Americas Cup 20

Internet auction status.

by John Roberson

AUCKLAND, December 23 (Reuters) - Dennis Conner sold a spare place on his America’s Cup boat, Stars & Stripes, for US$98,100, through an internet auction.

Now Paul Cayard and his San Francisco based AmericaOne team are trying the same novel fund-raising approach, but so far the Cayard name doesn’t seem to have the same cash value, or cachet, as Conner.

With less 24 hours until the bidding closes, the price on Cayard’s head is just US$45,100 for the privilege of taking the "17^th man" position.

The America’s Cup boats allow in their rules for a crew of sixteen sailors, and one passenger, known as the "17^th man", who rides in the back of the boat.

The 17^th man has to be approved by the event organisers as someone who couldn’t contribute to the sailing of the boat, and during the actual race is not allowed to speak to the crew.

The AmericaOne auction is being conducted by one of the new sponsors recently signed by AmericaOne, the internet portal company Lycos.

Team spokesperson Gina von Esmarch confirmed that the bidding had opened at US$40,000 on 14^th December, and has reached US$45,100, with bidding closing at 6pm 23^rd December in New York.

She said, "Lycos have had a huge number of hits on the site, which can be entered either through their site, or via the Quokka official America’s Cup site, so there is a lot of interest."

The package includes business class return airfares and luxury hotel accommodation for two, and the winner gets a one race ride on AmericaOne during the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals.

Putting the bid into perspective, von Esmarch said "a new spinnaker costs $20,000, a new jib $30,000 and a mainsail $70,000."

The Louis Vuitton Cup is the series to select a challenger that will meet the America’s Cup holders Team New Zealand, starting in February next year.

Eleven teams from seven nations started the Louis Vuitton Cup in October, with five already eliminated, while the remaining six start the semi-finals on 2^nd January 2000.

Americas Cup 20

Eliminated challengers cannot help.

by John Roberson

AUCKLAND, December 22 (Reuters) - While most of the eliminated America’s Cup challengers have left town, a few of the more talented sailors have been hanging around, offering their services to various of the six semi-finals teams.

Paul Cayard and his AmericaOne team would like to make use of the eliminated Young Australia skipper James Spithill, but are unlikely to be able to do so.

The protocol under which the whole event is run specifically bans trading in equipment and personnel between teams, unless all the challengers and defenders agree.

Russell Green, rules advisor to defenders Team New Zealand, commented today, "we’re certainly not going to agree, and it is my understanding that Nippon and Prada haven’t either."

Justifying the stance, he said "supposing Nippon got eliminated in the semis, and we invited their skipper, Peter Gilmour, to come and join us for some training, can you see the other challengers agreeing?"

Also prevented from helping out is former America’s Cup skipper, now television commentator Chris Law from England, who was asked to help with training, but was then told he couldn’t.

Meanwhile the New York Yacht Club’s Young America team, who were eliminated from the Cup last week, are ready to re-launch their boat that cracked up and nearly sank on 9^th November.

Spokeswoman of the team, Jane Eagleson, said "we were going to take USA 53 for a sail today (Wednesday), but with winds of 25 to 30 knots forecast, that has been postponed until Monday."

Commenting on whether they will be sailing against any of the other challengers as a sparring partner, she said "it doesn’t seem to be heading that way."

The Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals start on 2^nd January, and take the form of a double round robin, in which each of the six remaining teams sails against all the others twice, with the top two going into a first-to-win-five race final.

Americas Cup 19

Trying to tame the variables.

by John Roberson

AUCKLAND, December 19 (Reuters) - In the America’s Cup, millions of dollars are spent on technology, in hi-tech boat building, sailmaking, mastmaking, instruments, and computer programmes, but the whole game is played on a constantly changing pitch.

The boats are built to incredibly fine tolerances, most of the sails are not cut and sewn in the traditional way, but moulded over huge aerofoiled shapes to produce a shape that will be very stable.

Yet the playing field, the ocean, is a constantly moving and uncontrollable platform, and the wind that powers the boats is fickle and untameable, and particularly so on the Hauraki Gulf.

This is the nightmare that faces the designers and performance analysts as they work to get those extra fractions of a knot out of these boats, in the search for the speed that will win the Cup.

For the teams that have the luxury of two boats, the job is made a little easier with two boat testing, but it is painstakingly tedious, while for those with only one boat they are often shooting in the dark.

The ritual of two boat testing involves lining the two boats up about 50 feet apart, and then both sailing in a straight line for about 15 minutes to see if one gains on the other.

Then making adjustments of one boat, either sail trim, the tension of the rigging, the bend or angle of the mast, and going through the process all over again.

Bob (Buddha) Billingham, general manager of the AmericaOne team explains, "we keep one boat the same, use the same sails, trimmers and helmsman, and tell them to do everything the same."

All the adjustments are then done to the other boat, so that they have a fixed benchmark, "it is very easy to get confusing results if you change too many things at one time," he commented.

Detailed information is fed back to a bank of computers on a support boat that constantly shadows the two sailing boats, using highly sophisticated telemetry to transmit the data.

However with the boats constantly pitching over the waves, and the wind liable to shift in direction, or change in strength, test runs frequently have to be aborted as the information becomes meaningless.

Billingham say the human factor is a problem too, "they have to work hard to keep their level of concentration up, these are emotional and competitive guys, it’s very difficult for them."

"It’s sailing, you get a lot of variables," he adds with a mixture of frustration and philosophical acceptance, "incremental impact or gain of a particular adjustment can be hard to discern.

"But once you’ve got three or four of these things right, you’re going a couple of boats’ lengths faster around the track," which translates into about 15 seconds in an 18 nautical mile race.

With the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup - the series to select a challenger to meet the defenders New Zealand - due to start on January 2^nd, time is critical.

Already five of the eleven teams that started this series in October have been eliminated, after the semi-finals it will be down to just two boats, so no-one can afford to be off the pace on January 2^nd.

The semi-finals take the form of a double round robin, in which each of the six remaining teams sails against all the others twice, with the top two going into a first-to-win-five race final.

On February 19^th next year, the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup will face Team New Zealand in the first race of the America’s Cup, another first-to-win-five race series.

Americas Cup 18

Cayard still has a secret weapon.

by John Roberson

AUCKLAND, December 18 (Reuters) - Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne team believe they have gained a psychological and tactical advantage by not using their newest boat so, far in the first three rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

While all the other teams, that have two boats, bought them out for the third round, Cayard’s USA 61, which was airfreighted to Auckland from California, has not been used in battle yet.

Team General Manager, Bob (Buddha) Billingham said, "we have now have sailed against their second boats in the third round, and have a handle on their performance, they don’t know anything about ours."

The AmericaOne team, representing the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, are now into an intensive training and evaluation programme with their two boats, in preparation for the semi-finals.

Asked whether the new boat will be used in the semis, or saved for the finals - assuming they get that far - Billingham said, "the decision hasn’t been taken yet, but I’d bet on it."

Two other semi-finals teams have two boats, Italy’s Prada Challenge, and the Nippon Challenge from Japan, while the French Le Defi Francais, Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes and America True only have one boat.

Meanwhile, the eliminated New York Yacht Club’s Young America team, who are still in Auckland, have turned down and invitation from the defending Team New Zealand to sail against them.

Ed Baird, Young America skipper, unholding the unwritten agreement amongst challengers not to tune up against New Zealand.

However, they are prepared to help any of the remaining challengers, "We are here as the Challenger of Record, so if there is some way we can help the challengers be stronger, it might make sense," said Baird.

Five of the eleven original challengers for the America’s Cup have now been eliminated, with the remaining six starting the semi-finals on 2^nd January.

Americas Cup 17

Spanish go out in style.

by John Roberson

AUCKLAND, December 17 (Reuters) - Only the Spanish could bow out of the America’s Cup with such style, laying on a party that will be remembered in Auckland, and Cup circles for years.

While other eliminated teams are scurrying off to the airport, heads bowed, barely pausing to say farewell, the Spanish hired a bar for an all night party, from 8 pm to 8 am, and the drink flowed freely.

The crew arrived at the waterfront bar in an armada of water taxis, spraying the crowd with champagne, and singing their national anthem.

During the early part of the evening there was a special "awards" ceremony, in which all the other skippers were given suitably irreverant prizes, most took it in good humour.

Ed Baird of Young America, whose crew were forced to jump off their boat when it cracked and nearly sank, was given a pair of diving fins.

Paul Cayard, whose AmericaOne has shedded more spinnakers than anyone else, was presented with some sail cloth and a sewing kit to put them back together with.

The evening included a take-off of the male strip-tease sequence from the British film "The Full Monty", the Spanish crew ending up with their backs to the crowd, and their boat name Bravo Espana written in black pen across their buttocks.

From then on the crowd swayed and partied the night away to the sound of Spanish music, and with mock bull fights on the stage, and some spirited attempts at flamenco dancing.

When asked why the big party, one crew member replied, "we had budgeted to be here for another month, so we have to spend the money somehow".

It was pointed out that if they had put as much effort into their sailing as they put into this party, they might not be going home now.

Five of the eleven original challengers for the America’s Cup have now been eliminated, with the remaining six starting the semi-finals on 2^nd January.

Americas Cup 16

Next racing will be the semi-finals.

by John Roberson

AUCKLAND, December 15 (Reuters) - Although there is still one race unsailed, the third round of the Louis Vuitton Cup is now officially over, and the next racing will be the semi-finals.

The French Le Defi Francais team announced on Wedneday evening that, having qualified for the semis, they would not compete in the only outstanding match, against Young America.

"We have decided not to race tomorrow," confirmed team manager Luc Gellusseau, "because all the team is very tired, for two months we have worked a lot, and it has been very difficult to get to the semi-finals."

Ed Baird, skipper of Young America, confirmed that they too wouldn't be sailing, so the third round was declared officially over, and teams were given the go-ahead to commence modifications to their boats.

The top six challengers from the first three rounds now progress to the semi-finals, which commence on 2^nd January 2000, and are scheduled to finish 11^th January.

The six boat semi-finals will take the form of a double round robin, with each team sailing against each of the others twice, and with the scoreboard wiped clean of all previous points.