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XS Racing is a Racing Organization and a Daily Online News Source for the High Performance Sailor
Visit Several Times Each Day for Your Daily Sailing News as it Breaks!
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Monday, 12/28/09 - Here is the latest statement from Tom Ehman, Golden Gate Yacht Club Spokesperson (pictured) regarding the "constructed in country" issue.
Valencia, December 28, 2009 - The Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW Oracle Racing intends to meet with Societe Nautique de Geneve as soon as possible in an attempt to remove the question mark hanging over the legality of Alinghi's yacht they will use to defend the forthcoming 33rd America's Cup.
Foremost is the nationality clause in the America's Cup Deed of Gift document which governs the event and requires the yachts of the Challenger of Record and the Defender to be constructed in the country of the yacht club they represent ("CIC").
Last week SNG was informed by GGYC of the obvious illegality of its yacht's USA-built sails. Yesterday SNG responded and agreed to meet on the matter.
"With racing scheduled to start in Valencia in just six weeks, we want this serious issue dealt with before the boats come to the starting line," said GGYC spokesman Tom Ehman.
The 33rd Match starts in Valencia, Spain, on February 8th.
"We don't think the sailing world would tolerate the two teams failing to sort this out, especially given that GGYC first put SNG on notice concerning CIC in July 2008," Ehman said.
"Virtually every racing sailor in the world knows North Sails' molded-construction is proprietary and unique to its Minden plant in the USA. It is the only place in the world where such sails are constructed. Nevada is not Switzerland."
When the two sides meet, GGYC is prepared to give the defender reasonable time to manufacture sails in Switzerland and take other remedial measures.
"Alinghi's sails are not their only CIC problem, only the most obvious," Ehman said.
Failing a satisfactory outcome, GGYC will take the CIC issue to the International Jury.
"What no one wants is the question mark hanging over Alinghi to turn into a question mark hanging over the result of the Match. The time to sort this matter out is right now, not during or after the Match, said Ehman."
Q & A
What does the Deed of Gift require of the Challenging and Defending Yachts?
"A yacht or vessel propelled by sails only and constructed in the country to which the
Challenging Club belongs, against any one yacht or vessel constructed in the country of the
Club holding the Cup."
What does a yacht or vessel include?
Historically, "yacht or vessel" has always included the hull, appendages, rig and sails.
What does this mean?
Exactly what it says. Constructed does not permit parts made in Switzerland to be added to
Alinghi 5 in Italy or Ras Al Khaimah, or sails manufactured in the USA to go to Switzerland for "finishing" and then be called Swiss-made.
Are sails the only issue?
Unfortunately, no. The Nevada sails are the most visible violation. However Alinghi will need
to clarify where other major components have been manufactured and/or fitted to its yacht.
Does Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth believe the Jury should sort out such problems before the Match?
Yes. At the recent World Yacht Racing Forum both Russell Coutts, BMW ORACLE Racing's
CEO, and Brad Butterworth agreed that the result on the water should be free from litigation. Coutts said: "Put the Jury in place now and use that Jury to answer open questions that, perhaps, still need to be resolved." Butterworth was asked if this made sense. "Yes it does," the Alinghi skipper replied.
Why is GGYC raising the question now?
We want all issues resolved before racing begins for the 33rd America's Cup. Complying with
the Deed of Gift's CIC requirement was first highlighted by GGYC in July 2008. It is much
better to get all remaining rules-issues resolved now, to avoid protests or litigation during and after the Match as well as causing possible delay to the 34th America's Cup. GGYC has
waited for more than a year for SNG to allow ISAF to establish the International Jury. The five person panel was named three weeks ago, but the legal sign-off to enable the Jury to sit is still being held-up by SNG.
SNG said GGYC only wants to litigate?
On the contrary, GGYC is trying to avoid litigation by resolving this issue before racing begins. CIC is a central requirement in the Deed and GGYC will not allow SNG to recklessly
disregard the rules. SNG must realize this, especially given that 13 of 14 decisions made by
the New York courts have found the Swiss defender's interpretations of the rules to be wrong.
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Monday, 12/28/09 - Alinghi isn't happy with how BOR Racing is handling all of this America's Cup stuff. Shocking huh? Here's their latest release marinated in sarcasm.
Societe Nautique de Geneve and Alinghi thank Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW Oracle for their Christmas gift and their wishes for further litigation in the New Year!
"Having disqualified all other Challengers for the 33rd America's Cup through their legal strategy, Larry Ellison's team is now trying to do the same with the Defender and continues to pursue its attempt to win the America's Cup in court rather than on the race course," says Fred Meyer, SNG vice-commodore.
"We fear that this is an attempt by BMW Oracle to avoid racing Alinghi on 8 February," adds Grant Simmer, Alinghi design team coordinator.
BMW Oracle's accusations regarding the defending yacht are simply false: Alinghi 5 complies with the Deed of Gift "constructed in country" requirement, it was built in Switzerland and so are its sails.
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Monday, Dec 28 2009 - Positioned 76 miles from Lorient at 1500 hours UTC this afternoon, Groupama 3 is set to make landfall between 1900 and 2000 hours UTC this evening. From there they will embark once again on the Jules Verne Trophy and try and become the fastest to sail around the world. Click here to learn more about the boat and the trip.
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Monday, 12/28/09 - WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Some 125 pilot whales died in New Zealand after stranding on the beach over the weekend - but vacationers and conservation workers Sunday managed to coax 43 others back out to sea.
Rescuers monitored the survivors as they swam away from Colville Beach on North Island's Coromandel peninsula, and by this morning they were reported well out to sea. Photo courtesy of the New Zealand Conservation Department. Click here for the full story.
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Monday, 12/28/09 - Here's the latest from teenage sailor Jessica Watson as she makes her way around the world alone.
It's been a bit of a slow day with only a little wind and drizzly rain. You wouldn't guess that this is the Southern Ocean! Well, that is apart from the long swell and Albrotross, oh and of course the cold.
I've been finding the light winds and slow progress a little frustrating, but I shouldn't complain because life is so much more comfortable in the light conditions and the wind chill is going to be quite something when it does eventually pick up. Thank goodness for all my warm Musto gear and the protection of the dodger!
Read more of the teenager's non-stop solo circumnavigation here.
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COOL DESIGNS
Monday, 12/28/09 - Seems there are a lot of monohull sailors discovering multihulls lately. First the AC guys and now here is a cool new 'proa' design by Gerhard Schein from the G Force group. The clip shows sailing the "Ninja" proa in Langebaan in the vicinity of Cape Town, South Africa. It shows how easy it is to tack the "Ninja" ll without any boom. More info on www.g-forceyachts.com or www.sail-the-difference.com
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HOME MOVIES
Monday, 12/28/09 - From an XS reader and Firefly enthusiast, here is a HOME MOVIE from a friend in Australia. The footage has freeze frames and a slow motion segment of each of the 4 FireFly's that were racing that day. Great action!
Send us your HOME MOVIES to info@xsracing.org.
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Thursday 12/24/09 - To all the fine XS Readers out there - thanks for visiting this daily site devoted to the sport of sailing and we hope you continue to check in and get the latest news in the sailing world. We hope the holidays give you a chance to spend time with the folks you love and maybe even sneak in a sail...weather providing. Happy Christmas, Chanuka or whatever else your into!
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Thursday 12/24/09 - The low pressure system remnant of a tropical cyclone crossing the continent is setting up a tricky wind pattern for the Rolex Sydney Hobart race, for its Boxing Day start.
While the scenario is still changing, pockets of light breeze to be negotiated between two major wind systems look to have removed the prospects of a record-breaking run by one of the hi-tech collection of maxi yachts in the fleet.
Barry Hanstrum, senior forecaster for the NSW Bureau of Meteorology, predicts that the fleet of 100 boats will probably start in a light to moderate southerly, which would mean a spectacular spinnaker start in Sydney Harbour on Saturday, then a beat to windward in 10-20 knots as the fleet reaches the open sea.
While the wind would back to the east - northeast offshore, a low pressure trough would create lighter air inshore. A west to southwest change on Sunday night in the Bass Strait of 20-30 knots would continue into Monday, December 28.
Yendys' Will Oxley, one of the fleet's top navigators with 11 Hobart races on his CV, sees the situation on the first day as even trickier. "It looks quite important to stay in the east; in the west you are likely to run out of breeze earlier. The big boats will get into the nor'easterly breeze, clear of the trough, first."
But Oxley believes the big boats will run out of breeze and "park" in the lee of the Tasmanian coast. "I think the race is going to be won or lost off the Tasmanian coast with the transitioning of that light wind area into the new breeze that comes on the 28th."
Against the forecast and form shown in the Rolex Rating warm-up regattas, the two well-prepared, settled, Reichel/Pugh 100s Wild Oats XI (Bob Oatley) and Alfa Romeo (Neville Crichton) will lead the charge of the seven maxis towards the line honours finishing gun on Battery Point, Hobart.
The forecast, with its mix of light weather, does not suit Mike Slade's Farr 100 ICAP Leopard, a great upwind performer. "We'd like strong upwind for the first 12 hours and then when you look down to Gabo Island going into Bass Strait, there's pockets there of intense weakness and you could sit there for five hours," said Slade.
"I've done that in this race in the 1990's and the boys that had gone offshore in a different breeze came in six hours ahead of us." Photo Rick Tomlinson.
To follow the start go to www.rolexsydneyhobart.com
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Thursday 12/24/09 - Paralyzed sailor Geoff Holt is sailing across the Atlantic in a cruising Cat. Check out this update that speaks about Christmas, family and separation during a lengthy voyage.
Susana has done a great job making ID "Christmasty" with decorations we stowed aboard in the UK back in September but I've not really got into the festive mood this year. Maybe its the 30 degrees heat, the cloudless skies and the endless horizons you get on an ocean, maybe it's the preoccupation of undertaking (and still needing to complete) such a momentous challenge or perhaps it's much more straightforward than that, Christmas just isn't the same without being with your family. I spoke with Elaine yesterday, she was at the beach in Tortola with my son Timothy being given a tour of the island. Specifically, she was at Trellis Bay where in 1984 I worked for several months at the Last Resort and they are staying at a villa in Cane Garden Bay where, in 1984, I had my accident. It wasn't until I put the phone down that for the first time on this trip, I was aware of the emotional aspect of what I'm doing, particularly so because my wife and son are now at the very place my life changed forever 25 years ago - it must be tough for them too knowing that. I really miss them very much indeed and knowing that I'll be spending Christmas away from them for the first time and I won't be there to share their joy of opening their prezzies Christmas morning, I'm preparing myself for a tough day - of course I'll have Susana and Digby for company and no doubt they'll be missing their families just as much so we can at least console each other.
There are already a few presents under the Christmas tree and we even have a chicken (we think it's a chicken) that we bought in the Cape Verde islands which we are going to roast with some potatoes and carrots followed by Christmas pudding (no custard for me, it makes me gag; read my book to discover why and evidence that nuns are not as angelic as you may think).
The sea state is back on the beam which means we are back to pitching and yawing which, for me at least being in the wheelchair, means clinging on for dear life trying to stop myself sliding about and makes typing a near impossibility. On which note, I will wish you all a very Happy Christmas and will try to write another blog tomorrow, Christmas Day, that is assuming I get time between the various media interviews we have lined up. Listen to You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, today at about 12.20pm.
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Thursday 12/24/09 - A boater who was in San Diego Bay when a Coast Guard patrol boat collided with a pleasure boat, killing an 8-year-old boy and injuring five others, said the Coast Guard vessel was going "too fast" in crowded waters during a Christmas boat festival. Check out the rest of the story here in the Los Angeles Times.
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MOVING PICTURES
Thursday 12/24/09 - Back in 1988 the AC world saw this amazing craft hit the water. The crew learned to sail this massive beast of a boat, using video cameras to observe sail shape, and tracking the stress on the spars through computer technology. But their efforts were in vain - the team couldn't do enough to overcome the speed of a catamaran - and the KZ-1 campaign ended in defeat.
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MOVING PICTURES
Thursday 12/24/09 - With all this wing business making the headlines, here's a short slideshow of a wing that's a little more manageable. The wing system on the C Cat Invictus is very cool.
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Wednesday, 12/23/09 - XS Racing, organizers of the Border Run Sailboat Race announced today the addition of the West Marine store of Long Beach California to their group of enthusiastic sponsors. The store will be supplying prizes for the monthly drawings created to encourage early entry to what organizers feel will be one of the most exciting races on the West Coast.
The store has donated the Lifesling2 for the next drawing which they describe as a "must have" item for every sailor. The Lifesling includes a hoist and tackle system designed to help bring even your beefiest crew aboard safely, even if injured, unconscious, or in atrocious sea conditions.
West Marine is located at 251 N Marina Drive, Long Beach, CA 90803 and their phone number is 562-598-9400. To sign up for the Border Run to be eligible to win a Lifesling2 click on the Border Run 2010 banner on XS Racing. Click on the red Border Run button to enter.
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Wednesday, 12/23/09 - Here's Alinghi's response to GGYC's warning that they are serious about the DoG rule that states the boat must be 100% built in her home-country.
Société Nautique de Genève and Alinghi thank Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW Oracle for their Christmas gift and their wishes for further litigation in the New Year!
"Having disqualified all other Challengers for the 33rd America's Cup through their legal strategy, Larry Ellison's team is now trying to do the same with the Defender and continues to pursue its attempt to win the America's Cup in court rather than on the race course," says Fred Meyer, SNG vice-commodore.
"We fear that this is an attempt by BMW Oracle to avoid racing Alinghi on 8 February," adds Grant Simmer, Alinghi design team coordinator.
BMW Oracle's accusations regarding the defending yacht are simply false: Alinghi 5 complies with the Deed of Gift "constructed in country" requirement, it was built in Switzerland and so are its sails.
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Wednesday, 12/23/09 - The 11th entry in the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 was today confirmed by the team's skipper. This high-profile European entry wishes to remain anonymous, but will be announcing details of their project in early 2010. The campaign already has a boat, team and funding in place and will be mounting a very serious bid to win the Global Ocean Race 2011-12. Click here for the rest of the story.
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Wednesday, 12/23/09 - Valencia Sailing is on the street in Spain reporting on the America's Cup challenger's temporary "reception and assembly" base in the commercial port of Valencia. Check it out here.
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Wednesday, 12/23/09 - Sailing World magazine announced the J/95 as their Boat of Year. Here's a story of BOTY director Dave Reed recalling his first glimpse of the J/95. Check out Sailing World for the story.
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Wednesday, 12/23/09 - Public Relations and Special Events company 'WIE' (West Indies Events) announced today that they are organizing the first ever Around St.Maarten-St.Martin MultiHull Regatta this coming February 27th 2010 in St.Maarten / St.Martin. Sail World has the full story.
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MOVING PICTURES
Wednesday 12/23/09 - Another montage of the BOR Racing machine that will, without doubt, go down in history as one of the most innovative, ambitious and unique vessels of her day.
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