spithill following the race. “We started okay, but got mixed up in the pack. But JK (tactician John Kostecki) got us back into it and then the boys did a fantastic job. We were able to stretch away and use our speed.”

It was Emirates Team New Zealand who exploded off the starting line to lead the fleet of nine AC45s into a tense, action-packed turn at the first mark just a few hundred yards away. While the Kiwi team led early, the long leg upwind allowed several teams to shine, none more so than Artemis Racing who worked their way up to the front of a very tight pack by the top gate.

But ORACLE Racing Spithill chose the favored mark at the top and was soon leading the fleet downwind at speeds near 25 knots, slowly extending away from the pack of boats giving chase. Artemis Racing had a near disaster at the bottom mark, their headsail not deploying cleanly, with a near-capsize dropping them well down the fleet.

While Spithill moved away from the fleet, Team Korea, Emirates Team New Zealand, Energy Team, and Aleph were locked in a dogfight for second place. The advantage was first with Korea and then the Kiwis, but the two were just yards apart for most of the race, until a poor gybe on Korea allowed the Kiwis and both French boat to go past. At the finish, it was Emirates Team New Zealand in second, with Energy Team just one second ahead of Aleph for third, and Team Korea in fifth.

Artemis Racing’s Terry Hutchinson made a late charge to take sixth place just one second ahead of China Team, with Green Comm Racing and ORACLE Racing Coutts at the back of the pack.

Earlier, in the AC500 Speed Trial, the fastest runs came on the teams’ second attempt down the course. First it was Emirates Team New Zealand setting the pace. But then came the ORACLE Racing juggernaut. First Spithill and then Darren Bundock, skippering ORACLE Racing Coutts, broke the record, with Bundock’s speed of 26.87 knots standing up as the winning speed.

San Diego is the last event of the calendar year for the America’s Cup World Series. The teams will now have four months of winter training before the next AC World Series stop in Naples, Italy from April 7 to 15, 2012. Venice, Italy then follows from the 12 to 20 of May, 2012.

“We're going to go to some fantastic venues,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray. “The ACWS has grown legs of its own, it has proven itself as a concept. It excites the people, we fit it into the geography of the bays, and creating the stadium racing means we can broadcast our racing from the inside out. I see the World Series going from strength to strength. The AC72s are starting to be built, teams are getting stronger and more confident. We're heading towards some great events.”

“It is very easy to forget how far we've come in a very short space of time,” said Richard Worth, Chairman of the America’s Cup Event Authority. “Three months ago the America’s Cup World Series didn't even exist. Now, we have had three spectacular events, thanks largely to our sailors, these sportsmen of outstanding quality. We have created a stunning sporting event. We saw that today, with some outstanding sport, inches between the boats at the end and real drama throughout. So through a very short space of time the America’s Cup World Series has absolutely come alive.”






Results – San Diego Fleet Racing Championship
1. ORACLE Racing Spithill
2. Emirates Team New Zealand
3. Energy Team
4. Aleph
5. Team Korea
6. Artemis Racing
7. China Team
8. Green Comm Racing
9. ORACLE Racing Coutts

Results – AC500 Speed Trial
ORACLE Racing - Coutts - 26.87 knots
ORACLE Racing - Spithill - 26.79 knots
Emirates Team New Zealand - 26.56 knots
Artemis Racing - 25.98 knots
Energy Team - 25.96 knots
China Team - 25.67 knots
ALEPH - 25.19 knots
Green Comm Racing - 24.74 knots
Team Korea - 24.30 knots

For the latest photos, please download from the America’s Cup Image Bank atwww.americascupmedia.com. For media resources, please visit the online America’s Cup Press Center at http://mediacenter.americascup.com/.

segunda-feira, 12 de setembro de 2011

An epic day of racing at the America’s Cup World Series in Plymouth

Fonte: America's Cup

Three capsizes tell the story of an epic final race in the Plymouth AC Preliminaries with winds gusting close to 30 knots (35 mph; 55 kph) across Plymouth Sound. The race course was pushed up close to The Hoe, and once again, the crowds on the hill were rewarded with thrilling racing just meters from shore.






© ACEA (2011)/ Photo G. Martin-RagetDownload
© ACEA (2011)/ Photo R. PintoDownload
© Ricardo PintoDownload
© Ricardo PintoDownload


The blustery conditions pushed the crews and the boats to their limits, and in some cases beyond. Three teams capsized; the French Aleph, Team Korea and just meters from the finish, Spain’s Green Comm Racing. In each case, the crews escaped unscathed, the boats, with minor damage to their wings.

During the race, the ORACLE Racing Spithill crew had many near misses and was lucky not to capsize as they passed the first mark with the lead. Other boats challenged them for their early advantage, with first Artemis Racing, then Emirates Team New Zealand taking their turn at the head of the fleet. But it was a game of least mistakes, a war of attrition that eventually went back in favor of James Spithill and his slick ORACLE team.

France’s Energy Team sailed a strong race to finish fourth, after battling around the course with Russell Coutts for a podium spot. China Team too, sailed well in the conditions to finish in fifth place. Artemis Racing, meanwhile, was forced to retire, moments after relinquishing the lead on the second lap of the course, with equipment problems.

Aleph was the first to capsize, nose-diving right in front of the crowds gathered along Plymouth seafront, early in the race. Then, at the top of the course Team Korea speared their bows into the waves and flipped over. And tantalizingly close to the finish, Green Comm Racing was toppled by a gust on the final leg of the race. Luca Devoti, sports director from Green Comm commented later: "Nobody has been hurt and the wing has been damaged; we'll need two days to fix it."

All day, the sailors and the boats were racing at their very limits, unless a nonchalant James Spithill was to be believed after the race. "It was great racing for sure, not even at the limit of the boats; still a way to go." Brave words after a race that had spectators gasping with disbelief.

While Spithill won the race, his rival Dean Barker's second place was sufficient to give victory to the Kiwis in the Plymouth AC Preliminaries.

In Sunday’s AC500 Speed Trials, it looked like the Kiwis had it in the bag with two great runs while others were spinning off the race track. James Spithill's words nearly came back to haunt him as the ORACLE AC45 flipped right on to its edge - there were a few moments of doubt as to whether it would capsize - before it slapped back down on its floats.

With Spithill out of contention in the speed trials, it was up to the remaining teams - and ORACLE Racing Coutts in particular - to take the fight to the Kiwis. Once again Russell Coutts had the bit between his teeth and turned in a scorching final run to post a winning time of 37:48 seconds.

Monday and Tuesday are off days at the America’s Cup World Series – Plymouth allowing the teams a chance to rest and repair both man and machine. Racing resumes on Wednesday with qualifying races for the Plymouth AC Match Race Championship.

All racing can be seen live on www.youtube.com/americascup.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Results – Plymouth AC Preliminaries 


Place

Team

RACE #1


RACE #2


RACE #3


RACE #4


TOTAL POINTS



Place

Points

Place

Points

Place

Points

Place

Points


1

Emirates Team New Zealand

1

10

3

8

1

10

2

9

37

2

ORACLE Racing Spithill

2

9

1

10

4

7

1

10

36

3

Artemis Racing

3

8

2

9

2

9

DNF

3

29

4

ORACLE Racing Coutts

OCS

3

4

7

3

8

3

8

26

5

China Team

6

5

5

6

6

5

5

6

22

6

Aleph

4

7

7

4

5

6

DNF

3

20

7

Energy Team

8

3

6

5

7

4

4

7

19

8

Team Korea

5

6

DNF

3

8

3

6

5

17

9

Green Comm Racing

7

4

8

3

9

3

DNF

3

13





Plymouth AC500 Speed Trials - Sunday



Place

Team

Speed (km/h)
1
ORACLE Racing Coutts
48.00
2
Emirates Team New Zealand
47.36
3
China Team
44.12
4
Energy Team
34.34

ORACLE Racing Spithill
DNF

Artemis Racing
DNS

Team Korea
DNS

Green Comm Racing
DNS

Aleph
DNS